Author: brigette

I lost one of my managers a couple of years ago and I can’t seem to forget him or the legacy he left behind. I had a family emergency and before I could finish explaining to him the situation. He said, “And you are still standing here talking to me? Why aren’t you out the door yet? I’ll cover for you.” I smiled then went to my desk, took my belongings and left. Thereafter, he had my full commitment.

Here are five qualities of great bosses:

1. Integrity & Authenticity go hand in hand.Joseph was honest with employees even though this trait was sometimes unpopular with top management. He often took the slack for his team. If leadership is not authentic, then what is it?
2. Humility. True leaders always aim to serve rather than be served. Being humble makes you more approachable to your followers and allows you to create an environment of open communication and more effective feedback.
3. Empathy plays a critical role in one’s ability to be a successful leader. It sharpens your “people acumen” and allows leaders to develop and maintain relationships with those they lead. Leaders that possess this trait always make time for people. They possess high emotional intelligence (EI).
4. Communication Skills – Great leaders are able to communicate their vision in such a way that motivates their team. They are great communicators; quick to listen and slow to speak. We never heard of upcoming changes via the grapevine. Joseph always kept us in the loop.
5. Inspirational- Joseph didn’t need a title to get us to complete tasks. He had our full support. Words such as “Good work team,“”You are the best”, “I trust your judgement” were at the top of his dictionary. Team spirit was high during his reign.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

Joseph was a good boss in a bad company, but I would work for him in any company.

A good boss will stand up for you, will trust you, will listen to you, will even a bad job enjoyable. There is nothing compared to knowing your manager has your back. A bad boss on the other hand can make your job bad even in a very good company – they will micromanage you, blame you, and make your work life miserable.

True leaders live on in the hearts and minds of followers. Sometimes I can still picture Joseph walking through the office, greeting staff on mornings, and might even give me a little nod or pat on the back. Those were the special moments I still hold dear. It doesn’t take much to create those special moments with your team.

Good bosses are few and far in between, but if and when you get one, really appreciate them.

Check out my latest Bestselling Book

 Leading the Workforce of the Future

I allow my employees flexibility in lunch time, breaks, sick days, family leave, further education, etc. I don’t believe in micromanaging. It puts undue stress on employees. I train, coach and mentor but I don’t have the time to micromanage.

If you hired someone, it means you believe they are capable of doing the job. Then trust them to get the job done. You don’t need to be constantly monitoring their every movement. Micromanagement breeds resentment and disloyalty.

In an AI age characterized by disruption and ambiguous change, we need to rethink how we lead people. It’s no secret that technology is transforming the workplace, and unfortunately, employee morale is only getting worse. As organizations continue to focus on this technology, they are overlooking the most important part of the equation – the people side of the disruption. Disruption isn’t solely about how you manage the technology; it’s how you lead the people. Technology is a tool that empowers change, but people make it happen.

What do employees want? Employees want to feel like they belong, are heard and appreciated. Ping pong tables and sweet treats are not enough. Engagement doesn’t have to be a challenge. Today, it can be accomplished by using digital tools. It’s all about building a culture of feedback and continuous conversations. My aim is to create an environment where employees feel safe and comfortable to express themselves.

As someone who travels a lot. I have had to get a little creative when it comes to engaging employees. I take advantage of systems as video conferencing and virtual meetings, which makes it easier to interact and connect with my employees. Weekly, I try to include 2 virtual coffee breaks. Additionally, once every three months, we meet up for a themed virtual party.  It’s important to use technology not just in a transactional way. Have fun! It doesn’t need to be overly formal. Employees will look forward to these activities.

Results should be measured instead of hours spent behind a physical desk.

My employees don’t need to be in the office every day. My new employee asked to work from home, then started to feverishly explain. This is what I told her, “I don’t need to know the details. I do not pay for seat warmers. Come to the office fine. 9 to 5? Fine. Work from home. Fine. Work from the garage while they fix your car? Fine. Everybody works at a different pace. You choose how to get your work done. Keep clients happy. I am happy.”

The future lies in flexible work patterns. Allowing employees to work from anywhere using technology doesn’t have to slow down productivity. It’s 2020 not 1920. Digital tools allow us to collaborate across time and space effectively.

The best ideas and advancements are a result of empowering your team. If you want performance at scale, select the right people, provide them with the tools and support, and give them the room to get the job done.

Check out my latest Bestselling Book

 Leading the Workforce of the Future

Employees are your most valuable resource. Yet many companies ignore and treat their employees poorly. Our system has fallen into a self-reinforcing command loop construct as follows: Increase shareholder value at all costs without regard for the human factor. Sadly, if you do not cure the cancer in the root of the tree, not only with the branches and leaves die; but so will the the tree. Unhappy employees cost companies billions of dollars each year in lost revenues, settlements and other damages. The loss of revenue can send even established companies into financial distress, with some even filing for bankruptcy.

Financial Losses can result from:

Decreased Productivity. According to research conducted by Gallup, disengaged employees cost companies $450-to-$550 billion in lost productivity each year as a result of poor performance and high absenteeism.

Put your staff first, your customers second & your shareholders third ~Richard Branson

Employee Negligence: When employees are put first, they feel a sense of ownership to the business. Such employees will always take the initiative to solve problems before they get worse. On the other hand, an unhappy employee will just move along and not care as an issue escalates. It is also common for dissatisfied employees to neglect to complete tasks or make mistakes. This leads to poor quality control standards, unsafe products and dangers to consumers. Cases of serious injury or death, caused by company negligence often results in hefty settlements being paid out to those affected.

