Fostering Trust and Productivity by Stepping Back

Employee
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A longtime Boston professional, Karen Ahern is the Principal and Founder of SageWorks Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts. Focused on sustained growth, Karen Ahern acts as a trusted advisor in providing pathways toward increased employee engagement and productivity.

One key element in workplaces that are increasingly knowledge-based and relational is trust between corporate leaders and employees. Often this can mean stepping back, as the manager who jumps in too quickly and gives feedback risks over-involvement that raises stress, anxiety, and second guessing. Micromanagement leads to workers feeling a lack of autonomy, which in turn impacts their willingness to take ownership of what they produce.

Accountability only comes when employees feel that they have the space to self-regulate, admit mistakes, and work at their own pace toward shared goals. Rather than staying informed on the minutia of every project, it is often better to trust team members and set in place a channel for issues to be proactively addressed as they arise, both within group and individual settings.

An adept manager encourages participants to bring their insights and skill sets to the table, secure in the knowledge that the ultimate decision rests in management’s hands. Through letting go and placing trust in a team that has shown itself to be reliable in the past, new levels of commitment and productivity can be unleashed.

Properly Descending While Hiking

A Boston-based human resources executive, Karen Ahern is the Founder and Principal of SageWorks Consulting. In her free time, Karen Ahern stays active by hiking.

Although ascending seems more challenging when hiking, descending is actually when many hikers become injured. To prevent such issues, hikers must use the right technique when walking downhill.

This involves staying relaxed and keeping the knee joints loose. Doing so reduces the risk of injury to the knees since it limits the amount of strain placed on them. Further, staying relaxed helps hikers maintain a good center of gravity as they descend. A good center of gravity is essential since it keeps hikers balanced so they don’t fall.

As hikers proceed downhill, they must also focus on taking small steps. Small steps make maintaining balance over the feet easier and hasten recovery time for hikers who slip. It’s safer than taking big leaps downhill and helps hikers maintain a steady pace. Slowing down while descending places a huge amount of pressure on the knees, so maintaining a consistently steady pace is often the best option.

Maintaining focus when walking downhill is also important in hiking descents. As hikers go, they must pay attention to the path in front of them and consider where the safest place to put their foot is. Lack of focus can result in hikers stopping their descent as they figure out the best path.