TALK TO, DON’T TALK AT
Still on the communication series. Words are like vehicles and you have to use them discretely. Good words, both to employees and customers could impart positively on your sales and the opposite is also true. When employees sign up to serve you, they’re either humble or have been made humble by their need to make ends meet or their passion to make a living out of their skills or perhaps their vision for something greater, for which your job is a stepping stone towards.
Many who claim to be unemployed or underemployed actually lost the opportunity they got because they couldn’t submit to their employers and endure the conditions they we’re presented with. Your job offer may not be the best in town, and even you as an individual of course have some weakness here and there.
So then, having people who have agreed to put up with you and the job you and the jobs you provide, inspite of the shortfalls is one reason why you should reciprocate the honour by at least being creative and matured with your use of words towards them. Now if you understand any the above, then you’d see that reciprocating the respect and humility of your employees should begin with speaking to them in ways that dignify their labour and not denegrate their zeal.
To talk at, is to speak to (a person) in a way that indicates a response is not really wanted.
In a way that sends the ‘boss’ message and cares really less whether the other party has anything worthy of contributing. Many times, you’re not a bad person really, you’re nice, you just haven’t learnt to control your expressions, especially when you’re not particularly happy with your people’s attitudes.
If care is not taken, you’re already talking at them to express your concern or drive home your commands. And they have no choice, at least in the meantime, because you’re the boss. This is not ethical enough. Though I understand they could be impossible at times, they could be defiant at instructions or outrightly rebellious, yet expecting full contractual monetary compensation at the end of the month as if the revenue from which salaries are paid is not a function of their productivity…..I know!
Yet, you owe them the courtesy of good words. You owe them the duty of mentorship. We’ve all had at one point in time or the other in our lives, people who chose to speak good to us even when we appear defiant, and this has made us something better than we naturally deserve.
Please mind your words. Use them selectively. Speak kindly to people,employees or customers alike. Talk to them, don’t talk at them.
