Do you have a vision for your business, but often feel like your team aren’t getting behind it? And are there signs that your team don’t feel valued and supported by you, either?
Have you ever shared your vision with them, included them in decision-making, and encouraged them to contribute ideas?
If not, then you may need to shift your focus from your bottom line and growth for just a moment, and work on helping your employees grow. Your number one priority should be bringing out the best in your team, which will then have a knock-on effect on your business growth and success.
But how exactly do you get the best out of your team?
You focus on strengths
What are the strengths of your individual team members, and are they being allowed to use them? Some strengths will be obvious, but you can go a bit further and ask team members what aspects of their role they enjoy most, and what they would like to do more of if they could. Making use of your people’s talents and skillsets will make them more engaged and motivated, and will prime your business for growth and success.
Think about how you feel when your strengths are acknowledged and used.
You have empathy
If you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, this will build trust, and people work better for someone they can trust and who treats them with compassion. Without conversations with your team members, you can’t really know them and understand them.
You recognise a job well done
To get the best out of your team, don’t just be a leader who they only hear from when there’s a problem. Give people recognition for good work, whether verbally, by email, or by giving them a small token of your appreciation. People who feel valued will always do more than what is expected of them. The times I hear team members say all they want is a simple thank you.
You don’t hover
Delegating tasks to people and allowing them to get on with things without you breathing down their neck will make them feel more capable, confident, and trusted. Trust can really make or break a team. Not being trusted creates an unhealthy atmosphere and really demoralises. Once your team start taking ownership of outcomes, they’ll work harder to achieve goals, which can only be good for the business.
You are conscious of creating a healthy culture
For your business to really grow and flourish, you have to allow your people to do the same. Allow them to participate in decision-making, and let them contribute ideas without fear of ridicule or of being ignored, and make it clear that mistakes aren’t fatal and they’re okay. Mistakes are a learning process and they’ll give you and your team the chance to ask ‘what can we do better next time?’
Notice that I said ‘we.’
Do you want to learn how to harness the power of your team so your business can grow?
I can help.
When you invest in my Harnessing the Power of Your Team for Growth package, I work with you to assess your business vision and strategy and identify your growth potential, and I work with your team to gain insights about the business, make them feel valued, and identify real opportunities for harnessing their skill set, ideas, experience, and creativity to help grow the business.
Book a call with me to find out how I can help.
