Have you ever completed an employee survey or a customer satisfaction survey, and all of a sudden, nothing happened? You spent this time providing feedback to those asking for it, but they gave you nothing in return. This is what happens in leadership when we listen but don’t take action by actively doing something about the concerns of our employees. Everyone within your organization should be thinking, “Wow, my voice is important to them!” with every action taken by leadership. But when we opt to ignore it instead, more apathy is created in those around us.
For Every Action…
…there is an equal and opposite reaction. I’m sure at some point in your life, you’ve heard Newton’s famous third law, or as it’s more commonly known: the law of action and reaction. Although the technical meaning is referring to two physical objects reacting – for example, when you jump, your legs apply a force to the ground and the ground applies an equal and opposite reaction force that propels you into the air; the same can be said of the physical actions we take in real life, especially in the workplace.
When your employees offer feedback to you and your ‘action’ is to hear them by addressing their concerns, you’ll receive a positive ‘reaction’ in return, such as more productivity or increased retention. Conversely, if you choose not to address their concerns, the consequences of your ‘action’ (or lack thereof), will be a negative ‘reaction.’ It could even result in the resignation or a decrease in overall employee morale. Your employees want to know that you care about them as much as they care about showing up to work every single day.
What’s the Hold-Up?
Most leaders don’t take action because they know that it will require change. But you must have the desire to change in order to take action. I’m sure you’ve realized within your organizations that implementing the solution to the problem is a lot harder than it should be. Some things are better left untouched at the moment. But add up those small moments for the year, five years, ten years, and we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor, productivity, or material costs, all because you lacked the desire to take action and implement change.
Begin by acting strategically and asking your employees the right questions. What exactly do they want from you? How can you help them? You can then determine the actions to take based on their needs and set the proper expectations. So as you move through the decision-making process, take time to consider how your potential actions align with your company values. For example, ask yourself, “How would (X) decision align with or support (Y) value?” or, “If I were to announce this to my team, how would I justify it through the lens of our values?”
Your organization’s values define the soul of your company and shape the content and character of its culture. As a leader, any decision you make and the subsequent actions you take should be informed by your values. Your integrity as a leader will always directly reflect the alignment between the decisions you make and the actions you take (or don’t take).
So think about those baby step actions that you can begin to take to contribute to a positive culture and make the people who are looking for their voices begin to be heard and feel heard.