Just do it
Matt Hlavin makes sure he talks to every one of his 72 employees at Thogus Products Co. on a rotating basis. The meetings are called “Matt’s Chats,” and they are an opportunity for an employee and the president to sit down for a one-on-one talk about anything and everything.
“It’s three questions,” says Hlavin, president of the company. “What do you like about Thogus? What don’t you like about Thogus?”
The third question is actually more of an opportunity for employees to bring up anything they want to bring up confidentially, whether it’s about a colleague, a supervisor or some other matter they want to keep private.
Of course, many leaders talk about holding one-on-one sessions with employees or maintaining an open-door policy. Then why don’t they usually work?
“You have to execute it,” Hlavin says.
When someone brings you an idea in one of these sessions, perhaps try implementing it and see what happens.
“Execute on their idea,” Hlavin says. “Try it. Then communicate the results of it. It really comes down to the X’s and O’s. If you’re going to make a promise, you have to follow through on that promise. If not, it’s just another harebrained idea.”
How to reach: Thogus Products Co., (866) 933-8850 or www.thogus.com
