Kurt Blazek

A lack of trust between employees and employers can have disastrous effects for a company. Employees are more likely to feel apathetic about their jobs and feel less incentive to work harder and contribute to the success of a company. Earning the trust of your employees is one of the most important parts of your job and is an integral part of being a great leader. It’s incredibly difficult to motivate your employees and maintain their respect without trust.

Here are 5 ways that can help you gain trust as an employer.

1. Interact with your employees often
One of the biggest reasons that employees don’t develop trust is that they don’t have a chance to! If managers work in a closed office or at a different site, they can come across as aloof and inaccessible. This type of relationship does not foster good feelings and trust amongst employees. Even if you are busy, make it a point to communicate with your employees and be approachable.

Summer is officially here. Obviously for children this brings much excitement. But even many adults look forward to the warmer days and the many barbecues, vacations, pool days and camping trips that take place.

And then there are the people who only look at summer as an inconvenience, such as the frustration of not being able to wear a business suit all day without sweating into it. Summer means nothing to them.

That’s fine and all, not everyone has to like summer. But if you fall in that category, it might not be just summer itself that you’re not a fan of, perhaps it’s difficult for you to break away from work. Even on the weekends.

Some like to define leaders into two categories: those who take risks and those who don’t. The risk takers create an environment that values “out of the box” thinking and creative problem solving. Sure, they make mistakes, but they actively learn from mistakes and apply the lessons learned to new situations.

Those who don’t take risks work in a risk-adverse comfort zone and display and encourage a style of leadership that is conservative. They have a low tolerance for ambiguity, or are known for “analysis-paralysis,” that is, never having enough information to make a decision.

Motivation is one of the key ways for managers to get the most out of their employees. After all, one of the most referenced quotes for leadership is, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it,” by Dwight Eisenhower.

I’m sure you understand how motivation helps make employees more productive, which in turn positively impacts the bottom line. Now, are you also working to make sure you, yourself, are motivated?

Sometimes managers can be so focused on managing their own employees that they completely forget about self-management, which is crucial in itself.

Let’s face it; you will certainly encounter obstacles in your efforts to make changes in your organization. The consequence of poor coping skills will invariably lead to lost opportunities to be effective. An inability to cope with stress will not only cause personal unhappiness, it can also make you ineffective as a leader.

Motivation is one of the key ways for managers to get the most out of their employees. After all, one of the most referenced quotes for leadership is, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want… Continue Reading →