At Shoppers, Inc. we are very passionate about great customer service, measurement, and teamwork. The article below from VerticalResponse about How Your Energy Affects Your Team and teamwork relates to our goals and passions. Hope you enjoy it!
Have you ever considered how your energy affects everyone around you? Think about it from the vantage of being the CEO of a company. When you walk in the door, all eyes are on you and your employees’ antennae are up looking for any sign of something being not quite right. No pressure, eh?
When you’re the boss, there are going to be many times when you’ve gotta put on your “game face” because your energy affects everyone and everything.
In the last 12 years at VerticalResponse, I’ve had some leaders with great energy, and some that could suck the life out of the Energizer Bunny. Whether you’re the CEO or a manager leading a team, here are some pointers to make sure you bring your can-do attitude because if you don’t, your team won’t, either:
All Eyes Are On You
Like I said, even a casual walk around the office can put people in a tizzy if you’re giving off bad vibes and exuding a “stay the ‘f’ away from me because I’m having a real sh*& day” attitude. You might not be aware of it, but like a dog with a bone, your team has a laser-like focus to detect this stuff and they’ll either call you on it or–most likely–just talk amongst themselves.
The same goes for bad-mouthing other executives or team members. Don’t poison your own well. Your employees have to work for–and with–these folks, so if you’ve got a beef with someone, keep it under wraps or between yourself and the person.
Are You Excited?
Are you genuinely excited about the products and services your company offers? Do you love your customers? Do you love what you do every day?
I’m one of those people who can answer yes to each of those questions, but not everyone can. So do you fake it till you make it? Because trust you me, if you’re not living and breathing it every day, your team knows it and it can leach the lifeblood out of them. The energy and enthusiasm you generate and breathe into your company can breed and multiply a thousand times over. You’ve gotta be shakin’ those pom-poms all the way to your corner office. And you’ve gotta mean it.
You (Really) Care
I had a VP of marketing once that just didn’t have it in his DNA to lead our team. At the end of the day, he was a super-smart guy and totally got the business side, but when it came to his people? Fail. Why? Because he just didn’t care. And his team could tell.
For example, when he came to work in the morning, he would walk right past a number of his direct reports’ desks without making eye contact or saying a “hello.” A number of them mentioned to me that it felt really odd. I spoke with him about it and he said, “No problem, I can do that.” So he proceeded to walk in, say, “Hi! How was your weekend?” and then … he just walked away. He didn’t have the patience or the desire to hear the answer. It just wasn’t his thing. And his team felt really slighted and devalued. This carried over to the way he treated them in meetings and other office situations, too. It got so bad that we had to part ways. It’s unfortunate, but when you’ve got a team, you have to be a team. And that means you have to care about your team members.
Are you in tune with how your energy is affecting your employees? Got any examples to share?
This article by VerticalResponse CEO and founder Janine Popick originally appeared on Inc.com.
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