{"id":129,"date":"2018-10-16T13:24:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2018\/10\/16\/the-leadership-tip-we-overlook-knock-out-the-small-stuff\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T19:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T03:00:29","slug":"the-leadership-tip-we-overlook-knock-out-the-small-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/10\/16\/the-leadership-tip-we-overlook-knock-out-the-small-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"The leadership tip we overlook: Knock out the small stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How the smallest action as a leader can have the biggest impact on employee morale and job satisfaction.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI had no idea it mattered so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A CEO said this to me about a year ago. I\u2019d run into him at a conference. As we sat down at lunch together, he shared something that had happened to him recently\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months prior, he had asked his team a question through Canopy<\/a> (they\u2019re a happy customer!). The question was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you like a new office chair?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CEO initially thought the question was a little silly, to be frank. Did office chairs really matter? He doubted anything meaningful would come of the question, but he decided to ask it anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, every single person in the office (they\u2019re about a 14-person company) responded with, \u201cYes, I\u2019d like a new office chair.\u201d Not only that, but many of them wrote lengthy, in-depth responses about how unhappy their chairs were making them\u200a\u2014\u200ahow it hurt their lower backs, how it kept them from concentrating and focusing on their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was shocked,\u201d the CEO told me. \u201cSomething I thought was so small, was actually pretty big.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So he decided to do something about it. The following day, the CEO asked everyone to pick out their own office chairs via Amazon or another site online. The chairs got shipped to the office the next week. Everyone spent a few hours all together during one afternoon, assembling their new office chair, laughing and joking with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the CEO\u2019s surprise, it became a bonding event. He described: \u201cThat single moment alone\u200a\u2014\u200agetting people new offices chairs\u200a\u2014\u200aboosted morale in the company more than anything else I\u2019ve tried. The energy of the office has completely shifted since then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued: \u201cI\u2019ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on training programs and all sorts of employee engagement initiatives\u2026 and office chairs was the thing that did it?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CEO couldn\u2019t help but laugh. He never expected that acting on something so small would make such a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it did. And it makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking action on something small is the single most effective way to increase morale in your company. When you do something that an employee suggests, you\u2019re literally sending the message: \u201cI want things to be as YOU would like them to be.\u201d That\u2019s powerful. Actions truly speak louder than words in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may sound obvious, but we often forget this as leaders: People share feedback because they want some form of action taken. No one is saying they\u2019d like a new office chair just for the sake of saying it\u200a\u2014\u200athey\u2019d like the issue addressed somehow. Doing something (even if it is just getting new office chairs) reinforces that you\u2019re listening as a leader, and encourages folks to speak up and be honest with you in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider it a \u201cquick win.\u201d No matter how small, it makes a real difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there something small that was requested by an employee, that you haven\u2019t gotten around to yet? Knock out the quick win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a decision that you\u2019ve been sitting on, because you didn\u2019t think it was that important? Knock out the quick win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employees value responsiveness. They\u2019ll feel encouraged that their words led to action. That momentum will have a positive effect on morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if it\u2019s office chairs, it\u2019s a quick win. Knock it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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