1. Listen, listen, and then listen. Listen to feelings, thoughts desires, hopes, dreams, vision and expectations. A staff member that feels heard is a staff member that feels validated. And validation tends to reduce anxiety. (‘Be quick to listen…..-James 1:19)
2. Make sure your expectations are reasonable and clear as well as appropriate for the developmental level of your staff member
3. Be careful of judging a staff member or their motives or attitudes. Evaluating them is fine and important but really understanding them is a part of that. (“Judge not, lest you be judged…” - Matthew 7:1-2)
4. Share some of your organizations financial picture. Studies have shown that staff that understand the financial picture are more motivated to work.
5. Help create belonging and comradery so that staff feel like their part of something bigger than themselves.
6. Practice walking in grace and truth with your staff members. This way they have grace around mistakes and the truth of expectations and responsibility combined. (“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3)
7. Create opportunities for influence and input by all staff. This gives them a sense of ownership around the workplace and empowers them to contribute in important ways.
8. Make sure you celebrate and have fun. This was one the most important findings from research I did on leadership in my doctorate program. (“Rejoice with those rejoice…” – Romans 12:15)
9. Develop them and develop yourself. Training and coaching can go far to help staff feel better about the job, increase performance and reduce their anxiety.
10. Catch them doing something right. Before you give a critique make sure you also have a compliment to give.
11. Remember the difference between latent and manifest learning. Some staff, when learning a new task, may not perform at your level of expectation at first even though their learning but not manifesting the new behavior.
12. Work to resolve communication problems and conflict as soon as you can. Conflict left unresolved can really create a lot of anxiety in the workplace. (“Do not the sun set on your anger…” – Ephesians 4:26 )
