13 Sep Be Kind
One of my early mentors in business taught me a valuable lesson I still use today. You never know what people are dealing with at home before they get to the office. Be kind, patient, and understanding.
The truth is, this journey around the sun has its challenges. The pandemic has only brought to light issues that have been brewing for years. You no doubt will read about “The Great Resignation,” how employees are leaving their jobs by the millions. The leading cause is burnout. Your staff has been overworked for years as you have had to cut back or hire fewer employees to eke out a profit.
Working from home has its mixed blessings. For some it provides more work-life balance. The commute home for dinner is simply walking to the kitchen. But for others it has been a nightmare. The single employees who miss human interaction. The extroverts who need to be around people, or the introverts who sink into depression not realizing we all need human interaction from time to time. The parents who love their kids but miss being around adults.
Keeping the business open during global shutdowns and supply chain issues is stressful for everyone, not just the owner. Then add to the mix having to learn to be a teacher, school counselor, and in some cases a chef.
Is it getting easier? Turn on the news and you hear about new variants of COVID and debates over masks and vaccines. It seems like this will never end.
We need to be kind, patient and understanding. We need to take time to listen to the needs of our staff.
What do we need to do as business owners, entrepreneurs, or managers? We need to be kind, patient and understanding. We need to take time to listen to the needs of our staff. I am not suggesting you have to implement every idea expressed, but if you want to keep your team you need to understand the mood of our country.
And take time for some fun. Host a company cookout during work hours, play some fun music to get the day started, or take the team out for lunch. For your remote staff, find a way to bring them some fun.
Finally, to lessen the workload, consider outsourcing some services. Not to reduce overhead, but to give your team more margin in their schedule. That is one of the ways we help business owners at Centerpost Media. We take care of their media needs so their staff can focus on doing what they do best: selling and servicing their business.
Scott Miller is the CEO of Centerpost Media and host of the Create, Build and Manage Radio Show and Podcast. You can find Scott on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via “@scottmillerceo.” Centerpost Media is a marketing agency with a vision to help every business they encounter with their media needs by providing outstanding quality, service and value. Centerpost Media is the parent company to BizTV, BizTalkRadio, BizTalkPodcasts and Bizvod.