Dispel fear
Despite your best efforts, when change is afoot, some of your employees will still bring fear to the workplace and not believe that you and your company can get them through it.
“The most important thing is to tell the truth and tell it clearly,” Milenthal says. “What people worry about most is that they are not getting the truth. They worry about that more than even if the truth has some negative implications.”
The problem can often be tied back to a leader who wants to avoid rocking the boat at all costs but instead creates more fear.
“Most people do not want to confront the tough problem and confront the conflict and the tough situation,” Milenthal says. “They let it fester. My best advice is that’s a huge mistake. Where your people will begin to trust their jobs going forward is not just if you’re always happy about everyone’s job. It’s also that they know that when a change needs to be made, that it’s made quickly and honestly and with truth. You can feel safe that you know what your situation is.”
Get as much information as you can out to your people and encourage your direct reports to do the same.
“If you respond to questions truthfully and candidly, it’s a cue to the rest of your leadership to do the same,” Milenthal says. “There is a natural interest in your top leaders answering key questions about the future of the company for there to be a belief and confidence that they are getting an accurate answer and not just a packaged answer about where we’re moving.”
You need to promote courage in making decisions too and not being fearful of negative consequences when trying new things.
“Do not define making a mistake in an initiative you might invest in as being a failure,” Milenthal says. “It’s not a failure. It’s a mistake. Get out and move on and don’t get too emotionally involved.”
The issue with people is not about making the mistake.
“The issue is not whether they do it right the first, the second or the third time,” Milenthal says. “It’s whether they will take responsibility for it. … Making the wrong decision is not a big problem. We are all going to make numerous wrong decisions. Not having the confidence to take responsibility for your wrong decisions is a real problem.”
If you can’t build that confidence in your people, the odds are pretty good that you’re not going to succeed. You need to get them going so you can continue focusing on the big picture.
“Many times, the best thing you can do is nothing,” Milenthal says. “Just step back and let your people do things. If you find an area that you find you are involving yourself in all the time, you either have to look at your own behavior or you need to find a way to rectify the situation.”
How to reach: Engauge, (614) 573-1010 or www.engauge.com