Network Marketing Journey

All this week I’ve been having a conversation with Rosa Say, via email, about some particularly negative things that I’ve been witnessing. The conversation started because I came across the Daily 5 minutes on her blog, a tool, which adds up to managers taking a few minutes to talk to their employees. This allows them to address details that need to be addressed now instead of always addressing them collectively, if at all.

I’ve noted a growing distance between management and the employee that work under them. Managers have lost touch with the people they expect to do the work except for a chosen few who usually turn out to be the ones that seek favor so they don’t have to work.

After talking with Rosa about some of these things I got to thinking about this and asked some of friends, who are employed as managers, if they talk to their employees.

Their quick response was that they do so I added that I meant sincerely talking to them. Not a quick hello as you walk by or the exchange that occurs when you’re making a request. I mean actually taking a few minutes to get to know the person that you make demands of and understanding their concerns.

They just looked at me. The answer was pretty clear. The training that is used to bring up these so-called leaders teaches them to use the company tools but doesn’t put any emphasis on the skills that really matter. Like communication and -gasp- caring about the employee.

Thus Mālama was a value that would come up often in our discussion of ‘Ike loa and our Daily Five Minutes,
for it was usually within this daily ritual that managers would learn
about what concerns their staff had, and they were gifted with the
timing within which their employees chose to share it.

“Listen with Mālama” meant to listen with caring, to listen for feelings and for kaona—hidden meanings within the words that were actually spoken.

When the Daily Five Minutes
was diligently programmed employees did not get lost in the shuffle of
the day or go unnoticed when they were troubled—the times they need to
be cared for most.

So let me ask you this, if you are a leader in your organization, do you know your employees?

When was the last time you sought to care for an employees needs even before the need erupted to the surface?

Are you able to deal with the problems quickly as they arise because you know when and how something should be dealt with?

If you can’t answer these questions wouldn’t now be a good time to start learning these skills? My advice is twofold.

First, read Rosa’s thoughts on the Daily 5 Minutes. Then take Dale Carnegie’s timeless advice of being a good listener. Develop a listening ear and do it because you actually care.

If you do these things you’ll be well on your way to creating a happier work force. And not only that, you’ll develop your skills as a listener and be building relationships.

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