“I’ve never seen you before.” That’s what I said to the “new” person who waited on me in the deli section of the grocery store.
As most of you who know this employee retention expert and employee retention speaker…I talk to everyone and try to get to know them if I have not met them before. I was at the grocery store and I needed to see if they had a specialty item in the deli section that was not out in the refrigeration case. A “new” person waited on me. She really knew her stuff and I was curious because I assumed she had worked the deli before. I was impressed with what she told me after I told her I had never seen her before.
Then she told me, “I’m the Director of Deli Operations.” I asked what she was doing in the deli and she explained that today they had a “perfect storm” and had nobody to run he deli so she jumped in to ensure things ran smoothly. I was impressed. She was leading by example. She was doing things that she would expect her people to do. She was not afraid to get into the trenches and do whatever it took to make sure things ran smoothly. This is the sort of thing that impresses your people. It sets a great example for your people and builds your “Respect,” the “R” in C.R.A.P.
Behavior like this is the type of leadership behavior that get people to follow you willingly and not just because of your title. This is what makes you a “Great Boss.” This is important from an employee retention strategies perspective because 75% of employees say the worst thing about their job is their boss. Not only is the Director of Deli Operations keeping the deli running she is also contributing to employee retention.
All too often this employee retention consultant hears the bad stuff. When I hear or see the good stuff, I really love to point it out. This is a great example of the good stuff. My final question to leaders reading this is…Do you get into the trenches and help out so you are building respect?
How much is employee turnover costing your organization? If you are an HR Leader, General Manager or an owner of an organization and are ready to “do the work,” email me at jeff@jeffkortes.com to learn how my C.R.A.P, (Caring, Respect, Appreciation, Praise) Process can reduce your employee turnover by up to 80%.
