Your Team Will Talk... About YOU!

I was in a store yesterday, purchasing print-outs and office supplies for the PMI Houston Conference this week, where I am presenting 2 breakout sessions. I asked the cashier for something, which needed the manager to go to the back of the store, and while she was away the cashier said:

"I can't stand the manager, all she ever does is talk on the radio. She's got two strikes against her, one more and she's out... you know what I mean?"

Image courtesy of Master isolated images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was absolutely shocked! I've never met the cashier before (although I frequent the store a couple times a month), and although I had asked some questions, I don't think that I opened the door for that kind of comment.

I wanted to say "You probably shouldn't be saying those types of things to a customer, how do you think they will react? Will the customer come back if they know there is an issue?" Unfortunately, the manager came back just as he was finishing his statement, and I decided discretion was the better part of valor, for this day at least.

What this instance did for me was remind me of a simple truth: YOUR TEAM WILL TALK ABOUT YOU!

Now, whether the talk is positive or negative is completely up to how you treat your team. Do they feel respected, engaged, and that they are part of a team? Or do they feel dis-respected, under-utilized (or only perform busy work) and are just waiting for the clock to run out? Take a look at your team and really analyze which question better fits your circumstances. If it's the latter, then you have a lot of work ahead of you.

I hope that many of you will join me for the PMI Houston Conference at the Hyatt Regency. If not, I will continue to update the blog as the week goes on, so look for some highlights from the Conference. Talk with you soon!