In this episode we talked with author and business owner Piyush Patel and discussed the top 10 most important things that a leader needs to do to create a workplace culture where leaders and team members truly care for each other.
Piyush Patel is the founder of multiple companies, an investor, speaker, and author of the book Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work. Piyush is a leader who displays that one can demonstrate compassion for employees without sacrificing organizational performance.
Join us as we learn Piyush’s approaches to compassion and conflict within the organizations he manages and advises. Hear how Piyush looks beyond the employee and extends compassion to the entire family unit. Learn about the “3 Happys,” the GROW model, the “Principal’s Office,” and how “Toilet Paper Bandits” are Piyush’s biggest indicator that an employee may not be a good value fit for the company.
Here is a link to Piyush’s website:
Piyush’s Website
Here is a link to Piyush’s book:
Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work
Here is a link if you want to connect with Piyush on Linkedin:
Piyush’s Linkedin Profile
Piyush’s Top 10
“I believe that people come to work for three things: belonging, affirmation, and meaning.” – Piyush Patel
1. Embrace The 3 “Happys”
Everyday team members share with each other their 3 “Happys” for the day. Each person’s “Happys” are 2 instances at work and 1 instance in their personal life where they were happy in their life.
Sharing these “Happys” not only creates a habit of positive thinking among team members but also creates a deeper level of connection between them.
2. Use The GROW Model For Conflict Resolution
Goal – The goal is the catalyst for the conflict that needs to be resolved. For example: the goal could be to have a project done by a certain day, however when the due date arrives, the project is not done.
Reality – The reality is simply stating where we are currently. Continuing with our example: the reality is that the project was supposed to be done by today, and it isn’t.
Options – The options are ways of resolving the conflict provided by the employee.
When will it happen, who will make it happen, where will it happen, and how – These are the details of the option chosen by the employee.
3. Understand That 40 Hours Of Employment Doesn’t Mean 40 Hours Of Output
While employees are in the office for 40 hours each week, much of their time is pulled away from them with other required activities such as meetings, restroom breaks, helping team members, etc.
Due to this, expecting 40 hours of productivity from employees is not only setting poor expectations for yourself but also creating unnecessary stress among your team members.
By properly estimating the time resources available on your team, planning will become much more efficient and accurate.
4. Focus On Values
Values should be genuine and not aspirational.
5. Talk About Values Every Meeting
Stating values are like stating “I love you” to a loved one. You say it even though you know they know it. You say it every chance you get. If you don’t say it as much as you can, they won’t stay with you for long.
6. Engage The Whole Family Unit With Dinner, Events, And Parties
The employee unit expands beyond the employee themself and into the family unit.
Considering the family unit as a whole helps create allies for yourself and your company within the employee’s household.
7. Give Raises Outside The Office
Giving raises outside of the office not only serves as an authentic way of displaying that employee’s importance, but also serves as a natural platform for you to communicate to the employee and their family how important they all are to you and the company.
8. Leadership Should Focus On Taking Care Of The Employees So That Employees Can Focus Taking Care Of The Customers
Management stepping over employees to create resolution for customers breaks trust between employees and management.
9. If Leadership Only Focuses On Profits Only It Will Be At The Detriment Of Their Employees
Short-term thinking and focusing on profits will ultimately lead to lack of compassion for your employees. As soon as that happens the quality of your service will begin to decline.
10. Buy The School Supplies
Every year we tell our employees to give us a list of all the school supplies they need for their children. We buy everything in bulk for them and they can pick it all up while they are at work. Taking that burden off of them is a small act for us but does wonders for showing our employees that we care about them and their families.
(Bonus) 11. NO Toilet Paper Bandits
The easiest way to tell if someone isn’t a good fit for your company culture is if they don’t replace the toilet paper roll. If someone is so unhappy at work that they can’t do a simple act such as replacing a toilet paper roll so that their colleagues don’t have to, they aren’t a good fit for what we are trying to build.
