...Right or Happy???

Would you rather be right or happy?  That’s the question a business owner’s staff asked him. They all tend to have strong opinions and sometimes he just wants to be right and not listen to them.  

What about you, with your employees?  Do you always have to be right?  Do you have to have the last word? 

Developing an environment where staff feels their input will be listened to can be very important.  The reasons you hire staff should be the reasons you listen to your staff. In other words, you hired those individual staff for the unique talent, education and personality they bring to the job.  So it’s important that you listen to them.  

When you have a meeting and ask for input, make sure you are not arguing every idea that is suggested.  Sometimes, ideas need time to germinate.  We need time to work through the idea to make sure it’s something we want to act on or pass on.   

Allowing staff the time to voice opinions can help bring your staff together.  In the end, it’s your decision as the owner of the company. You don’t need to remind staff every time they make a suggestion, but you always know that.  

So, do you want to be right or happy?  Maybe if you listen to your staff and process what they have to say, you might be both.  

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

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