Kitchen Table Talks

As a leader in your organization, how well do you know your people?. Do you stay in your office and run your organization through email? Would your people even know who you are if you walked into a room? Good leaders take the time to get to know their people. This means leaving your office and talking to your employees. In the fire service we called this kitchen table talks. This allows you to take a pulse to find out how the shift is doing and are there any brewing issues. Make sure that you listen to everyone at the table. Don't judge their thoughts and concerns. By listening and taking notes you will gain you employees trust and more importantly their trust. Take notes and and ensure you give them answers to their questions. Let them know when you don't have an answer and ensure them you will find the answer and follow up in person, not in a memo. Communication is becoming a lost art in the fire service. Many senior officers try to lead through memo and email, but face to face communication and honest conversations are the foundations of good morale. Get out of your office go visit your people, believe it or not they want to talk to the bosses. Face time with your employees is priceless.