Love & Business
As we get launched into a new fiscal year, I believe it is important to sit down with your team and have a heart to heart.
Your team only cares what you think once they know how much you care. As a business owner we can often be referred to as “the man” or “the fat cat” or any other identification that somehow indicates that you are somehow taking advantage of your staff. I know that not all employees think like this but I have experienced and witnessed this enough over the years to know that it is in my workplace.
That being said, one of the things I have learned, and have not always been good at, is that I somehow communicate to everyone on the team that I actually care for them as employees and people. This has been a major challenge for me to try and get across to them. It was my wife that said to me this morning "do you think they know how much you care about them?" I think so? Maybe?
I have made it my mission in the last two years to try and communicate to them that I actually care. Brene Brown talks extensively about this in her leadership book, Dare to Lead. She goes as far as using the word LOVE! Imagine using the word LOVE in a business context. I happen to think she is on to something.
What is love anyway in a business setting? I think it is simply putting your team first! Making sure they have what they need to and are supported and on track to develop themselves for whatever comes their way. It means having their backs and it might mean that the boss eats last. That's okay.
So for those who have come and gone, know that I cared enough to love you. Be well.