As a leader, there are many things within a business can that pop-up that distract you from connecting with your team in person. Emails or phone calls can be an effective way to manage your relationships with your employees but while they are useful tools, the power of in-person leadership cannot be understated.
Building Trust
Think about all the people that currently have your full trust. Now, think about how many of those people you’ve met in person. The list is most likely pretty small regarding people you trust and have never met in real life. In many companies, the size of your operations can become an excuse for those that fail to build that trust in-person.
If you are a CEO or a Manager who has never taken the time to meet your people in person, how can you expect any of them to care for your ideas and leadership honestly? The power of personal interactions with your team can change someone from showing up just for a paycheck to become a cornerstone of your team and business to grow with you.
The Power of Visibility
It can be hard to meet every single person within your company because of the time required to do so. While it may be difficult, the results that come from that personal interaction will be much more impactful over sending an email, text or even with a phone call. You have to connect with your people to manage them successfully and keep them not only interested in the job, but in growing with the company and investing themselves in its success.
Being present shows to others that you’re invested within the moment without words. Think about if the President of the United States just sent a public email to everyone with the State of the Union. It would relay the same information but wouldn’t be nearly as effective in delivering the messaging.
Take the time to visit your employees more often at their offices or if you are in the same office already, spend some more time with them! Take them to lunch or even stop by their desk and build that trust. Delivering messages in person also brings an air of assurance and personalization to people as they can see the emotion and presence you bring. Make sure you are as visible as possible to your people to help your interactions and trust with employees.
