This leadership training curriculum was created by BYU interns based on research of effective leadership practices. It provides a framework for leadership training at USANA and can be built upon. The curriculum covers USANA culture, learning soft skills of leadership, personal excellence through balancing humility and initiative, empowering employees through delegation, using feedback for accountability, and building healthy relationships for teamwork.

1. USANA
Health Sciences
Leadership Training Curriculum
Luke Mocke
Madi Oldroyd
Jared Rumsey
Claire Smith

2. This leadership training curriculum was written by a team of
BYU student interns. It is based off of their research of the
practices and principles that today’s leadership experts are
saying are most vital in the workplace. This curriculum is
meant to be a starting point for leadership training at USANA.
It can be used as a reference for leadership trainings delivered
today. It is not meant to be a line-by-line lesson plan complete
with activities, examples, and discussion questions, but more
of a framework to build lessons around. This curriculum is
intended to be used prior to a more expanded, worldwide
training initiative that would include outsourced leadership
training from leadership experts.

3. 1
Table of Contents
USANA Culture
Learning the Soft Skills of Leadership
Personal Excellence: the balance between humility and initiative
Empowering Employees: the foundation for growth and delegation
Feedback: a vehicle for organizational accountability
Healthy Relationships: the basis for dynamic teamwork
Works Cited
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3
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11
15
19
22

4. 2
USANA Culture
Thereisadistinctculture
found at USANA that
defines everthing we
do. These are some of
the ways our executives
described it.
“We love to see people
promote from within.
We love our people and
want to see them have
opportunities.”
Paul Jones, CFO
“Evolving. The company
is always growing, but as
we grow, we are holding
on to our roots and letting
go of the aspects that we
naturally have to let go of
when we get bigger. ”
Doug Braun, CMO
“It is important for our
leaders to be aware of and
exemplify our core values.
Not just because they
are the company’s core
values, but because they
are important pieces in
leadership.”
Mike King, HR Director
“Fun, enjoyable.”
Mike King, HR Director
“There is a culture of
caring from the top-
down. The executives
recognize that we are in
this together; we are a
family, and everything
we do affects the families
of those that work here.
It is important to create
opportunities for people
to take care of their
families monetarily, with
time, and with whatever
they need.”
Mike King, HR Director
“Having fun, enjoying
work, and being part of
the team.” Paul Jones, CFO
“I have seen our culture
develop and as we get
bigger as a company,
that becomes more of a
challenge. It comes down
to the leadership, does the
leadership understand
that culture? Do they
have the values to create
it?” Paul Jones, CFO
“In the beginning we
looked at what we wanted
to be and built that into
who we were, and our
core values just came out
of that. Our values evolved
from who we are, not
necessarily from what we
said our values would be.”
Paul Jones, CFO
“USANA’s culture is very
family-oriented. We
bring people together. Our
employees are bonded to
the company and to each
other.” Dave Wentz, CEO
“I have to be able to
trust our leaders to
build USANA’s culture.
As USANA grows, it is
impossible to build it with
just myself.”
Dave Wentz, CEO
“What works for and
against us is the family
atmosphere. In that
atmosphere, it makes
letting go of things hard,
but it creates a stronger
group.” Doug Braun, CMO

5. 3
Learning the Soft Skills
of Leadership1
Guidelines for Effective Training
An effective training program should result in meaningful,
lasting behavior change. The most effective way to achieve this is by
using all three learning styles—visual, audio, and kinesthetic. Having
participants take notes, physically move, ask/answer questions, work
in groups, or practice the skills can increase effectiveness through
kinesthetic learning.
The hardest part of training is creating lasting change through
implementation. You can teach people all you want about leadership
soft skills, but it will not matter until it is implemented. For example,
most people are aware of the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy
diet, but few permanently implement the two practices.
The following elements will allow training programs to result in
meaningful, lasting behavior change:
• Expert facilitation
• Contextual awareness
• Formal support
• Informal support
• Opportunities to use new skills
• Self-analysis
• Stress
• Celebration
Expert Facilitation
Effectivetrainingrequiresagoodtrainer,andagoodenvironment.
Aristotle states that the three ways to convince a person to act are
logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (character). In other words,
the training must make sense, apply to them personally, and be taught
by someone they trust, both personally and professionally. A good
learning environment, such as an empty parking lot for learning to
drive, is one of the most difficult factors in training. The setting must
be safe enough for the participants to be willing to try applying the
skills they are learning without fear of failure. On the other hand, the
“The effective leadership
trainingsI’veparticipatedin
are the ones that are more
work-shop oriented. They
are interactive and put us
to work with case studies
and real life scenarios.”
Doug Braun, CMO

