Home Health & Hospice Week

Working on your trust-building skills will reap rewards for both you and your team.

One of the biggest complaints you'll hear from employees is that their supervisors say one thing and do another.

Aligning your actions with your words is one of the most important things you can do to gain your employees' respect and loyalty. But it's easier said than done. Here's what Susan M. Heathfield suggests in her article "How To Walk Your Talk":

• Be an example. If you expect employees to be punctual, make sure you're never the one walking into a meeting five minutes late. If you aren't acting the way you tell your employees to act, they'll view you as hypocritical.
• Follow the rules. This is especially applicable if you're the one who set up the rule or procedure. Employees won't understand why they shoulddo things a certain way if their supervisor doesn't use the same process.
• Get your hands dirty. Do some of the same work your employees do each day, she advises. Employees feel that you understand their workload better when you've done it yourself. Otherwise, your employees may think, "How would she know? She's never done my job."
• Be clear. If employees aren't clear about what you expect from them and what goals they're working toward, they may feel that you've made promises you can't keep. Keep communication open, honest, focused and direct.
• Put aside your authority. Some employees respond better to leaders who don't act like leaders. That is, if your staff perceives you as another member of the team, they're more likely to respect you and less likely to resent you. Show them that you share the same motivations and responsibilities that you expect from them -- as teammates.
• If you can't fulfill it, don't promise it. Be absolutely certain that you can back up any commitments you make to your staff, she urges. Making promises that you need to bail out on later is a fast way to lose your employees' confidence.
• Live and breathe your company's goal. Use every opportunity to promote the general goal of your company, including meetings, corporate blogs and your Intranet, she recommends.