Eight Behaviors To Show You Value Your Employees

There are eight specific actions business leaders can take to show that they value their employees, according to Andrew Leigh, author of the book, Ethical Leadership -- Creating and Sustaining an Ethical Business Culture.

Those eight behaviors are:

1. Attention -- Pay attention to what people say to show your interest.
2. Listen -- Make time to hear what colleagues, peers and employees have to say to show you care.
3. Positive Language -- Find words and phrases to show employees they're needed.  Examples are, "We couldn't have accomplished this without you," "That was really useful."
4. Document -- Put praise in writing to increase its impact.  Make clear where the credit belongs.
5. Micro Sessions -- Create two-way communication sessions.
6. Visits -- Schedule visits to teams and work areas.
7. Stories -- Share stories that highlight unusual contributions and provide your personal response to them.
8. Invite -- Ask people to contact you directly with their issues and concerns -- not to bypass the normal channels, but in addition to those channels. Then, set up systems to respond quickly and positively when people show the courage to contact you direct.

Leigh is a founder of Maynard Leigh Associates the United Kingdom development company.

He is author of over 20 books on management, many translated around the world. His book, Charisma, has been translated into over 17 languages and his long running Essentials of Management was short-listed for Book of Year award by the Chartered Institute of Management.

Originally trained as an economist, Leigh has an MA in the field of Human Resources, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.