Weak leaders expect their employees to rationally comply with any directive that is issued. If a weak leader observes a drop in performance, they don’t engage the employee to determine the reason for the drop. A weak leader will do nothing or send an email with a policy statement from human resources about performance. In many cases a drop in performance is due to family or personal issues. Successful small business owners engage their employees to understand the drop in performance. They build a plan together with the employee and raise their performance.
Rational Compliance is for Weak Leaders
Explain Your Decisions
Successful small business owners never expect rational compliance. They have a reason for the decisions they are making. If one of your employees has questions about your guidance, you need to engage them in conversation. You need to explain why you are making the decision you are making. I like to call this the huddle time. When you are in the huddle and making decisions, you want feedback from your team. Once we break the huddle we need to execute. Never tell your employees to do something just because you said so. That type of attitude can destroy morale.