As a leader, manager, or supervisor, have you ever taken your time to get to know people that work under you? Or do you just believe in delivering? Well, it has been established that going beyond just assigning your employees and getting to know your team members properly is crucial as far as productivity is concerned. For instance, as managers and leaders, when you get to know whether those you are working with are happy with their jobs or not, help them feel they are not ignored but appreciated, something that plays a big role when it comes to contributing towards the growth of your organisation. Fred Omondi, founder and manager of Arc grid Consultant ltd, a construction company in Kigali says you will be surprised to learn that there are managers who do not even know their team members properly, which makes it even hard for them to evaluate their work and provide feedback. In areas where the organisation is big, he says this shouldn’t be an excuse as he believes there are different departments led by different leaders or supervisors, and top managers can still get to learn their employees through those sub-leaders. “As a leader in any area depending on which organisation you work from, it is your sole responsibility to guide your team members and help them achieve their targets,” he says. This, Omondi says, will help you understand which team members are actually contributing towards the organisation and who all are just coming to watch movies or ride along with others. While it may seem simple, Omer Mayobera, a peacebuilding, and development in Kigali says getting to know your team members on a more personal level can make a big difference not only at the workplace but also in their daily lives. He believes that knowing employees play a crucial role in motivating them to deliver their level best, as a leader; he says that this is also an opportunity to understand what is expected from everyone to make your organisation grow or develop. Knowing employees helps managers to understand their needs and expectations from the organisation. From a psychological point of view, Mayobera says getting to know people in general, and not just employees, leads to a healthy environment, which makes it easier to deliver under such an environment. “One of the most important aspects of being a leader is knowing those under you, this will help build a sense of trust and one common working spirit in a given setting,” he says. Ways of achieving this Omondi says to be able to let others open up to you about everything; you need to be approachable first of all. He explains that this can be achieved by encouraging members to reach out whenever they feel stuck or feel there is a need to talk. This, he says, could range from encouraging your team members to come to you for both personal and professional matters to encourage them to always share challenges with those they feel they are comfortable with. On the other hand, Diane Nawatti, an educator and counselor says from experience, she still believes in going beyond work. She says depending on how well you think you should know your team member, holding meetings especially social ones that are less professional will help you learn more about a person. “This will give you a clear picture of who this person really is, including getting to know their new skills or talents and traits that can help you know how to get along with them all the time,” she says. In addition to this, Nawatti says it is also paramount to let your team members know that they have your back all the time, which will give them the freedom of accessing you whenever there is a need. Making improvements in some areas as far as work is concerned is vital as well as helping employees to have that sense of value and belonging. According to Omondi, as an organization in general, encouraging individual development is important as it shows how concerned and supportive you are to your team members.
