Don’t Get Hung Up on the Org Chart!

Hi Meaningful Leader,

For the past few weeks, I sat with every single member of my teams to conduct performance reviews. Not only with my direct reports, but why theirs as well. I won’t deny it can feel time consuming, but I truly see it as a time investment instead; after all, team building is relationship building and it’s always good to make the time to catch up.

So for today’s article I would like for us to talk about re-connecting with the team at large, especially when you sit at the C-suit.

As a high-level leader, you understand the importance of keeping the pulse on your organization and staying connected to your team. Unfortunately, all good intentions aside, as your day gets busy, it can be easy to lose touch with the lower levels of your organization. When this happens, the ripple effect of solely focusing on the feedback from your direct team can have a drastic and potentially damaging effect on your organization.

When you’re disconnected from the lower levels of your organization, and you focus solely on the feedback from your direct team, without understanding what’s truly going on at the lower levels, you can miss key insights into the overall success of your business. You can quickly become out of touch with the true issues impacting your team. Without understanding the nuances of the different circumstances and the actual state of things, you can easily miss out on the opportunity to make meaningful progress. Furthermore, the lack of connection can often be interpreted as a lack of concern for the team, which can cause resentment and further disconnection. and can ultimately lead to an organization-wide decline in performance.

Keep in mind that It’s important to show your team that you are aware of the issues they are facing. Speaking in a way that shows your team that you actually understand how things work, that you are proactively listening to their concerns and that you are taking action to address them, will help you stay connected with your team and maintain the trust of those who keep your organization moving forward day after day.

If you don’t fully understand the issues impacting the team and make decisions or issue statement solely on a sugarcoated version your direct reports provide you, your message to the team will be so far-fetched that it’ll only serve to confirm how disconnected from them you really are. Be mindful and self-aware of how the lower levels of your organization perceive you.

These lower level employees often have an intimate understanding of the daily operations of the business, and their opinions and input can be invaluable. Without taking the time to listen to them, you may be missing out on opportunities to improve your business. Additionally, not taking their feedback into account can lead to a lack of trust and respect between team members, which can further hamper productivity.

It’s also important to remember that the lower level employees are often the ones who interact with customers the most. This means that they have a unique perspective on customer service and satisfaction. If you’re not taking the time to listen to their feedback, you’re likely missing out on opportunities to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

Finally, the ripple effect of focusing only on the feedback from your direct team can have implications beyond the workplace. When the lower levels of your organization are not given their due consideration, it can lead to a disconnection between the organization and its stakeholders. This can create a negative perception of the organization in the eyes of the public, and can ultimately lead to a decline in sales and customer loyalty.

Regardless of how high up you are in the proverbial corporate ladder, as a leader, it is important to remember that the feedback from your direct team is just one piece of the puzzle. Taking into account the needs and feedback of the lower levels of your team is essential for the success of your organization, and can help to create a positive ripple effect throughout your entire business, so take the time and get in touch!

I hope you found value here today. If so, please like, comment and share with one person who can benefit from this content.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Maria