6. 4
environment must mimic the real world and the stresses
therein. This balance is difficult to achieve, but can be
done.
Contextual Awareness
This applies to the context in which the training occurs.
The training should match the organization. The trainer
should have full understanding of the main systems,
processes, functions, and cultures of all departments
in the organization. When participants have contextual
awareness, they are more likely to apply the training to
their roles and responsibilities.
Formal Support
Mentors—committed and talented individuals—can fill this role.
Mentors are prepared to give generously of themselves to help decode
corporate culture, provide opportunities for learning, provide feedback
and coaching, and assist with the process of transferring the learning
to the real world.
Informal Support
The more peer and organizational support that exists, the more
likely the individual is to successfully implement the new skills. Informal
support can also be found outside of the professional environment—at
home or in other personal pursuits.
Opportunities to Use New Skills
Participants should apply their new skills to relevant goals that will
meaningfully impact the organization. Trainers have the responsibility
to provide opportunities for participants to set these goals and apply
them at work.
Self-Analysis
Individuals involved in a learning experience designed to build
leadershipskillsideallyshouldengageinself-studyactivitiesthatsupport
“It is most effective when
people come prepared
to learn—when they don’t
have the attitude of ‘I don’t
need this’ or ‘Yeah this is
good for everyone around
me but I am ok’. The
training has to help people
understand that regardless
of whatever level they
think they are at, everyone
can grow a little bit.”
Mike King, HR Director

7. 5
your health. your life. your way.™
learning and encourage self-reflection. These self-study activities can
include reading relevant literature, incorporating the skills
into real-life situations (both personal and professional),
and evaluating the results achieved.
Stress
Learning new skills takes time, effort, and personal
energy. Both the individuals and the organization should
expect and be prepared for some stress in the transitional
learning.
Celebration
Both formal and informal recognition of efforts will enhance
determination and performance.
“It is important to not use
hypothetical questions,
such as ‘What would you
do?’, but allow people to
apply it to their pasts
by asking ‘What have you
done?’”
Mike King, HR Director

8. 6
Personal Excellence:
the balance between humility and initiative2
A Reason for Personal Excellence
Research shows that award-winning and press-worthy leaders
are not always capable of transforming a good company into a great
one. This research uncovered a hierarchy of leadership characteristics.
Leaders at all levels of the hierarchy are capable of achieving success,
but only the leaders at the top level take mediocre companies to
sustainable excellence.
Out of 1,435 Fortune 500 companies, only 11 achieved sustained
excellence. The only common factor that all 11 companies had (and
none of the other 1,424 companies had) is a top-level leader. Darwin
Smith, the former CEO of Kimberly-Clark, is a great example of a top-
level leader. The company’s stock had declined 36% below the industry
average prior to Smith becoming CEO. Under his guidance, the company
made an outstanding turn-around. Kimberly-Clark became the leading
paper products company in the world, generating stock returns more
than 4.1 times greater than the industry average. Smith exemplified deep
personal humility and intense initiative. The paradoxical combination
of these two characteristics defines top-level leaders.
Personal Excellence Hierarchy
Characteristicsofatop-levelleaderareanecessityfortransforming
an organization. The lower levels are all characteristics a leader should
acquire at different stages in personal growth. All levels have their own
purposes, but none is as powerful and impactful as the top level. These
levels do not necessarily sequential, but a top-level leader possesses
the characteristics of all the levels.
These characteristics are mastered individually as the leader
grows. The hierarchy displays the appropriate level at which certain
characteristics become required. It would seem obvious that companies
would not hire an individual with only team member skills as a CEO, or
some other misappropriation of the hierarchy. Yet, only 11 out of 1,435
companies studied had executives who exemplified characteristics of
top-level leaders.

