By the time you read this, many of you will have surpassed 100 consecutive days in a Work at Home environment. This is a remarkable number of days considering that when virus safe-distancing policies started, many people were experiencing Work at Home for the very first time in their careers.
As a leader of others, to be truly aware of and successful at this work dynamic, you need to take CARE, which is an appropriate acronym for Connectivity, Autonomy, Recognition and Empathy. Each of these words are not unique to the Work at Home environment; however, given the built-in handicap of not being in the same office or workplace as your employees and company, they can really help focus you and your teams as we continue this new work at home experiment and lifestyle.
Connectivity is central to success in maintaining a thriving company culture. In this new world of work at home, can leaders still provide a work environment that allows people to feel connected to their workplace and company? What concrete steps can we take each day and week to make sure our employees feel a connection to their company and goals? What can we do to allow connectivity to flourish and grow?
Weekly one-to-one video conferences with your direct reports; weekly company-wide virtual town-halls; chat groups; random outreaches to remote employees to just check-in – these are just a few ideas on how to promote connectivity in the workplace.
Autonomy – it may seem odd to list connectivity and autonomy as back-to-back success items, but I think of it this way: Nothing is more empowering than the gift of autonomy in a role. Giving someone the ability to use their skills to independently accomplish agreed-upon goals is incredibly motivating and rewarding.
When I was a young outside salesman covering three states, I had the autonomy each day to stay home, set up appointments, visit customers, or do none of the above. It was a rush to think that someone could trust me enough to manage my own workload; however, with that autonomy came responsibility. Goals came due…bills did as well. Autonomy or the ability to self-govern is an amazing motivator in the workplace – it builds trust and builds independence while bringing you closer to a remote team.
Recognition – There may not be a more important activity than recognizing the work that people do, especially in front of their peers. To me, this ranks right up there along with money, autonomy and growth opportunities for employee satisfaction. How do you recognize employees? How do you recognize your boss? Bosses are real people who like to be recognized for their contributions as well. For me, I try to recognize that I do not give enough recognition to those who deserve it, and that leads me to recognize more.
Empathy in this current age is vital; in fact, there is not enough room in this entire magazine to count the many ways that it can contribute to success. Empathy is so critical in business and life because it builds relationships and understanding. When you have empathy, you are listening to people – really listening, and not already formulating your response to one point a person might have made. When you are empathetic, you are taking an active interest in the person you are speaking to. Empathy is a true connector to your teams and your ability to grow as a manager and a leader.
Ric McCullough is President of PSA Security Network. Request more info about PSA at www.securityinfowatch.com/10214742.
