The Power of the “60 Second Greeting”

Daily habits can be a motivating part of your day, especially if they beneficially impact others and provide an inspiration for their work challenges.  I learned years ago the importance of developing productive habits in the workplace, and I particularly gravitated to those which enhanced my leadership skills and improved the performance of my staff. 

One leadership characteristic that I have cherished is the habit of consistently engaging in the “60 second greeting” with my associates.  Such a greeting extends beyond the proverbial “good morning” and very briefly explores some subject that is relevant to the other person.  Examples could be asking about a project they are undertaking or asking about their big issues for the day.  You are not searching for details here, but rather, you are seeking high level responses that can fill a 60 second time period. 

Obviously, there are multiple facets to building effective leadership skills.  Linda A. Hill, Harvard professor, elaborates on this topic in an interview with Eric Markowitz in the December 17 issue of Inc.com on-line.  Hill specifically says, “You should lead as if everybody matters, because everybody does.”  This philosophy is embodied in the “60 second greeting” that I follow, and executed properly, it can become an integral part of your leadership skills.  Here are three reasons to try this approach:

1.     It builds respect between you and your associates.  Everyone wants to feel that they are an important part of the overall team in a business setting.  As a leader, conversing with your associates with more than a simple “good morning” demonstrates that you care about their contribution, which will foster a feeling of mutual respect on their part toward you.

2.     It yields higher productivity and happiness.  When an employee knows that their leader cares about their performance and contribution, their productivity increases.  With a few sincere words of acknowledgment coming from a leader each morning, an employee will feel a greater level of ownership of their business and work more productively.  And as a leader, if you recognize the productivity increase and give the appropriate recognition in the “60 second greeting”, the dividends grow even more.

3.     It enables you to stay in touch with your team’s business.  Branching out of your office each day to greet the associates on your team allows you to keep abreast of issues in their world.  Average leaders can easily fall into the trap of believing they know about their team’s business without maintaining a regular routine of communication.  The above average leaders know that greeting and talking to their team members on a consistent basis provides them with information that may otherwise be filtered, resulting in incorrect conclusions.

Being an effective leader is many times measured by the effectiveness of your associates.  For me, the “60 second greeting” is a valuable and natural approach that has allowed my associates to experience success and happiness in their work.