9. 7
your health. your life. your way.™
Humility
All humans naturally succumb to what is termed the “Attribution
Bias”, which comes in two parts: self-serving bias and fundamental
attribution error. The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute
success to internal factors (themselves) and attribute failure to external
factors (circumstances, situation, etc.) The fundamental attribution
error is the tendency to attribute others’ successes to external factors
and attribute others’ failures to internal factors.
A top-level leader does not fall into this tendency.
Some leaders are naturally unaffected by this bias, but
most must be consciously aware of the attributions they
make. A successful leader attributes success to external
factors such as the great company they work for, the
amazing people they work with, or simply good luck. In addition,
they attribute failures to internal factors—themselves. They take
responsibility for failure, will not tolerate less than greatness, and hold
themselves accountable for reaching high standards.
Top-Level
Humility
and Initiative
Manager
Organizes people and
resoues to meet objectives
Leader
Motivates group to reach a clear
vision and achieve high
performance
Team Member
Works effectively and
conributes to group effort
Individual
Talented, knowledgeable, skilled,
has good work habits
“As leaders become
perfect in the basics,
they become phenomenal
leaders.”
Paul Jones, CFO

10. 8
Humble executives avoid talking about themselves, try not to
sound like a big shot, recognize their weaknesses, and do not dwell
on their own accomplishments. Executives of companies with short-
term success frequently have huge egos, boast of themselves and their
accomplishments, and attribute all success to themselves, while taking
zero credit for failures.
Initiative
As humble individuals, top-level executives hold themselves
accountable for failures. This is a requirement for fruitful initiative.
Top-level executives hold a high standard for themselves, and will not
accept mediocrity. These executives are headstrong in difficult decision-
making. They are willing to take risks that others may see as foolish, but
risks in which they see future, long-term value. Top-level leaders do not
let emotions or expectations hinder their performance or change their
decision-making process.
Top-level leaders perform on behalf of their company rather
than to benefit themselves. They have an ambitious vision for the
organization that they instill in the company culture. They choose and
train excellent successors to maintain the success and standards they
have obtained. Surprisingly, research has shown that lower-level leaders
set their successors up for failure, choose weak successors, or both.
Lower-level leaders make a statement of their own personal greatness
by letting the company fall apart once they leave. In contrast, top-level
leaders find fulfillment in contributing to and participating in the long-
term success of the company.
Guidelines for Personal Excellence
Focus on the People
Rather than focus on strategy and vision first, top-level leaders
focus on the people. They make sure the company is filled with the
right people in the right positions. Before directing the company, they
spend their time and energy hiring the right people, firing the wrong

11. 9
your health. your life. your way.™
people, and rearranging people to match their strengths
to the company needs. Only after this does the leader
drive the company with an inspired vision and ambitious
strategy.
Set the Expectation
Success and change occur when a leader has a
realistic view of today and an idealistic view of the future.
A top-level leader accepts the brutal facts of their current
state, and does not hide from existing problems. At the
same time, they have unmatchable faith in the company’s
potential. They constantly maintain a dynamic balance
between facts and faith that drive the company towards
greatness.
Keep a Long-Term Vision
As appealing as a “get rich quick” scheme sounds, most people
know of their false promises. Good advice is to avoid such schemes
like the plague and not to be entranced by their too-good-to-be-true
promises. The same should apply to organizational success. Companies
with radical change programs, reactionary moves, and restructurings
hoping for immediate returns will be extremely disappointed. Long-
term success comes from progressive change that requires a leader
willing to put in constant effort over long periods of time. Only then
will the organization gain momentum and will success be sustainable.
Master the Necessities
Executives who try to run the whole show on their own will fail. For
long-term success, a company needs a leader who knows three things:
what the company can be the best in the world at, how to maximize its
economic functions, and what best ignites the passion of its people. As
long as the leader has mastered those three areas, they can surround
themselves with people who can accomplish everything else necessary
under the synchronized efforts of the whole organization.
“One of the biggest
failures I have seen is
when we have a leader
building an organization,
and therefore they have
people following them, but
then they fracture off and
want to be a professional
speaker or they have this
great follow up system
they want to talk about.
They lose their focus and it
becomes very isolated on
themselves.”
Dan Macuga, CCO

12. 10
Utilize Technologies
Maximizing technologies requires a paradoxical balance: be
a pioneer, but don’t jump on the bandwagon. Research shows that
companies who maintain long-term success avoid following the crowd
in the newest technologies. Instead, they pioneer the application of
carefully selected technology. It is difficult for leaders to distinguish
what pioneering technology is versus what bandwagon technology is.
A top-level leader makes bold, farsighted investments in technology
that supports the three areas of the leader’s focus: strengths, functions,
and people.
Create a Culture of Discipline
Historically good-to-great transformations display three forms
of discipline: people, thought, and action. A company with disciplined
people does not need a hierarchy. A company with disciplined thought
does not need a bureaucracy. A company with disciplined action does
not need excessive controls. Combining a culture of discipline with
good ethics and an inspired vision leads to sustainable transformation.

