If you ask a room full of CEO’s, executives and leaders this question; Do you care about
your profits? Odds are, they are going to respond with an enthusiastic, Yes!
If you asked the same group this question; Do you care about your people? Odds are, the
response will be a slightly guarded; “why…. yes …. of course I do.”
Do you? Do you really CARE?
Do you Communicate with them on a regular basis? In a positive manner.
Do you Appreciate them? Acknowledge them. Thank them.
Do you Respect them? Show them respect first and they will respect you.
Do you Encourage them? To work together? To share ideas? To help others?
Do you value them? Value your people first and the profits will surely come. My friend Shawn Murphy at switchandshift.com recently wrote; “We need leaders who value people first”
Do you give them credit for a job well done or sharing a great idea?
Do you catch them doing something right?
Do you praise publicly and scold privately?
Do you practice Gratitude and Optimism for all to see?
Do you serve them? Remember, it’s not about you. It is about them. Put your people first and they will follow you. Anywhere.
Do you share your vision with them? When employees feel “A Part Of” the company, feel their opinion actually matters, feel they have a voice, then …. they will produce for you. When you are ON the team, you just care more.
Do you listen to them? This one always comes up as the # 1 suggestion for leaders and is really hard to do, for most people. You have to work on removing ego before you can listen well. When we are wrapped up in ourselves, it is hard to value others and give them the proper attention they deserve. Try this;
Have you asked yourself the HOW question? HOW can I make this a better place to work? By being Honest with yourself and your people, having an Open mind and listening to others and being Willing to change, ask questions and do whatever it takes. Not only will this help make work better, but it will make your life better as well.
Most of the time, the answer is right in front of you. No, it is not your people, (see removing ego, above) it is YOU. It usually is not the people, but the leader of the people. When the leader takes an honest look at himself or herself, attempts to do the things listed above, shows some vulnerability, then and only then, will you really and truly CARE for your people and your people will CARE for you. Your focus will shift from profits to people and your people will help you maximize your profits. Your profits will go up and your costs will go down.
Yeah, I know, it’s kind of funny HOW that works.
Remember, it starts at the top and trickles down. The ripple effect applies in a positive way and a negative way. You can’t control everything that goes on (especially at the corporate level) but you can control your attitude and behavior. It’s much better to share and spread a smile, positive attitude, gratitude, optimism and CARE.
It has been proven over and over again, that there IS a correlation between happy, engaged employees and more production and higher profits. A simple an easy start? Just show them a little CARE. Give it a try and see what happens.
One of my favorite quotes of all time, sums it up nicely;
“People don’t CARE how much you know, until they know how much you CARE”
What do you think? Are you a leader? What works for you? Do you CARE at work?
As always, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks again for your continued support of The CARE Movement.
Take CARE.
Al
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
An excellent post and a worthy reminder in this FAST FORWARD Life to Slow Down and CARE. Keep it Coming
Thanks for stopping by and the nice comment, Sampathkumar. Appreciate your support. Take CARE.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
Agreed. That’s a great post. It’s unthinkable to get profit without thinking of the people first!
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Well said Al! Keep telling them! I love the quote you use to sum it up – how amazing that it is so true! I like the idea of the workplace feeling like a team. In our family business we’ve always had that feeling, but likely it’s easier to do with a family. I believe when you feel a part of a team, you’re going to have more of a vested interest in the company. And have more fun! That might help, right?
Lori
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Thanks Lori. Yes indeed, fun is good ! The team atmosphere helps everyone feel more involved and accountable. It is good all the way around. CARE improves morale, which improves almost everything else.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
Alan,
One of the frustrating truths (perhaps my own personal growth area is showing) you point out is that often times it’s not the people, but ourselves, when breakdowns occur. Certainly breakdowns are usually a two way street. But the type of leadership you and I advocate is that the leader owns his part in the breakdown first. It opens the door for others to learn to do the same. Excellent message, Alan. One that you’ll likely to continue reinforcing with your work here.
Shawn
Thanks Shawn. Really appreciate your input, comment and support. Yes, when the leader is accountable, vulnerable and CAREing, it sets the example for others to follow.
Love what you and Ted are doing and writing at switchandshift.com.
Take CARE.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
Al, you really know how to nail it bud! Great list. Great words……..”but you can control your attitude and behavior.” I simply love that. So true.
Our site has 4 words as guiding principles; learn, accept, share and act but I didn’t think of an acronym…hmmmm….alas. Aha! Alas I have discovered the word for our principles. Thanks Al! Very much aligned in our thinking.
Great post and i liked the video version too.
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Love the ALAS, Ralph. thanks so much for your support and great comment. Look forward to connecting further. Hope to speak next week, right ?
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
This is a very good post for leaders in any field. By reading this, they will be pondering about how the run the ship and hopefully, they will make corrections for their errors if there are some.
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Hey Al,
All of my old bosses could have used a dose of CARE and a pep talk from you!
Susan Cain wrote about introverts being better bosses, because they actually listen. Whatever personality type you are, you need to practice these skills if you want to lead.
Keep at it Sir!
Craig McBreen recently posted..The Big Apple and reflections on this epic journey
You have a very good point in this post. The employees will work better when they know that you totally care for them.
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I agree with you. If we show our subordinates that we care, they will perform better.
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This reminded of the powerful culture that one of my previous groups created by making the simple assumption that everybody is a leader.
When our management team made that assumption, they invested heavily in each member of the team, regardless of where they ranked in the organizational totem pole. What this created was an exceptional level of commitment by each member of the team across the organization, and it also created exceptional capability.
Each member of the team was expected to be able to influence without authority, ask precise questions and answers, drive meaningful change, and collaborate effectively across groups, up and down the chain.
It was highly effective … and it was all because the leaders of our group really did care
Thanks for taking the time to visit and posting a great comment. I say “Exactly” to you, JD. When leaders show they CARE and give employees some responsibility and accountability, most of the time they will respond accordingly.
Thanks again.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
Those things you said may seem so simple, but when we dig deep onto them, we will realize how great their impact will be. A little care can mean so much to people, especially those people who work for you and serve you. At least they know, they are appreciated. Good thoughts my friend! Keep it up!
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Thanks Mikayla. Appreciate your comment and support. It is simple. It is not easy. We have to practice these things, but like you said “A little CARE can mean so much to people”. That, my friend, is what this is all about.
Thanks again and take CARE.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
There are two great benefits that we will receive from our employees if we show them how we care for their well-being as they work for us; those are respect and loyalty.
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It’s a great question and one that shows up which leaders see their team as hired help and which build and inspire them. I don’t have any data but my guess is that those who see their team as just hired help will get less out of them. In a way leadership is about getting more than you pay for! is there any research showing how positive approaches to people hit the bottom line? Thought provoking stuff… thanks! Andy
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Thanks for stopping by Andy. Appreciate the comment. There are lots of studies and stats that show how a positive attitude, caring for others and being happy at work add to the bottom line. Check out Shawn Achor’s book, “The Happiness Advantage” There is a link on our homepage. Take CARE.
Al
Al Smith recently posted..CARE for Profits? CARE for People.
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