Creating Loyal Employees

But if a situation arises in which you don't have the knowledge or skills to develop a solution, then you have to be honest about your lack of ability and seek input from others. If you make excuses or blame others for your lack of knowledge or for the problem, loyalty will suffer.

And that leads us to the next step: You've got to demonstrate integrity in your actions and beliefs. This means you've got to be honest and trustworthy, especially in difficult situations where it would be easier to blame someone else or deny involvement in a negative situation. When false blame or a denial occurs, employees quickly lose respect for their leader, and loyalty decreases.

You want your employees to look up to and be proud of you -- and they'll do that if you demonstrate your integrity. Loyal employees trust that their boss will be honest and truthful in their interactions, and that they can be relied upon to take the moral high ground, especially in difficult situations.

You also need to behave consistently with your staff. When you do that, you'll show your staff that you're reliable and predictable, and that you use good judgment. Workers who want to follow a leader can't do so when they can't rely on their boss or know their boss's judgment is flawed.

Next, you need to display a willingness to protect your employees and help them save face. Your goal should never be to embarrass an employee. If you do manage to embarrass them, then you're going to be the "bad guy" and the embarrassed employee becomes the martyr in the eyes of others. This isn't to say that you can't reprimand or correct an employee's behavior. On the contrary -- not doing so will lead other employees to believe that you have no standards, and they'll lose respect for you.