Treating People Well

Another great week of leadership conversations and a few nuggets to share as you advance in the plans you have that impact the lives you influence in your work.  Remember, being good to people is not hard.  Just do it.  

In one situation, I encountered a leader implementing plans to change a department, which would eliminate long-term employees who had been with the organization for a decade. Now, the plan and the changes are not the problem. Innovation when done well is to be celebrated. Handling employee terminations must honor the investment in and the positive impact of those terminated employees.

How hard would it have been for the leader to personally call the employees in question to briefly explain the plan and the changes coming?  How hard would it have been for the leader to own the decision and take the time to honor those employees by calling them personally to have that conversation?  Doing something hard should not be avoided over doing something right.  

This week leaders, take the time to own your decisions, take care of the people you oversee, and when the occasion comes where your plans to innovate will impact the lives of people in your care, don’t delegate the importance of being thoughtful, kind, and appropriate. Long term employees with a track record of exceptional job performance are special people.  Treat them as such as they have helped you achieve your goals as a leader.