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Employee Appreciation Day needs an overhaul. Free pastries once a year do not actually make anyone feel appreciated, let alone respected. And respect is what really drives success for an organization. It's my goal as a leader to show my employees respect day in and day out. If your team knows you trust and value them, they're going to feel more confident and fulfilled. So why limit those efforts to one day per year? Employee Appreciation Day is simply not enough.
How do you genuinely demonstrate respect for your staff 365 days a year? I'm sharing four universally applicable tenets for recognizing employees and, therefore, setting the foundation for a successful business.
Transparency
A lot of business leaders are nervous about revealing anything to their teams. It's default corporate behavior to keep big decisions, changes, challenges, P&Ls and even project budgets shuttered away behind C-suite doors. But I've discovered there's a lot more we can share from the top down without causing any detriment to the business. In fact, in recent years, I've experienced that increased transparency leads to stronger teamwork and focus. I make it a point to report about KPIs at every staff meeting and remain earnestly open to answer questions, even the tough ones, regardless of seniority level of those inquiring.
To me, transparency is the most important pillar of employee respect. If our teams feel that they're in the know and understand what is going on — good and bad — they'll feel more ownership and opportunity to make an impact. They'll feel respected and appreciated.
Related: How to Avoid Horrific Musk-Like Employee Reviews
Autonomy
Respect also means allowing people to do their jobs with freedom from micromanagement. In our business, the heads of each department are all extremely accomplished, talented experts in their fields. Of course we want them to be the ones presenting about their initiatives and leading the ideation for new projects.
When scope is clearly defined and management is actively supportive, delegating can empower employees at all levels. In our case, this strategy is reflected physically in how our biweekly staff meetings are run. After kicking off the meetings and reporting on key metrics, I literally walk to the back of the room and let various team members lead us through their presentations, new product updates and announcements. It's important for those speaking to gain that experience, and also for those aspiring to get to that point to see the opportunity right in front of them.
Investment
Fostering autonomy requires leaders to challenge their teams and ask, "What do you think?" Managers aren't there to make all the decisions. Managers have to give employees the freedom to experience necessary failures as they grow within the company. Each employee trajectory is unique, and each relationship calls for its own type of management. It is our responsibility as leaders to guide our employees through both the ups and downs of their own professional growth journeys.
I've always seen professional development as a core role of any manager, and over the years, I've curated my perspective on helping employees evolve. It comes down to this: We have plenty of opportunities to tell people they're doing great. Take those opportunities. But if you're only giving positive feedback, your team members are either absolutely perfect or you're not being thoughtful enough about helping them grow.
To set yourself up to be the most valuable manager you can be, take that open-door policy seriously. Actively listen, and share feedback in weekly meetings, during reviews and in appropriate moments as things come up.
Related: Do Effective Leaders Use Fear or Love in the Workplace?
Integrity
The ultimate form of respect is when somebody treats you with fairness, integrity and consistency, whether or not others are watching. There's a lot to be gained from acting ethically and staying true to your values despite the inevitable ebbs and flows of your business. This means actively respecting others' time, being willing to have unexpected and difficult discussions, participating in team-building activities and communicating directly.
Operating with integrity and setting the tone for the team also calls for bringing your best work to the table, no matter how senior your title. Just because someone is in a management position does not mean they should be sitting with their feet up and signing off on others' ideas. Everyone should be pulling their own weight, going beyond designated roles and contributing as much as possible. I think anyone can attest to feeling more motivated to push through the grind when you know your whole team is equally committed to success.
In adhering to these four pillars, my goal is to consistently demonstrate respect for my colleagues. There's no way to do that in just one eight-hour workday. I'm not calling for a boycott of Employee Appreciation Day, but I am asserting that bringing in some office treats one day per year is not meaningful employee engagement. When people are genuinely respected, they want to contribute and want to be part of leading their company to success.
Related: Here Are 4 Ways to Develop a Culture of Respect and Trust
