As many of you know, my daughter Katy was adopted by a stray cat named Dani Lou. This cat literally walked in the door of Katy’s apartment, and she never left. She fetches toys and brings them back, and this cat sits for treats! Never seen anything like it.
One day, Katy heard the cat in the trash. Dani Lou pulled out a string that had come off a pair of sweatpants and began tossing it around the room and fetching it. She put it in her mouth and brought it to Katy to throw for her. When Dani catches her string and pulls it away, she prances back to Katy to have her throw it again. She has such pride in her steps! She has her head held high and dances her way back to you to show you what she has done. “Mr. String” goes everywhere with Dani Lou!
I had a bookkeeper one time who wanted to change the way that I did my books. I was hesitant at first, because I couldn’t really understand what she was wanting to do. What she was describing was way over my head, but she was so compelled to do it, I finally just let her. When she came back to me, she was SO proud of the work that she had done. It was written all over her face when she pranced into my office to present my spotless books.
The key to happy employees is this; as often as possible, let them take the string and run with it. When you have employees on staff that take ownership of their work and are allowed to pursue the best way to complete their tasks, they too have immense pride in their work. They are happier, they stay longer, and they put their best foot forward, which means you can too.
Power thought: Don’t string your employees along in a way that they hate. Let them take the string and lead you. You will both prance with pride.