Whatever you do as a leader in a company you always give off an unspoken message with it. Put like that it is very hard not to get paranoid about it, but those unspoken messages come along with everything we say and do in life, it’s just that it carries more weight when you are the leader of an company.
So if you want to foster responsibility in a company then you need to make sure you are giving off messages that encourage responsible behaviour – and what is the best way to do that?
Client contact
One great way is to involve junior staff more in contacts with people outside the company. For example, when clients come to visit, or on trips to clients, suppliers or partners – take the opportunity to bring in junior members of staff to talk about their specialisation.
What message you are giving off? “I trust you to represent the company – to show yourself as responsible individual, be polite, put the clients at their ease and say the right things. I’m taking a risk with you because I think you are worth it.”
Involvement in high-level meetings
Another way of nurturing responsibility is to involve people in a decision rather than making it by yourself. Perhaps bring together a group of people picked from throughout the company as a working group to develop the company’s vision and values.
What message are you giving off? “I think you have a worthwhile contribution to make to this discussion and I am willing to listen and take it seriously.”
If you want to people to take responsibility in your company start by giving as many opportunities as possible for your staff to demonstrate their sense of responsibility to you in small ways. – You may be surprised at how they thrive on it!
If you are interested in nurturing responsibility in your own company why not contact me to discuss ways to do this on 07810 563 676 or by email on Jane.Blackwood@HRBusCons.co.uk.