Are you getting the best out of your employees?
The vast majority of today’s employees perform in environments that only utilize 40% – 60% of their potential capacity.
No business can grow without employees and outside organizations assisting in its growth. Synergy among people and organizations is the lifeblood of any thriving business. It is also the difference maker in whether or not your business will survive in the long term. To ensure you’re getting the very best out of your team, you will need to not only bring in the right people but also provide them with the documented tools and strategic objectives necessary to maximize their performance.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI): Many people claim to know what these are, and also have a version of what they believe to be such in their company. However, does this document create the environment where your team is performing at 85%-90% of their potential? Sure, they say they’re busy, but are they busy doing things, or are they busy doing things efficiently? Do you have documentation which shows them what efficiency looks like? Is this something that they can easily reference throughout their day to ensure that they are on track with the vision you have laid out before them? Have you taken the time to articulate your vision on a regular basis? If you haven’t keep reading. Your company and/or division needs the following information.
Setting the Vision: Your team NEEDS to not only understand where you’re going but why you’re going there. Further, they need to understand how arriving at that destination will benefit them, and not simply in a “keep your job” kind of way. They need to be able to see so clearly that they WANT to be a part of your future.
Here’s a key question to ask yourself to see if this is the case:
If your team members were to be individually asked to articulate your two-year and five-year vision, would they say the same words that you would use to describe the future? Would they be able to identify themselves in the equation? If the answer is “no” then you have not articulated your vision in a way that is going to create the environment for sustainability and long-term success.
As a business owner, one of the most important parts of my business is my staff; the hard-working people who challenge me to be the best leader I can be and who drive the company to new levels of success. While developing an environment that encourages employee growth and happiness, I’ve come across a few rules to work by that help me keep things running…
1. Understand that each employee is different
2. Manage expectations- Sitting down and drawing up a plan of action is a very useful exercise to ensure that you and your employees stay on track.
3. Utilize development resources.
4. Reward your employees (… and not just with money!)
5. Foster strengths, and manage weaknesses.
The trick is to absorb as much information as possible and then utilize the tools at your disposal to make yourself—and your employees—better. By understanding the challenges they are facing and providing your team with the right support system your employees will know that you have their back, and they’ll work hard to keep the trust you’ve given them.
Don’t ask the world from them, unless you can also help them achieve their goals.
If you need support in this area, book a free consultation with us! We can guide you through agile approaches, facilitating more creative and new ways of doing things.
Used as reference: educational articles on LinkedIn.