Business Services
Putting people first
How to build better relationships with your employees
By Erik Cassano
Smart Business Indianapolis | June 2009
Page 1 of 2
Denny Sponsel, president, RJE Knoll Business Interiors Inc.
Many leaders talk a good game when it comes to building relationships with their employees, but Denny Sponsel says that talk without action is cheap.
Sponsel, president and owner of RJE Knoll Business Interiors Inc., says that you can talk all day about connecting with your employees, but the real test comes in how you seek that connection.
You can engage your employees over something as simple as a coffee-break conversation, but you have to actively seek opportunities to speak with them and give them an opportunity to ask questions.
“Some of our warehouse employees, if the president of the company is willing to sit down, have a cup of coffee with them and talk about their families, that is the biggest thing for them,” Sponsel says. “You have to make communication very personal for them.”
Smart Business spoke with Sponsel about how to build positive relationships with your employees and how to make your communication personal.
Set a positive example. You have to set the tone and the example very early on, meaning that you cannot bark at people when they come in the door, you can’t be irritable, you have to have a very open demeanor. But also, you’ve got to demonstrate that all the time so that people feel you are approachable.
It’s one thing to have your door open or tell people that you want them to feel free to come in, meet and speak and share their ideas and thoughts. But when you demonstrate that, not only with the words but with the deeds, I think that makes a world of difference because people will feel safe again. So you set that tone, and people will get it.
They may not be used to it if they’re coming from an outside organization, but they quickly get it inside the organization. And it’s reinforced by our veteran employees that it is your style and our way of doing business.
There are a lot of ways you can set that example, far beyond words. But No. 1, you do it with a strong presence. I have a very strong accessibility and visibility in the business. We have a 31,000-square-foot facility, and 10,000 of that is showroom and offices. Every morning when I come in, it’s instinctive and natural for me to say good morning to everybody.
I’m making sure that I have a very upbeat attitude and set the tone in a positive way. Even if I have a lot of things on my mind, that is a high priority for me to make people feel welcomed.
