Resources 7 Paths Blog Someone seems to care about me as a person
Someone seems to care about me as a person
“My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.”
This is one of 12 questions that the Gallup Organization discovered are powerful measures of how engaged employees are in a particular workplace.
Recently I came across the following story by Greg Martin, CEO of Martin Leadership & Management Development. Greg graciously allowed me to reprint this great story about a caring supervisor:
I was at a grocery store the other day and the manager was walking through the produce aisle. One of her employees was sweeping up a mess and she went and patted him on his back and asked how he was doing.
She then added some humor to how her day was going and they both laughed. I then noticed three other employees join in on the conversation and discussion. The manager acknowledged them all and offered each one a handshake.
She then took the opportunity to talk about their tasks today and how important they were to the company. She talked about her vision, and how she wanted the produce section to be a “pocket of greatness” for their huge organization.
This entire interaction lasted less than 5 minutes. As I observed, checking every apple in trying to avoid detection from eaves dropping, I thought “WOW” Is this what leadership looks like? Is this the power of leadership?
Just in that brief observation, I felt those employees would do anything the manager requested to provide for her that “pocket of greatness” she described. It was not only how the employees responded to their manager’s request and wants, but also in their body language. The nodding of their heads in agreement and the way they stood with confidence when talking, or listening to their leader.
In Greg Martin’s story, it’s the store manager who is caring.
Like many of Gallup’s Q12 you don’t have to have a formal position of leadership to have a positive impact on your workplace. You can show you care about your co-workers as people and you’ll be contributing to a great workplace. You can find the 12 questions here.
And, if you are in a formal position of leadership in your organization, it’s important to care not only about the productivity of your workers but also care about them as individuals. You’ll be creating “pockets of greatness.”
Wisdom for the week. Want to be part of a great workplace? Don’t let seven days go by without recognizing and praising good work done by each person in your workplace.
Tags: Gallup, Q12, recognizing good work