Let's say you're an IT manager whose company recently hired an IT professional who was previously a layoff victim. What advice would you offer the manager on building a relationship of trust with that new employee?
I would say that in the beginning of relationships, it's very important to have conversations with people, to lay the groundwork for future communication and relationships. And the goal is to have a relationship. One of the questions you can pose to the employee is 'Can you tell me about the company you left?' If the person wants to talk about being laid off, that's an invitation. That's different than asking someone about being laid off. Some people will want to talk, some people will not want to talk.
Another good idea is to lay out your company's policies about its treatment of people, not just layoffs. `Why do I remain with this company?' 'Why do people respect this company?' `Why is this company usually a good choice to join?' You are laying out the reality of the company without being very heavy. You are creating expectations about the implicit rules about this company, which are usually more important than the explicit rules.
What are some examples of companies that have done an exceptional job of building this kind of trust? What is it they've done so well?
My standard answer here is to go to the list of the 100 best companies to work for. Some of those companies are on that list year after year. If you look at the specifics, there are differences in what those companies each do. But in the aggregate, there is a fundamental perception that employees are key to success. And if you don't have the employees convinced that this company is a really great place to work and that your job is really important to this company, you don't get buy in. These types of companies bend over backward not only to recognize and reward but to anticipate what people need.
You mention in the book how so many people are working themselves into a frenzy to feel more secure about their jobs. Yet, they're exhausted and likely less productive. How can managers recognize this and coach against it?
That is a general response to high levels of anxiety. No matter how much I do, nobody tells me I do a good job. I never have a sense of completion. That's the mind-set. We already talked about the need for managers to respond to people. Ideally, the carrot will be bigger than the stick, meaning recognition and praise should be a larger part of the dialogue than criticism.
It behooves managers to sit down with these people and say 'Let's take 10 minutes here. Tell me what your responsibilities are. I see you have 11 goals here, do you think they're all equally important? What part of your responsibilities are really key to doing a particularly good job?' That gets people to realize that some stuff doesn't require the dedication you're giving to everything.