13. 11
Empowering Employees:
the foundation for growth and delegation3
A Reason for Empowerment
Empowerment is essential to the success of
every company and organization. Without it, both the
growth of employees and the company as a whole is
halted. Empowerment gives life to a company. Theodore
Roosevelt explained this well. He said, “The best executive
is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to
do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to
keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Because empowerment is the exact opposite of
micromanaging, it requires trusting and being patient with others.
When tasks are effectively delegated and employees are allowed to rise
to the occasion to fulfill those responsibilities, innovation and growth
occurs. There are no tyrannical leaders and no suppressed employees
when empowerment becomes a priority. When input and growth from
all levels of the organization is respected, an organization can thrive.
Properly Delegating Tasks
Empowering employees starts with effective delegation. Two
questions must be addressed when deciding what tasks to delegate.
First, you must ask yourself, “What is required of me that no one
else can or should do for me?” The answer to this question should clarify
what your priorities need to be. These tasks are what you personally
should focus your time accomplishing.
After establishing your personal priorities, ask yourself, “What
things need to get done, but could be done sufficiently by someone
else?” These should be the tasks that you delegate to others. If there
are jobs that your employees are capable of doing but don’t know how
to do yet, train them so they can step up and contribute more.
Guidelines for Delegating:
• When approaching an employee with a task for them to accomplish,
“The leaders I know that
are most successful are
generally people who
are intelligent but are
also smart enough to
leave it to other people
to figure things out—
they don’t pretend that
they have the answer to
everything.”
Mike Sessions, HR

14. 12
clearly set your expectations for the results.
• Let your employee understand that this is now their responsibility.
They should know you trust them to make the right decisions and
expect that they will do the task to the best of their abilities. This
means that they don’t need to (and shouldn’t) check up with you
every five minutes. This also implies that you shouldn’t be checking
up on them every five minutes. They need to understand that they
have the freedom to use their best judgments, creative ideas, and
abilities to meet your expectations.
• The employee may need some guidance or direction as they work
on a project. Let them know up front where they can go for help or
guidance when a need arises. If you are the person they should go
to for help, let them know. If there is someone else who could help
them just as well as you could, send them there.
• Inform them when you expect the task to be finished and whom
they should report to upon completion.
Failing to Empower Others
Failure to empower employees is fatal to any
company. Without empowerment, employees are not
given the opportunity to contribute to the company
in meaningful and creative ways. When employees are
stifled in their growth, the company as a whole becomes
stagnant. When employees face barriers, they usually
don’t work as hard, stop trying altogether, and may
eventually leave the company. In addition, the leader is
overwhelmed with tasks and cannot focus the needed attention on
the most important things such as recognizing new opportunities and
navigating the company into a more successful future.
Reasons Leaders Fail to Empower Others
Desire for Job Security
We all want job security. It may be scary giving employees room
to grow when you know that they may take your job one day. It is
“If you give an employee a
task, they will accomplish
that task. If you give
them a vision, they will
take responsibility for
that vision and give you
something better than you
ever asked for.”
Doug Braun, CMO

