Rewarding Manager Moment

"When we first met, I told you that I didn't feel like part of the team. Now I do."

A colleague of mine said this to me during their annual review. I met with and reviewed dozens of employees, but this comment has stuck with me and makes me proud - not just of myself, but of all of my colleagues.

Systems, processes, team culture, and communication all play a role in making someone feel comfortable and more importantly, supported at work. However, I believe the number one factor to making someone feel like part of the team is knowledge.

Work can be draining and monotonous for employees that work for companies that are still figuring out exactly what they offer, what they do, and how they do it. Some employers place an unfair expectation on their employees to obey instructions and ask minimal questions. But from an employee's standpoint, how are they supposed to execute their responsibilities and tasks without first having a firm grasp on how their role fits into the vision of the company at a department and organizational level?

I find it best to provide context whenever assigning new responsibilities to my team. I will often say, "I'm asking you to do this because..." or "this task will help us...with the ... initiative." Even small insights can make a world of a difference for team members that aren't as close to the decision makers when strategies are created.

Part of the reason that my colleague finally felt like part of the team was because they learned why they were being asked to do what they were asked to do. I emphasize the importance of context to all of the managers I work with so that when they assign their teams responsibilities, the teams understand how their role fits into the larger picture of a specific initiative.

Another reason that my colleague felt like they were part of the team was because knowledge was being shared more efficiently throughout the organization. Knowledge and direction might exist, but unless it is disseminated properly, it's essentially useless.

My colleague proved that they could handle more and more responsibility which allowed them to have more visibility into different departments at the company, how those departments work, and how each department fits into the overall vision. The sooner an employer can share medium to high level insights with their employees, the sooner the employees will feel like part of the team AND succeed in their role.

Lastly, working with a great team makes everything easier. Instilling a culture that encourages questions, allows team members at all levels of the organization to provide feedback, and to work together, will make the day to day operations run smoothly. It will also keep your team happy in the long term.

Share knowledge with your team and encourage questions...or you won't have a team - you'll have a bunch of disjointed people that you pay.

Image by KrakenImages on Unsplash