Your employees deserve respect. By being respectful you can create a nurturing, and supportive atmosphere of in the workplace. You will relieve conflict, stress, and create a more productive and profitable professional environment. Through listening you demonstrate respect.
Sometimes, people are like pressure cookers. We might be overwhelmed, stressed and agitated by clients, customers, and vendors. That frustration continues to heat up inside of us and the pressure builds and builds until, eventually there is an explosion. KABOOM. This is the scenario if we do not create a method to elevate that stress and pressure.
In the workplace, you can help deal with an employee's stress through simple listening. We are all human. We all want to be heard. Admittedly, this is a difficult task for me. I am very results oriented and direct. Sometimes, I do not want to hear the lengthy explanation of the origins of an issue, I just want to fix it. I need to remind myself to stop and listen.
Listen. Stop talking and listen. Just recently I was on a governmental small business advisory panel. A high-ranking government official invited me to participate to get my opinion about the state of small business in the United States. In the meeting he spoke most of the time. He invited me there for my opinion and ironically he spoke most of the time. So, even high-ranking governmental officials sometimes need reminders to listen.
Listen to your employees. By listening to your employees, respecting their situation and their opinion, you will create a more harmonious and conflict-free work environment. Remember to show random respect to your employees through listening.