15. 13
your health. your life. your way.™
important to remember, however, that helping your
employees grow and become more capable makes you
an asset to the company. Also, if your own personal
leadership is not valuable enough to secure your position,
it is crucial for you to work on improving yourself. Focus
on making yourself more marketable; expand your pool
of knowledge; develop a stronger character. Holding
employees back does not secure your job: making
yourself an asset to the company does.
Resistance to Change
Empowering employees will invite change. When you give others
power, you cannot expect things to stay comfortably predictable. This
change will initiate innovation and growth. Change is essential to
progressing as a company.
The story of Henry Ford is a classic example of this. Ford invented
the Model-T, started the Ford Motor Company, made personal
vehicles accessible to the average American family, and fathered the
development of the assembly line. Despite all this success, he failed to
empower his employees. He resisted change. He wanted to only sell
one item: the original Model-T in black. He repelled any suggestions
to change or improve the car, or even release any other models. Ford
continually undermined employees and associates. This culminated in
sales falling by 50% between 1914 and 1931. By the time
Henry stepped down from management, the company
hadn’t made a profit in fifteen years. This resistance to
change and failure to empower led to the downfall of
his company. If you want your company to grow and
succeed,youneedtounderstandthatchangeisnecessary
for growth.
Lack of Confidence
If you lack confidence in yourself, you will lack confidence in
others. If you don’t believe that you have power to create success for
“We don’t want leaders
who work like dictators
who push everything
from the top down. It just
doesn’t work with our
culture.”
Dave Wentz, CEO
“You never know where
the next idea is going to
come from.”
Dan Macuga, CCO

16. 14
your company, you will have no power, trust, or belief to
give to growing employees. You can’t lift others up unless
you are standing on solid ground. Before you can give
others the opportunity to contribute and grow, you need
to work on developing greater confidence in yourself.
Think positively about yourself and work to develop your
own leadership skills. After that, work on thinking positively about your
employees and seeing their potential and capabilities. Then you can
make efforts to empower them.
“We need trust and
accountability that goes
both ways.”
James Bramble, CLO

17. 15
Feedback:
a vehicle for organizational accountability4
A Reason for Feedback
Organizations today demand the best from their leaders. You
can’t just hit the numbers anymore. You must do it ethically, honestly,
and in a manner that proves your concern for everyone around you.
In a survey of 726 corporate directors conducted by Korn/Ferry,
an international executive recruiting and organizational consulting
firm, respondents indicated they would be more likely to remove a
CEO for leadership flaws than for poor financial returns. This increasing
emphasis on effective leadership at the top has been reinforced by the
power shift that is taking place in most organizations in which senior
executives spread decision-making authority to the lowest levels of the
enterprise. As a result, accountable leadership will increasingly become
a requirement, not merely an advantage, for most organizations.
See Opportunities for Growth
According to Andrew S. Grove, chairman of Intel, every company
faces a critical point when it must change dramatically in order to rise
to the next level of performance. If the company fails to see and seize
that moment, it will start to decline.
Acknowledging reality allows you to escape the
feelings of powerlessness that accompany unaccountable
behavior. This acknowledgement also allows you to rise
above those circumstances by addressing what you can
do to overcome challenges and obstacles. This requires
getting feedback. You can gain great insight from
frequent, regular, and ongoing feedback. Although it
can cause a great deal of pain and embarrassment at
times, honest input helps create the accurate picture of
reality that lies at the core of accountability. Since no individual alone
can give a perfectly accurate description of reality, you must draw from
many other people’s perceptions in order to imbue your reality with
the deepest possible understanding. Accountable people constantly
seek feedback from a wide range of associates: friends, family, business
partners, consultants, or other advisers. Other people’s perceptions of
“One of the characteristics
of somebody who cares is
that they are willing to have
the tough conversations;
they don’t avoid those or
pass them on to others.”
Mike Sessions, HR

18. 16
reality, whether you agree with them or not, always add
important nuances to your own perception. The more
perspectives you obtain, the more you can recognize
when you are stuck in unaccountable behavior, move to
accountability, and then encourage others to do likewise.
How to Apply the Right Touch
Effective leaders strive to keep themselves and their
organizations accountable at all times by applying a
delicate, determined touch whenever they or others
fall into momentary unaccountability. The following
list identifies ways in which leaders can apply the right touch in an
organization:
• Constantly ask the question “What else can I do?” to achieve the
desired results.
• Always urge employees to ask the same question: “What else can I
do?”
• Invite people to give feedback on whether or not they perceive you
operating in an accountable manner on a particular issue.
• Provide honest, encouraging feedback to others when they become
unaccountable.
• Actively observe activities and offer coaching rather than wait for
others to report on their progress on any given project or assignment.
Never delay reporting progress to superiors.
• Focus discussions on the controllable rather than on the
uncontrollable. Acknowledge when you have focused too much on
the uncontrollable and do not react defensively when others give
you feedback.
Guidelines for Effective Feedback
Remember the Purpose
Before giving feedback, remind yourself why you are doing it.
The purpose for giving feedback is to see opportunities for growth
“Feedback needs to
be given in such a
way that is respectful
and constructive. It is
important to not be so
direct that you are hurting
the person. A conversation
needs to be sharp in
that it is to the point and
direct, but not cutting or
derogatory.”
Mike King, HR Director

