I recently asked Shaun if he would be interested in moonlighting here at Project Oriel. The assignment was broad (basically anything that, if adopted, would make the world a better place) and he graciously accepted. Thank you Shaun! — Peter
Winning over your employees – Part 1 – Face Time
by Shaun Tabatt
One of the biggest challenges faced by a new manager is winning the trust confidence of his / her team members. One way that I’ve overcome this is by giving my team members enough face time. I’ve noticed a tendency amongst managers to hide behind their e-mail client in their office and never actually set foot amongst their team members. Over time, this tends to foster resentment and distrust between the manager and team members. Here are a few suggestions for ensuring you give your team members an appropriate amount of face time.
- Visit your employees in their work area 3-4 times per week.
- Hold regular 1 on 1 sessions with your employees at least 2 times per month.
- Hold team meetings 1-2 times per month.
- Take a few of your employees out to lunch or coffee each month.
Overall, the objective is to deliberately create opportunities for communication. As communication increases, trust & confidence tends to go up between the manager and his team members. This generally leads to better job satisfaction for all and tends to do away with many of the petty challenges that come up when team members feel like nobody actually cares.
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Shaun Tabatt is a customer support manager at a mid-sized software company in Minnesota. He has worn various hats in the information technology field for the past 10+ years. In addition to his technical pursuits, he also has a strong interest in Biblical & theological studies. Shaun blogs regularly at Bible Geek Gone Wild (http://www.biblegeekgonewild.com).
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