Building Ties That Bind

I recently read an article in Fortune magazine that discussed “Creating Connections” with employees. It really follows some of the the 5 Principles of SMART Conversations and the work that I am passionate about.

Bonding with your employees doesn’t just mean a fun, better place to work. It leads to better business results. Pontish Yeramyan, CEO of Gap International says that “The more connected one is to people, the more willing and rapidly they will do things because of the relationship.” She continues to state that “employees are more likely to take on risks and bigger challenges if they feel as if their boss knows and understands them.”

Some tips on creating “affinity” with employees are:

1.) Say things that are hard to say. Deal with problems without placing blame.

2.) Be interested, not just interesting. Show a personal interest in every single person and be more accessible and people are able to bond with you and give their best performance.

3.) Open up first. Share things about yourself that you are dealing with and what you need to develop in your own career or life. It lets employees see you as human and know that they can be real with you because you are real with them.

This article really reinforces pieces of the work of SMART Conversations and I thought you might find a few good tips.