19. 17
your health. your life. your way.™
and help yourself and the organization rise to superior
performance through accountability. You won’t
accomplish that by being harsh, critical, or offensive.
Be Timely
The earlier you address the issue, the better. Do not wait until HR
sends out a review survey or until the problem worsens. Feedback isn’t
about surprising someone; the sooner you do it, the more the person
will be expecting it and the smaller the problem will be. It is much
easier to give feedback about a moment of unaccountable behavior
than it is to give feedback about a history of it. The exception to this is
if the situation involved is highly emotional. Here, wait until everyone
has calmed down before you engage in feedback. You can’t risk letting
yourself get worked up and saying something you will regret later.
Make it Regular
Feedback is a process that requires constant attention. When
something needs to be said, say it. Only then will people know where
they stand at all times, and there are few surprises. Also, regular feedback
makes sure that problems don’t get out of hand. Giving feedback is
not a once a year or a once-every-three-months event. While this may
be the timing of formal feedback, informal feedback should be given
much more often–perhaps every week or even every day, depending
on the situation. With frequent informal feedback like this, nothing said
during formal feedback sessions should be unexpected, surprising, or
particularly difficult.
Be Specific
Tell the person exactly what they need to improve on. This
ensures that you stick to facts and there is less room for ambiguity. If
you tell someone they acted unprofessionally, what does that mean
exactly? Were they too loud, too friendly, too casual, or poorly dressed?
Remember to stick to what you know first hand: You’ll quickly find
yourself on shaky ground if you start giving feedback based on other
people’s views. Try not to exaggerate to make a point. Avoid words
“If you don’t listen, they
don’t feel part of the team.”
Dan Macuga, CCO

20. 18
like “never”, “all,” and “always” because the person will
get defensive. Always discuss the direct impact of the
behavior and don’t get personal or seek to blame.
Use “I” Statements
Give the feedback from your perspective. This way
you avoid labeling the person. Say, “I was angry and hurt
when you criticized my report in front of my boss”, rather
than “You were insensitive yesterday.”
Limit Your Focus
A feedback session should discuss no more than two issues.
Any more than that and you risk the person feeling attacked and
demoralized. You should also stick to behaviors the person can actually
change or influence.
Follow Up
Part of the purpose of feedback is to rise to superior performance
through accountability. You need to measure whether or not that is
happening and then make adjustments as you go. Follow up and
discuss what is working and what needs to be modified, while helping
them understand that you genuinely care about their growth and
development.
“We need to have an
ability to have the real
candid conversations
when someone is not
performing. We need to
understand why and not
just assume the person
doesn’t want to.”
Paul Jones, CFO

21. 19
Healthy Relationships:
the basis for dynamic teamwork5,6
A Reason for Healthy Relationships:
There are many reasons why a leader should
care about healthy relationships within the workplace.
For starters, having good relationships with people in
general is a pleasant experience and leads to an overall
positive mood in life. A positive mood leads to positive
performance, and—in the business world—performance is a key to
success. If managers are happy, employees are happy, and business
prospers.
Good, healthy relationships are particularly important
between managers and those whom they supervise. Managers are
representatives of the company to the employees just as top executives
are the company’s representatives to the public. The way an employee
sees a manager is the way they see the company. A good image for
the company means good PR on all sides, which is yet another key to
success.
Gather Information
The first step in establishing a good relationship with someone
is to get to know him or her. For the most part, a manager will not be
able to get to know everyone he supervises all at once. Sidebottom
made the following suggestion for managers to start to get to know
their employees:
“Schedule an hour a week with an individual in your organization
with whom you work, but feel that you don’t really connect with or
know very well. Choose a setting away from the office—breakfast,
coffee, or lunch are the most obvious choices—and get to know
the person on a personal level. Try and limit the work discussion
and focus on the individual’s family, personal hobbies and interests,
and how they spend their free time. And, share some of the same
elements from your personal life. Be sure to explain the purpose
of the discussion so the individual will understand your motives.”
A one hour-long meeting is obviously not enough time to know
everything there is to know about someone’s life, but it is an important
“As you build relationships,
you create opportunities.”
Mike King, HR Director

