Likes UP: I care about whether you like me

Oh, such is human folly.  Caring. Wanting to be liked.  Mitt Romney had this issue with political popularity and being liked…  So do employers and business owners.

“I care about whether you like me. I want you to like me. When I come off like a hard-ass who doesn’t care about your opinion of me, it’s an act. My business is an extension of myself. I want you to like it. And me.”

This the first of 10 things business owners wish they could say to employees. See Jeff Haden’s story here: 10 Things Bosses Never Tell Employees

Why is being liked so important?  This is business Jeff is talking about in Inc. magazine.   The list of 10 is very true but the LAST line is the one that hits home, “More than anything, I’m worried about whether I can fulfill the trust you placed in me as your employer.”

Like and Trust go  hand in hand.

There a plenty of business books on trust. Speed of Trust, Smart Trust.  The question boils down to Who Do YOU trust and WHO trusts You?  In this previous article, it states: Trusted people are more likely to get hired or promoted, get the best projects and bigger budgets, and are last to be laid off.

In business, with so much transparency because of social media, the Know-Like-Trust factor is huge.  And, as you can see below, I have a pencil sketch face.  But the people who know me, trust me, have my photos all over twitter and elsewhere.  I am not interested in being a personality-driven brand because I am the messenger not the message.   I definitely feel the like and the love.

It doesn’t really matter if you are the owner of the business or the manager of a department.  You want your employees to like you.  You want your vendors to like you.  You want your contractors to like you.  You want your outsourced staff to like you.

Why? Because it is simply more pleasant to work with people who like each other.

Motivation is said to be either pain or pleasure.  To escape pain and get pleasure.  Liking is pleasure.   If pain is the pressure to motivate you then find a boss that provides that for you.  Most bosses prefer to give praise, recognition, and accolades for a job well done.  Liking is the preferred method of motivation and the basis for most human interaction.

Sherrie Rose, The Liking Authority™