How to make yourself heard by your employees as a manager?

I am a manager and my team does not listen to me

Being a manager is not that easy. Often we mistakenly think that a team leader, supervisor or director is necessarily listened to by everyone. Not always! Fortunately, there are simple techniques to regain the esteem, respect and especially the full attention of your employees.

Managing is also being a leader

“Why is no one on my team listening to me? ”... Being a manager is not easy. No matter how hard you put all the theories into practice and implement the communication techniques, sometimes without results. Be aware that you are not the only one in this situation.

It is far from being an inextricable situation. Don't blame yourself either, because various factors can be the source of this indifference on the part of your employees. And that's what you need to do first: try to understand the reason for this lack of listening.

To do this, the first step is to deploy your leadership. Certainly, leadership and management are often mixed, although different. A manager is a team leader whose title is recognized within the company. Leadership is an attitude, a behavior and a quality recognized by the teams. And it is perfectly possible to be both, and to go from manager to leader in order to be heard and listened to.

Key word number 1: active listening

Certainly, your objective is to be listened to by your employees. That's what they want too: for you to listen to them.

To do this, listen actively. Active listening is defined by letting your interlocutor express himself, listening to him to the end, not judging his opinion on a subject, and especially by making him understand that you understood his idea. Even if your opinions differ, this exchange helps you to prove your example to him. And he will do the same. Recognizing your seriousness and your commitment to listen to him, he will return the favor.

Of course, active listening doesn't mean you have to side with him. The idea is to show him that you consider his position, whether you agree or not. Employees who feel understood by their manager will be more likely to listen to the manager. And vice versa of course!

Key word number 2: assertiveness

Assertiveness comes from the English word “assertiveness.” It is a communicative and social skill. It is wrongly considered and equated with aggression and manipulation. However, being assertive means showing your point of view by adopting correct, direct, and honest behavior. All without attacking or manipulating the interlocutor.

Assertiveness, although similar to active listening, allows you to express your expectations to your employees and then ask for their opinion. In return, they also express their views. At this point in the exchange, you should put your opinions and beliefs aside, while allowing others to stand up for theirs. Finally, the objective, by practicing assertiveness to be listened to by your employees, is to find consensus as far as possible.

For a manager, it is important to give employees the opportunity to give their opinion. After all, together you are a team. And everyone on the team works for a common goal.

Key word number 3: Motivation

In any company, team motivation is one of the main concerns of managers. A motivated employee is productive and able to be proactive. The most motivated people excel in their work and play a perfect role as ambassadors for the company to which they belong. Moreover, 45% of French people say they recommend their company to family and friends to work there.

You are certainly wondering about the relationship between motivation and your need to be listened to by your employees. It's simple: if your collaborator is motivated, he will remain active and attentive to your instructions. Therefore, get his membership.

Once motivated, your employees will join your cause, while giving them the opportunity to be assertive, of course. Motivation does not go hand in hand with reprimand and fear. On the other hand, it is perfectly associated with gratitude at work. 30% of French people say they are motivated by the recognition of their work.

As a result, make your employees want to come to work. Today, 36% of French employees are happy to go to the office in the morning. And 61% who plan to stay with their business for years to come.

To do this, motivate your employees, whether you are their team leader or the general manager of the company. Because in addition to remuneration, other factors influence the motivation and performance of employees such as:

The satisfaction of a job well done.
The quality of relationships at work.
The pleasure of learning.
The impact of their work on the life of the company.
Company culture.
Etc.

Key word number 4: goals

“Knowing where you want to go is great; but you still have to show that you are going.”

To be a manager is to lead a team. Knowing where the team will go means setting clear goals. In other words, to be listened to by your team, you need to be clear from the start. In this way, everyone will find their place to actively contribute to the achievement of objectives.

As such, setting SMART goals is a good start:

Specific: a very specific objective, for example “to document 50% of existing processes in 3 months”.
Measurable: a good objective preferably includes numerical indicators.
Achievable: Ask yourself if you and your team can document half of the processes in three months. Because remember, it is your team, but you are also part of it and will take an active part in achieving this goal. Your involvement will make an impression and will make you gain the trust of your employees and their ability to listen to them.
Achievable: The specific objective must be achievable, and to verify it, you must set it in relation to what your previous achievements have been.
Determined in time: an objective must have a period of validity. Therefore, let your employees know that together you therefore have 3 months to reach the objective set at the beginning.

Objectives can be written on post-it notes for example.

Key word number 5: salary benefits

Apart from salary, as mentioned earlier, there are other elements that come into play to motivate your staff or team.

As such, every company must be aware of its human capital. It is therefore clear that it depends on its employees who must be motivated. Beyond salary, benefits are a major factor in motivating all staff.

Of course, each company decides on salary benefits. Here are a few examples: