Management Information

How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn


Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how a change of attitude helped her to keep a valued employee.

Angry and grumbling about one of the provisions in the company policy, the employee asked for a private meeting with my client, the owner of a small sales company, and began to tell her in direct terms what was wrong. The client couldn't hear anything the employee was saying because she was too busy planning her own rebuttal strategy. It was important to let the employee know that the policy was a good one. On the other hand, she didn't want to lose her top sales agent. Physically, she could feel her body clenching and mentally, she was preoccupied with what she should say.

She Who Speaks First Loses.
Fortunately, she remembered an old adage from her own sales days: when you are negotiating to close the sale and you've asked for the order, it is almost always true that "the person who speaks first loses." The client thought about this, took a deep breath, and listened instead. Almost immediately she felt the physical tension drain away, and found she was really listening for the first time since the employee had started talking.

Seek First To Understand.
In Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, one of the most well known of the habits - and perhaps most difficult to achieve in difficult moments - is the 5th Habit: Seek First to Understand, Then To Be Understood. My client began to ask questions to find out more of what lay behind the outburst. She became curious, wanting to know as much as she could about her employee's point of view. She grew increasingly interested, and soon it became fun to learn how the policy appeared to this person. The more she listened, the more she could see the situation through other eyes. As she sought clarity, she began to regain her own equilibrium and power. She saw that she could acknowledge and build on her employee's thoughts and at the same time speak what was true from her perspective as the company's leader.

Hard on the Problem, Soft on the People.
She heard not only the employee's words but also what motivated the message - the employee was concerned about fairness, clarity of communication, and the reputation of the company. So was she. It seemed that they were on the same side of wanting what was best for all. From this common ground, the client explained her own view of how the company policy supported clarity, fairness, and company vision, and specifically how adhering to it might support the employee in the long run. She was able to stay open to some positive suggestions for change and, in the end, to reassert her role as leader and mentor. The company owner helped to position the problem as something they could work on and solve together, and the conflict became an opportunity to reinforce their relationship and their ability to handle future challenges.

Morihei Ueshiba, 20th century martial artist, philosopher, and founder of aikido, is quoted as saying: "Opponents confront us continually, but actually there is no opponent there." It is fascinating, rewarding, and an exercise in a different kind of power, when we can turn our opponents into allies. It is one thing to think we are listening, quite another to actually do it - to imagine ourselves in the place of the person we are listening to, and to position the issue so that it can be worked on as a mutual problem-solving endeavor. Try it. You will discover that when you have security in your own power, you will be able to step away from it temporarily and discover something even better.

© 2005 Judy Ringer, Power & Presence Training

About the Author: Judy Ringer is Founder of Power & Presence Training, specializing in unique workshops on conflict, communication, and creating a more positive work environment. Judy is also a black belt in aikido, and is writing her first book on the connection between aikido, conflict, and living a more purposeful life. To sign up for more free tips and articles like these, visit http://www.JudyRinger.com

Note: You're welcome to reprint this article as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to judy@judyringer.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Technorati

Levin tries to follow Stanley: Wipeout, then a win
USA TODAY
By Christian Petersen, Getty Images Spencer Levin shows his frustration during his final-round 4-over 75 that cost him a win Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. By Christian Petersen, Getty Images Spencer Levin shows his frustration during his ...
Kevin Stanley Vindicated at Waste Management Open: A Fan's TakeYahoo! Sports
Five things we learned this week in golfESPN
Kyle Stanley Wins The Waste Management Phoenix OpenTechnorati
SB Nation -Bleacher Report -CBS News
all 869 news articles »


Yahoo! Sports (blog)

Five things we learned from the Waste Management Open
Yahoo! Sports (blog)
So in an effort to condense the tournament coverage for you into a few quick hits, here are five things we learned from the Waste Management Open. Kyle Stanley's going to be just fine — Following a tournament to forget at the Farmers Insurance Open, ...
Waste Management Phoenix Open raises $50K for Keep Phoenix BeautifulPhoenix Business Journal
Scottsdale police cite swimmer at Phoenix OpenAZ Central.com
Waste Management Phoenix Open: 16th Hole Changing for the WorstBleacher Report
ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) -AZFamily -SB Nation (blog)
all 974 news articles »


Viewfinity Privilege Management Earns High Marks in Independent Third-Party Review
MarketWatch (press release)
WALTHAM, MA, Feb 07, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Viewfinity ( www.viewfinity.com ), the innovator of privilege management solutions, today announced that Viewfinity Privilege Management has achieved outstanding performance as a complete software ...

and more »


Project Management Software Project Insight Adds New Project Management Webinars
MarketWatch (press release)
IRVINE, CA, Feb 07, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Project and portfolio management software, Project Insight is partnering with Core Performance Concepts, Inc. to offer a refreshed curriculum of 23 unique project management webinars for 2012.

and more »


Coastal Management cost estimates challenged
Juneau Empire
Juneau Mayor Bruce Botehlo, sponsor for the Alaska Coastal Management Program Initiative, turns to leave after being questioned at a joint meeting of the House and Senate Judiciary committees at the Capitol on Monday. By Pat Forgey Juneau Mayor Bruce ...

and more »


Ixonos marrieseZ Systems' World-Leading Content Management Solution With its ...
MarketWatch (press release)
HELSINKI, February 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ixonos, a creative mobile solutions company and Finnish cloud solution provider, has made a deal with Norwegian web content management (WCM) and customer experience management (CXM) provider eZ ...

and more »


McKay Management Adds to Maintenance Department
MarketWatch (press release)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- McKay Management, an Associa company, is pleased to announce the addition of James Jones as its new Maintenance Supervisor where he will oversee the entire maintenance division for McKay managed ...

and more »


Merger Fuels Growth for Independent Investment Management Firms
MarketWatch (press release)
6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Two well-acquainted investment management firms completed a long-planned merger last week, creating one of the larger independent money managers in Ohio with 19 employees and more than $450 million in assets under ...

and more »


LA Canyon News

Health Management Associates, Inc. Executes Definitive Agreement to Joint ...
MarketWatch (press release)
NAPLES, Fla., Feb 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Health Management Associates, Inc. /quotes/zigman/229077/quotes/nls/hma HMA -1.62% today announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to joint venture five Oklahoma hospitals.
By: Gulf Coast Business ReviewGulf Coast Business Review

all 28 news articles »


AIT Releases the Latest Version of the Industry-Leading Translation Management ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Advanced International Translations (AIT) has officially released the latest version of its Projetex solution, the industry-leading translation management system. Launched to support translation project managers at language service providers (LSPs) ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006