Walking the Walk

Is “walking the walk” a tired old cliché, or a bold new concept? A lack of formal management training might result in poor communication, delegation and leadership skills among managers.

According to a Gallup poll, 25 percent of U.S. employees would fire their bosses if they could. Why? Because a lot of managers fail to abide by the high service standards they set for their employees. Employees will only respect management’s authority if they observe excellent customer service skills applied by their superiors. Customer loyalty must be a top-down initiative.

Here are five ways managers can earn greater respect and increase employee loyalty:

• Always give performance reviews and salary increases when promised. Employees have those dates memorized. They will feel resentful if review dates are postponed or forgotten.

• Have empathy for employees by being flexible with time off so they can tend to family emergencies.

• Be a mentor by sharing knowledge and experience. Explain how business decisions are made—especially when decisions involve them.

• Trust employees and be willing to delegate projects based on their strengths. Managers who tend to be control freaks must learn to break the micromanagement habit.

• Let employees know their value. Smile at them, be approachable, remember the names of their family members and sincerely thank them as often as possible.

Remember that managers set the tone for their departments. So, managers beware—employees are watching!

BY DEBRA J. SCHMIDT

Debra J. Schmidt, aka the Loyalty Leader, is a professional speaker, corporate trainer and author. She helps companies boost their profits by leading them to greater customer, employee and brand loyalty. Subscribe to Debra’s free e-mail newsletter packed with loyalty-building tips at: www.theloyaltyleader.com.