Most executives recognize the importance of customer relationships and they invest plenty of resources to maintain those. I think there is a step missing in this equation for success.

Make time to invest in your staff. Lost in the focus of pleasing stockholders and customers are the people who make a business sustain success: the staff. When executives spend personal one on one time with the staff who report to them, it helps keep the staff engaged, keeps them open to new ideas, and builds trust when they need to stay committed when things are going sideways.

By building these relationships with staff members, employees will feel more open in sharing news you may not want to hear but need to hear. So many executives are the emperors without clothes because the staff is afraid to tell them bad news, because no relationship exists to allow that conversation to happen. Don’t suffer needlessly because you failed to create the relationships with those who truly determine your success.

When building your staff relationships, be quick to share the credit for successes. Everyone likes to be recognized for their contributions and no one appreciates when the boss takes all of the credit. When you are quick to acknowledge the contributions of your staff you let them know the value you see they bring to the team.

You want employees to be committed, loyal and willing to go through walls for you? You have to make the first move and demonstrate why they should.