Entrepreneur Coach

Listen to your team. It builds loyalty and motivation. A team leader who listens will gain respect from the team. Team members who know that their leaders listens to their ideas and feedback will be more motivated.

1. Encourage them to voice out their ideas
2. Install a communication facility
3. Respond to their feedback
4. Try your best but never promise anything
5. Do the WIFLE

Encourage them to voice out their ideas
Not all profitable ideas come from the CEO. Your team might possess great ideas to do things better. If they do not have ideas, you are in big trouble. It means they are too afraid to speak out or their brains are empty.

Install a communication facility
Put a suggestion box that is easily seen. Create an email address just for feedback and another email address just for new ideas of doing things better.

Respond to their feedback
If they put their feedback in the suggestion box, if it is worth reading in front of the team, then do it. Give a response. If it was sent through email, give a response. They will feel motivated knowing that you “heard” them.

Try your best but never promise anything
The company has limits so make sure you do not promise anything that you cannot deliver. Better yet, never promise anything. Instead, take note of their feedback then try your best.

Do the WIFLE
WIFLE stands for “What I Feel Like Expressing.” This is good for small teams of 5 to 7. Allow them to say anything they want to express without interruption. It should be done one person at a time with a time limit of 3 minutes max. The only rule is that no one is allowed to insult anyone in the team.

By Ed Pilapil Jr. ©