Page 141 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

Employees Want and Need a Manager Who Cares 121

• Where will this take place?
• When can we expect to see changes occur?
• How can I help?

When you want to summarize and restate what an employee
has just communicated, try the following questions:

• Do I understand you to mean that …?
• Let’s summarize the important points.
• How would you restate that message for our group?

• Am I clear in understanding that you would like …?

Bridging the Gap

In a survey conducted by O’Connor Kenny Partners in 1999,
HR directors listed the top 10 skills that managers need for

organizational success. At the top of their list, tied with interper-
sonal skills, was listening—outranking such essentials as con-
flict management, persuasion and motivation, writing, presenta-
tion skills, and reading.
And yet, in a survey by the Hay Group that polled over
1,000,000 employees in over 2,000 companies, only about one

in three people responded favorably when asked how well their
managers or companies listened to them. Obviously there’s a
wide gap between what managers should be doing and what
their employees perceive as happening.

But you have the power to reach out to the people who
work for you, to listen to them and learn from them. Remember:
it’s not so much the words you say during the exchange as it is
the fact that you as a manager are listening to your employees.
When you listen, you’re affirming that person and showing that

you care. When you listen, you’re working to bridge the gap.

Rewards, Recognition, and Praise Are Links to

Higher Morale and Performance

Philosopher William James said, “The deepest craving in human
nature is the craving to be appreciated.” And he was right. When