Banking & Finance
Employee engagement
How to stay connected with your staff to improve your company
By Carolyn LaWell
Smart Business Columbus | May 2009
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John M. Davis
president and COO
National Investment Managers Inc.
John M. Davis thinks of himself as a people leader, which translates into being in front of his employees as often as possible.
But being that kind of leader has become more difficult since Davis accepted the role of president and chief operating officer at National Investment Managers Inc. in 2007. The investment management and pension administration company — which posted 2008 revenue of $42 million — has 24 offices in 15 states, but only nine of its 450 employees work with Davis in the corporate headquarters.
For Davis, that means communication has taken on new forms, such as phone conferences and webinars. But the importance of staying connected to employees hasn’t changed.
“Constant communication with employees is vital,” Davis says. “They have to hear from you. They have to know that you listened to what they said.”
Staying connected means listening, asking questions and involving employees in decisions. The end result is a staff that feels appreciated and gives you a pulse for the company.
Smart Business spoke with Davis about how to engage your employees.
Stay connected to your employees. You have to stay grounded with your staff. Frankly, I think a lot of business leaders forget that. They forget where they came from, they forget that they were on the front line at one point, at least many of them were, and I know I was.
You have to remember where you come from, what’s important to those people, and continue to reinforce the behavior and let them know that you appreciate what they do because they are the most important asset that we have.
You have to get out and talk with people. You have to walk the floor. I would set aside time every week to do nothing but walk the floor maybe for a couple of hours, stop in cubicles, talk to people.
You would be amazed what people will tell you. Then, tell them what you think. People will ask you what you think, and you tell them. You don’t try to pretend that this is too important to discuss with employees.
You have to do that. If you’re not out there, you’re missing it.
