Encourage employees to speak up instead of muttering

Encourage employees to speak up instead of muttering | practice | When's the last time you were your company's customer? Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( April 12, 2023 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading the Way [] [Encourage employees to speak up instead of muttering]( [Encourage employees to speak up instead of muttering]( (Rudzhan Nagiev/Getty Images) Every organization has its leaders and followers, but leadership coach Gregg Vanourek writes that two other kinds of employees -- objectors and mutterers -- should be on a leader's radar as well. Objectors may ask tough questions and are valuable in creating a culture of accountability and should be encouraged, while mutterers complain and backstab instead of making constructive contributions, and leaders need to nip that kind of negativity "in the bud," Vanourek notes. Full Story: [Triple Crown Leadership]( (4/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Take time to notice how often you're working to encourage the objectors and move your mutterers in a more positive direction, [Vanourek advises](. "The biggest problem with muttering, of course, is that it's a monumental waste of time and energy -- and counterproductive." [] SmartBrief on Leadership [] [When's the last time you were your company's customer?]( [When's the last time you were your company's customer?]( The cast of HBO's "Succession" (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) Immersing yourself in the actual customer experience at your own company offers insights that top-level leaders don't often get, leadership speaker Denise Lee Yohn says in this video. Using an example from the HBO series, "Succession," Yohn illustrates how such a lack of understanding can result in misguided priorities, fewer customers and dissatisfied employees. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Tap into the other side of the transaction by ordering a product online, calling customer service for help or taking other actions that show how well your company and its products work in practice as well as theory, [Yohn says](. [] [Read more]( from Denise Lee Yohn on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Smarter Communication [] [Why the best leaders always make time to listen]( Being a better listener for your employees doesn't mean you always have to drop everything to talk with them, writes business coach Guy Harris. "The main message you want to communicate to the other person is that you are willing to listen to them when you have the time to focus on what they are saying," Harris writes. Full Story: [Leadership & Learning with Kevin Eikenberry]( (4/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Leaders must be able to discern whether an employee truly has an emergency or if a conversation can be postponed to a later time. "The specifics of how you make this determination calls for both relational and situational awareness, and there is no single, one-size-fits-all approach for how you do it," [Harris writes](. 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[Vote]( [Cape Canaveral, Fla.]( [Vote]( [Downey, Calif.]( [Vote]( [Houston]( [Vote]( [Washington, D.C.]( [] Pets of SmartBrief Leaders [] Maddy the Malamute Maddy the Malamute (Kendale Kirk) Maddy the Malamute keeps Kendale Kirk company at work and beyond. Who are your non-human office companions? [Send me photos](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com)! [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Candace Chellew There was a little band of mutterers at a radio station I worked for early in my career. The lead mutterer convened lunchtime complaint sessions at the local pizza joint. I admit, I joined in on the muttering for awhile, but I also wanted to be an objector and actually take our concerns to management. I expressed my desire to my fellow mutterers. They vetoed the idea. Pretty soon, I left the station, as did many of my other colleagues. The head mutterer, though, is still there, some 30 years later. I wonder if the pizza joint is, too? Have you encountered mutterers -- [as Gregg Vanourek calls them]( -- in your workplace? Are you a mutterer? How have you dealt with mutterers, or overcome your own penchant to mutter? [Let me know](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com)! If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or [send this link](. What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? [Drop me a note](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com). And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] I can make so many people mad in 140 characters. 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