Remember that time you found out that there was a party the night before and you weren’t invited? Most of us have experienced that feeling. Not fun, right?
How about when there was a special client project that was in your wheelhouse and a coworker got the assignment?
Even those with the toughest skin wonder what’s going on. ‘Did I do something wrong?’ etc.
We’re very vulnerable when we are experiencing that feeling of being left out. We lose focus and can make mistakes. A study reported in Inc. magazine showed that employees feeling left out were more likely to cheat and take credit for other’s work.
It was a controlled study environment so we can take the results with a grain of salt. Whether people without a predisposition, who feel left out will lie, cheat, and steal or not, it is logical that when people feel left out they are less engaged. Not good.
I often give the advice to leaders to share their secret evil plan. The leader sees the whole board. The employee has a limited view. Can you let them inside? Can they see how your mind works?
For example, does Ann know that you are working on exposing Bill to more experiences?
Does Tom know you appreciate his extra efforts and want to give him a bit of a break? Do you know if Tom wants or needs a break?
Does Sandy know that the VP of whatever doesn’t like how she handled the last project and you decided to put someone else on the next project?
I realize I am once again pointing out that you need to do even more work.
In each of these examples someone could easily feel left out. Each of these examples calls for proactive communication from you. Your active plans will be clear. You will learn things to improve those plans. You know, LEADERSHIP.
A bit of teaching you can offer your teams at both ends of the spectrum: How to be more inclusive (awareness of team) and How to have a tougher skin (sometimes it doesn’t mean anything).
To do this week: Look for people who are out of the loop and determine how best to change that.
Let me know how it’s going. Click the “comments” box below to participate in an on-going discussion via LinkedIn.