22. 20
start. After having this meeting with each of their employees, managers
should repeat the process in order to establish a stronger foundation
upon which to build the relationship.
Allow Open Communication
Research shows that many employees are uncomfortable
approaching their manager-whether to voice a concern, file a complaint,
ask for a raise, or any other need they may have. Research also shows
that employees often have difficulty communicating with each other
on these subjects. This difficulty in communication comes from the
employees’ fear of consequences. Approaching the manager regarding
one of these subjects runs the risk of getting on the proverbial “bad
side” of the boss. By approaching a colleague, the employee risks
the telephone effect in which his or her opinion reaches the ears of
the manager expressed inappropriately. It is important, therefore,
that managers create an environment of open communication in the
workplace.
Employer Awareness
Communication sensitivity means being aware
of the way in which others employ communication
expressiveness and control. While filing reports and
making phone calls are important parts of a manager’s
job, more important yet is to ensure that all employees are
maximizing the use of their time, which is best done when
employees are happy. By walking through the workplace
and looking for cues of negative emotions (slouching,
frowning, lethargic movements, tightly clenched fists
etc.), a manager can discern which employees have a
greater need for one-on-one time.
Express Yourself Honestly and Properly
Communicative expressiveness is the way in which one makes his
or her thoughts and feelings known to the outside world, both verbally
and nonverbally. Control is the degree to which one can withhold such
“Sometimes the leaders
that don’t succeed are
viewed as too cutting in
their conversations, too
direct, and not caring.
Sometimes the leaders
do care but because of
the way they present
themselves—being too
direct and not willing to
listen—they are viewed
as individuals that aren’t
caring, and they need to
change.”
Mike King, HR Director

23. 21
your health. your life. your way.™
expressions. The two go hand in hand when trying to
establish a healthy relationship with employees. As a
manager, you cannot yell at an employee every time
he or she makes a mistake. It is important to control
the instinctual reaction, and think carefully in order to
respond in a manner that best suits the individual and
the company. It is also important, however, that the
manager’s appropriate opinions be made known to the
employees. Thus, when pleased with performance, a manager should
smile and walk uprightly in order to send the proper nonverbal cues.
Such pleasure should also be verbally expressed: “I am pleased with the
performance this team has been giving to the company.”
Address Concerns Quickly
When an employee approaches a manager with a concern, it
is because that particular concern is important to the employee. This
concern can be interpreted appropriately by the manager as either
important to the company or not. If the manager, after properly listening
to the employee’s position and looking at the factors involved, feels
that the concern is not important to the company, they should kindly
and promptly let the employee know that while they appreciate the
employee’s willingness to express concern, this particular issue is not
one that the company can deal with. If the manager determines the
concern to be relevant and important, they should thank the employee,
let them know that it will be taken care of, take the necessary steps to
address the concern, and then follow-up with the employee on the
process to be certain that the concern was properly addressed.
“Leaders fail when they get
their strength and power
through empire building
instead of relationship
building.”
Doug Braun, CFO

24. 22
Works Cited
Rowena Crosbie, (2005) “Learning the soft skills of leadership”, Industrial
and Commercial Training, Vol. 37 Iss: 1, pp.45 - 51
Collins, Jim. “Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce
Resolve.” Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business School Publishing,
Jan. 2011. Web.
Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. 2nd ed. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 2007.
Connors, Roger, Tom Smith, and Craig R. Hickman. The Oz Principle:
Getting Results through Individual and Organizational Accountability.
New York, NY: Portfolio, 2004. Print.
Sidebottom, Jane. “Step Away from the Keyboard.” Consulting-Specifying
Engineer. N.p., 18 July 2013. Web.
Richard D. Waters, Denise Sevick Bortree, Natalie T.J. Tindall, (2013)
“Can public relations improve the workplace? Measuring the impact
of stewardship on the employer-employee relationship”, Employee
Relations, Vol. 35 Iss: 6, pp.613 - 629
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25. your health. your life. your way.™