It is tough being a leader. You may spend many sleepless nights sensing that something is "just not right" with your employees. Or you may be the type of boss who is really unaware of how your behavior impacts the productivity and morale of your team. Regardless of the type of boss you are, you will find three things listed below that employees often feel but will never reveal...to their boss.
1) You don't walk the talk- As a boss you may not think your daily activities are being watched, but they are! From the time you arrive at work, leave and return from lunch, and leave for the day, employees notice. They even notice what you are wearing. You set the tone. Be careful what you expect from your employees, especially when you don't meet those same expectations yourself.
2) They admire you more for admitting mistakes- As a leader, we often think that it is a sign of weakness to admit mistakes or that our employees will never notice when we do make a mistake. WRONG! Employees know you are not superhuman or infallible. Admitting your mistakes right away makes you real, relatable and more approachable, and you want to be approachable for those times when your employees need to admit their mistakes.
3) They think you have a lot of money -I once worked with an organization where the President kept his $200,000 boat in the company warehouse for storage while his employees suffered another year without a pay increase. Don't show expensive toys around work or it will kill morale.
If you watch your behavior, especially as it relates to these three things, you will be on your way to leading with integrity and....sleeping well at night.
