The one thing that creates loyalty and commitment to a company
One key thing missed by 99% of leaders which could make all the difference:
Dignity.
Treating people with dignity is often subtle and underrated.
It’s as obvious as:
✓ Dignity: telling someone in a one to one chat about ways they could accelerate their performance
vs
✓ Humiliation: telling them in front of the whole team that they’re “the slowest of everyone here”
and as subtle as:
✓ Humiliation: rejecting their request for flexible working (to care for their chronically ill spouse) without even having a conversation about it to see if you could work something out that suits the company and the employee.
Vs
✓ Dignity: discussing the reasons for the application, how it would work in reality and genuinely trying to find potential ways it could work for both the company and the employee. Even if application is still rejected — after a conversation like this, the employee is more likely to see why the employer rejects it and accept it without feeling treated like an object.
Treating people with dignity:
✓ when you have to let them go
✓ when their performance is poor
✓ when you are making them redundant
✓ when you disagree with them
✓ when you say “no” to their suggestions
✓ when they’ve made a mistake
✓ when you walk into the room
✓ in day to day interactions
matters more than people imagine.
It creates loyalty and commitment to a company.
What other ways have you seen leaders treating people with dignity and without dignity?
