If you’re a business leader today, it’s important that you’re able to listen to and interact with your employees in a meaningful way. And one of the most important steps to doing so is to forge strong lines of communication between leaders and employees. Women in business already have enough challenges ahead of them – being able to talk to their employees shouldn’t be one of them.
Here at Technalink, we understand this and many of the other challenges that women in business face, and as such we think it’s important that we share some of the best steps worth remembering when you’re trying to build better workplace communication. Here are some of the steps to take.
• Interact – Never be the boss who stays behind a closed office door all day. When you are out there working alongside your employees and interacting with them, you’ll show them that you value them and that you want to hear what they have to say.
• Give Them Options – Some employees may not want to come directly to you at first. Consider using surveys or anonymous suggestion boxes to let them start engaging with you. This can open up stronger communication later.
• Don’t Punish – While every business needs to have rules and policies, it’s important that you don’t make your employees feel like coming to you with a question or concern will end up getting them in trouble. Instead, they should trust that coming to you is something that can help everyone involved.
• Give Credit Where It’s Due – If an employee brings an idea to you, give them credit for it. Trying to take credit for the ideas of others is one of the worst things that any business leader can do.
• Lead By Example – One of the best ways for women in business to foster strong communication with their employees is easier than you think – lead by being the kind of person you would want to work for. In doing so, you show your employees that you are there for them and that you value their role in your company. This in turn helps them realize that you are a leader they can talk to.
The bottom line is that taking the time to create strong lines of communication isn’t just important – it’s also easier than you might realize. The tips above can lay the foundation for a workplace that thrives on its ability to communicate with each other.
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