Everybody’s Broken is one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs- because it feels so true for me and maybe you can relate as well! As a business owner, I am blessed to be surrounded by team members and other business owners that are going through the same daily routines, struggles and situations that I go thru and listening to that song reminds me that I am not alone on this journey.
This past Friday our team gathered for our weekly meeting and had a heart to heart conversation exploring some questions that most people would not think of as ‘Business Conversation’ material but I gleaned a few nuggets from the meeting that I think all businesses owners can profit from:
GET PAST THE SURFACE TALK
Putting a strong team together requires trust and how can we trust if we do not really KNOW each other? Spending some time getting to know the members of your team and helping them get to know each other can have a direct impact on your bottom line. After all, a team of people who are supportive and encouraging deliver better results than a team of disconnected souls.
IT’S OK TO LAUGH & CRY TOGETHER
It’s not comfortable, but it is OK to let your emotions show and be a little vulnerable- even at work. Sure, it’s a fine line and you do not want to have to add Kleenex to your budget but there is power in a team that can be REAL with each other. Laughter & tears are powerful healers and when your team finds that the work environment is a safety zone, where they can be themselves, you end up with a much stronger team.
EVERYBODY’S BROKEN
We all have STUFF to deal with and to think that these things aren’t going to make it into the work environment is plain silly. We can certainly assist our teams in ‘leaving it at the door’ but if you want to develop a highly functioning team, time has to be made to address the real world- world outside the confines of our work communities.
So how do we balance this emotional thought process with making a profit? The truth is, I’m still figuring that out! Here's what I do know- when business owners get to the place where they care for and love their team as much or more than they care for their bottom line, the magic begins to happen. Walls begin to come down, productivity rises, trust strengthens and the work family begins taking better care of each other. I am in tears as I write this because I truly believe this is happening in our work space- I see it, I feel it and it feels right to me.
Life does not stop for the 8 or so hours a day that we are on the job; it permeates every action and interaction we have. Take a few minutes to consider how you might be able to develop a culture of caring individuals who are not afraid to let some of the battle wounds that make them who they are- show. If you would like to know the questions we used in our last meeting, please email me as I would be happy to share. Cheri@TotalMerchantConcepts.com And, if you want a 4 minute reminder of the fact that we you are on this glorious journey with others who have some of the same hurdles to overcome, here is the link to Bon Jovi's song Everybody's Broken.
