Staff tell me all the time that leaders don’t hear them, acknowledge them or listen to their thoughts and ideas. Leaders disclose frequently that new staff entering the workplace are lazy, don’t want to work hard and don’t care about the residents. Team members share regularly that they are disrespected by their peers and immediate supervisors. Why is there such a disconnect? Perspective.
When a colleague at work performs a task differently than we might think is appropriate, many times we assume that the work is being done wrong. Then we funnel our interpretation about why their actions are unacceptable through our perspective filter. We may create a story that has little or no factual evidence to back it up and run with it.
Our perspective is ingrained into our identity. The manner in which we were raised and experience the world shapes the way we interpret life around us. In fact, our perspective becomes the default and we come to believe that our viewpoint is the only way to explain and understand situations and the actions of others.
Prior to working with a group of frontline staff, the Director of Education whispered to me that the people in the group were "just" the housekeepers in an apologetic tone. I told her that I loved housekeepers. The staff’s understanding of leadership’s perspective was confirmed when I commended them for their hard work. They told me that it was the first time they had been complimented. I am convinced that the Education Director didn’t understand the significance of her words and the impact of her actions and those of her leadership colleagues.
In another facility, a few staff members ran after me as I was leaving and implored me help the leaders understand the workplace problems that frontline staff were facing. After reassuring them that I had listened to and understood all perspectives, I suggested that perhaps the leaders were struggling too. I explained that they were faced with substantial regulatory and reimbursement changes and challenges and may simply not know what to do or have all the answers. That comment gave them pause.
One of the most important skills that we all need to perfect in the workplace is how to see, understand, contemplate and not judge other perspectives. Honing that expertise improves and fosters better relationships in our organizations.
Some strategies to consider:
- Perspective represents someone’s truth so consider that there are many truths, all which have validity
- Many perspectives create a diverse way of looking at a situation or an issue and provides an array of options to contemplate strategies and solutions
- Inquisitiveness, open-mindedness and flexibility help us grow our own perspective
- Mentoring team members before and after we promote them creates a more well-rounded leader. Foster:
- Constructive approaches for interacting with staff including how to:
- Ask questions
- Provide constructive criticism
- Offer compliments and praise
- Effective problem-solving techniques
- Effective approaches to manage conflict
- Constructive approaches for interacting with staff including how to:
Practicing interaction skills helps us grow our understanding of perspectives different from our own. This repetition improves competency and comfort level which are key to understanding and managing workplace relationships and provides a sturdier and healthier foundation for the way in which we all work together.