There’s
an old adage that draws attention to the fact that we have two ears,
and only one mouth. Humans, the adage concludes, are meant to listen
more than they speak. Nowhere is this more salient advice than in the
world of business, where you can learn a great deal from keeping your
mouth shut – or simply by asking questions more than you answer
them. In this short guide, therefore, you’ll learn some of the key
ways in which you can lend an ear to colleagues and staff members,
listening to their concerns and feedback in a constructive way.
Meetings
As
a manager or senior-level employee, you can set up meetings in rooms
dotted throughout your workspace. Here, you can host a variety of
different face-to-face meetings, all of which should enable you to
listen to the thoughts, ideas and feedback of your staff. These
meeting
formats
include:
-
A group Q&A, with staff asking you questions and vice versa
-
A one-to-one set of meetings with each member of staff you manage
-
A small team meeting with different senior-level partners to discuss strategy
-
A daily or weekly briefing in which you respond to any other business raised by staff
Whatever
format of meeting that you eventually choose, it’s important that
you back this up with your listening ear: using this opportunity to
listen and reflect on what staff members think and say.
Digital
Questions
Another
way to get the honest and open feedback of your staff is through
online surveys and questionnaires. Here, you’ll be able to pose
specific questions, which your staff can reflect on in the privacy of
their own company. Companies such as inpulse.com
offer easily-calibrated online surveys which can help you judge the
thoughts and feelings of staff members when they’re sat at their
desks.
An
important part of listening to staff when they fill in online surveys
is that you can use their bulk of responses as data, which you crunch
from week to week to understand how you’re responding to the
concerns raised by your staff. By letting the data guide you, you’ll
be able to listen more perceptibly to the qualms raised by your staff
and colleagues.
Casual
and Social Conversation
Often,
the most important insights you get from your staff will be from
contexts
outside of the official confines of the workplace.
For instance, if you take lunch at a nearby café, or you head for a
glass of wine with a couple of senior employees after work, you may
well discover information that guides how you treat certain
employees, and how you view your team as a whole.
Of
course, it goes without saying that the manager’s job is to be
impartial, and to remain above the fray of petty office politics. But
to discover how your team works together is an important part of your
management approach, and can seriously help you when you come to
decide who to promote, shift to a new team, or let go in their annual
review.
With
many ways of listening to your workers and colleagues, these three
tips are the most effective and easy-to-implement listening options
for managers across the country in 2020.
CONVERSATION