Tarnished Reputation: Employees interact with customers and could say anything negative about the company’s culture, products and services. The actions of one individual can bring down a company or uplift it.In an age of social media, individual employee actions can have dire effects on an organization. Video accounts of poor customer service experienced by a consumer can go viral on Facebook with similar hashtags on Twitter calling for a boycott of the company. This story can then be picked up by mainstream news bringing negative press resulting in companies having to settle lawsuits.

Employees are the branches of the tree that makes a company grow. Research has found an economic link between employee satisfaction and company financial performance. Employees who genuinely like coming to work every day may have a positive impact on a company’s stock performance. A happy workplace culture does translate into better stock returns. Happy Employees = Happy Customers = Happy Shareholders.

Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. ~J.W. Marriott

Employees are your best brand ambassadors. Your brand position is determined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by your front line employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the business. Your employees know your customers best. They use your internal tools and systems every day. They have the answers on how to improve customer service and your products. They have the solutions on how to improve systems which can save money by driving efficiencies.

Employees are the backbone of any organization. In order to remain strong in an industry, employees have to be kept happy. Happy employees are always willing to do more, they will go to great lengths to help the company grow. Charity begins at home. If you want to get the best out of your employees – Put them first.

Check out my latest Bestselling Book

 Leading the Workforce of the Future

A few years ago, I missed out on a huge promotion because I didn’t comply with an action from a CEO of my then establishment. He instructed me to hold back a delinquent customer’s payment, so their mortgage would be transferred to the non-accrual status, so that his colleague could supposedly submit an offer to purchase this prime property. Reality check: doing the right things may not bring on the welcoming committee rather you may be beaten for it. I faced the brunt of his wrath thereafter. I knew then I didn’t have a future in that organization. I left with my integrity intact which is more valuable than any job.

Integrity is something that is built over time, not overnight. The seemingly trivial decisions and choices you make behind closed doors when no one is looking, will ultimately carve your character. Eventually, the truth always comes to light.

7 Deal-breaking behaviours that makes employees lose trust in their leaders.

1. Taking credit for someone’s work.
2. Blaming others and not standing up for your team.
3. False promises to get someone to do something.
4. Favoritism and being unfair.
5. Downplaying employees’ accomplishments to make oneself look better.
6. Not appreciating loyalty, hard-work and efforts of others.
7. Treating others poorly – not showing respect or empathy, micromanaging employees, not trusting them to do their job.

Your ability to influence is not just based on skill or intelligence; it’s based on trust and requires integrity, which is the foundation of real and lasting influence.

Even if you possess emotional intelligence, creativity, vision, passion, (and all the important leadership skills), but you lack integrity, no one will believe or trust you. Integrity is the foundation on which leadership is built. If there is no integrity, your leadership influence will crumble. Lack of integrity renders all other leadership traits ineffective.

People want a leader who practices what he or she preaches, and who follows through on promises. Many companies are struggling with low employee engagement. An employee’s relationship with their manager sets the tone for their level of commitment to the organization’s success. It’s hard to feel passion for a job after you witness a lapse in integrity in your manager.

If you are not a person of integrity— your team won’t trust you, vendors won’t believe you, and customers will not support your business.

For loyalty, there has to be a relationship that develops between employee and employer and this develops over time through trust. Transparency, authenticity and walking the talk are essential for building trust. You can’t buy employee loyalty, but you can certainly foster and nurture it by being a person of integrity.

Check out my latest Bestselling Book

 Leading the Workforce of the Future

My new boss told me to never be afraid to give feedback. The next Monday morning in a meeting, I happily shared my viewpoint on a new policy. Thereafter, I noticed my boss’s disposition towards me changed. He stopped talking to me. I was shunned. I even felt the effects of this in my monthly performance appraisal, where he noted, I was not supportive of the organization, and I needed to be a better team player. The picture was quite clear – truthful feedback was not appreciated.

Heather, a co-worker approached me and said, “You are new, honest feedback is just lip service, don’t fall for it.” I quickly learned loyalists and sycophants were appreciated, while realists were punished. They built a culture of “yes employees.” I knew I had so much to offer, yet I couldn’t. It was time to plan my exit strategy.

Your front-line employees know your customers best; they interact with them daily. They have the answers on how to improve customer service and your products. They use your internal tools and systems every day. They have the solutions on how to improve systems which can save money by driving efficiencies. A company that doesn’t listen to their employees is on a slow rolling disaster.

If you keep treating employees poorly, you will never earn their loyalty. And once employees decide they have had enough, they will leave in spite of what you may try to retain them. It would be a little too late. The signs where there early on but you ignored it.

” Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” -Andy Stanley

Employees who have been pushed to the point where they no longer care, will not go the extra mile. They will not take the initiative to solve problems. They will end up treating customers the same way you treat them. Employees are the heart beat of the company. And if the heart stops beating…What will happen?

As a leader, your job is to encourage others around you to be open and honest without a negative consequence. When employees offer their ideas and differing opinions – be open-minded. Companies that remain strong in this competitive market, understand the need to embrace change and continuous improvement. And it starts with making your employees feel heard, valued and appreciated.

Check out my latest Bestselling Book

 Leading the Workforce of the Future