How To Make Your Team Feel Special

I supervise a team of administrative assistants. The cohesiveness of my team is great. The one area I thought had improved but just reared its ugly head is the value my employees place on themselves. I feel they understand their role in our company; sometimes the inadvertent actions of others give them the perception they are less important. I can’t control how this makes them feel but how can I overcome it? How do I improve their sense of worth?

The Team Doc Says…

Administrative assistants are some of the most (if not THE most) valuable people in the company. They are the glue that holds it all together. I always make sure that the admins are on my radar screen. They can save your neck in a pinch.

But I realize that not all people in an organization value administrative assistants the way I do. And it only takes one snide remark or poorly phrased comment to make someone feel less valued.

It would be a good idea to have a weekly meeting where you share a success story. It doesn’t have to be a long one, but you could use a round robin format where anyone could share. The power of positive words (and actions) can overcome negativity any day. A consistent message of goodness about the work they are doing will go far to minimize the negative impact of someone else.

And another thing you might want to do is deal with the negative by talking about it head on. Talk about the situation as a group. Get the feelings out in the open and turn it around into a continuous improvement opportunity.

Plus one thing to always remember… Life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react to it. We can only control our reactions. That’s where the power is.

What other suggestions do you have?