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You Don’t Need to Be Capt. Obvious to Know Good Bosses Talk with People
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Confession time: I like commercials.
Well, I like good, engaging, funny or emotional commercials. I cry every time I see that Folgers commercial with the soldier coming home for Christmas. And I actually replay the new UnitedHealthcare commercial of the couple trying to recreate the “lift” dance scene from the movie classic Dirty Dancing.
But the commercials that make me laugh the loudest are the Hotels.com Captain Obvious commercials like this one (email subscribers, click through for video):
Why does Captain Obvious appeal to me so much? Because sometimes, we need to be slapped in the face with the obvious to make us realize what’s really important.
So, in the spirit of Captain Obvious, I share this article from Harvard Business Review, titled The Top Complaints From Employees About Their Leaders, including this overall finding:
(Some) 91 percent of employees say communication issues can drag executives down, according to results from our new Interact/Harris Poll, which was conducted online with roughly 1,000 U.S. workers.”
It’s no surprise managers need to talk to their employees. But look at how the needs break down.
If you read between the lines, you can easily see what employees are asking:
These aren’t just important workplace needs. These are needs fundamental human needs. I matter. What I do matters. I am seen. I am heard. I am valued.
Managers who can meet these needs as well as inspire their employees to do the same for their peers and colleagues find themselves with highly engaged, highly productive, highly motivated teams. Those of us who get to work for managers like that are, in turn, highly blessed.
Think about the best manager you ever had. What made them so good?
This was originally published on the Recognize This! blog.