You can’t build a great company without great people. To ensure you have the best people, you need the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and empower your employees so they will grow and thrive.
Your business will suffer if your team is not effective, there is a high turnover rate, or they are not motivated to do their job. Having the right technical expertise and knowledge is not enough, creating and growing a successful business takes a number of critical attributes.
It is important to understand that your success depends upon your employees’ success. The more you empower them, the more they will grow and your business will thrive with increased profits. Below are some SMART ways you can empower and motivate your employees.
Clear Expectations and Goals
The first step in empowering your team is to give clear expectations and goals. Ensure that they understand the mission, vision, and the big picture of the company. This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. If everyone understands what they need to work towards, they will be more engaged and require less managing.
Ask them to set their own goals for the company. This way they have buy-in and will take ownership. If the goal they set doesn’t line up with the company’s overall mission and vision, ask them to readjust. The key here is that they have a say in their priorities and goals.
Also, be clear on the duties and job descriptions. People who don’t know what they are supposed to do can’t do it very well. Establishing specific roles and responsibilities also helps them better work with each other. This helps keep them accountable. You want to be their boss, not their best friend.
It becomes much easier to empower and trust your employees when you clearly lay out the direction the company is going and what the right and left limits are. By knowing what they are headed towards and the boundaries to stay in, they are empowered to determine “the how.”
Provide Necessary Resources and Training
Employee empowerment goes hand-in-hand with training and providing the necessary resources to do their job. When you take on staff, you’re going to need to develop an HR department. HR often acts as a go-between for employees and managers and can clarify basic company information such as employee benefits.
While you may not be able to afford the office equipment or pay for their degree, it is important to give them what they need to set them up for success.
Having access to resources and the necessary knowledge helps you become more productive. Provide training, a mentor, quality feedback, and any tools you can to help them become more empowered.
Provide opportunities for continuous learning and development. Due to the fast changes in technology, look at IT courses such as architecting on AWS to optimize your company’s cloud-based solutions. Keeping abreast of these topics can give you an edge and also help prevent data breaches.
If your business relies on equipment, uniforms, or other resources for your employees, make sure it is the right quality. Imagine turning up to work every day with substandard equipment. You certainly wouldn’t feel motivated to go above and beyond for your boss.
Getting your employees into action is all about making them feel safe and secure. For example, you would invest in high-quality clothing from www.froutlet.com if you needed protection from extreme heat. Failure to provide your employees with safety advice and equipment may have disastrous consequences for your business.
Providing the right training and resources will help your employees become better at their jobs. This increases their productivity, confidence, and skillset, helping them become successful, which in turn helps the business become successful.
Acknowledge and Reward Achievements
People naturally want to know that their efforts and hard work are recognized and appreciated. Take the time to give meaningful feedback and acknowledge their achievements. A kind word goes a long way!
Don’t be shy about finding ways to say “thank you” or celebrating the good things your team does. They need to feel that you appreciate their contribution and value what they do. Take time to celebrate achievements together. Being recognized in front of others is a powerful motivator. You can consider magicians for hire to make a corporate event a little more entertaining.
Acknowledging and showing appreciation for work well done makes it more likely that a person will do it again, and probably even better! Use team-building opportunities to encourage them to continue to be proactive that will help further empower your team.
Create a Culture of Open Communication
Create a culture where your team feels safe to say communicate openly. Include them on decisions the company needs to make on projects and business growth strategies. No one of us is smarter than all of us. The more feedback and diverse opinions you get, the better ideas you can act on.
When your team feels that they are included in the direction of the company and what they say is taken seriously and valued, they will feel vested in the success of the company. This, in turn, can lead to reduced turnover, greater company loyalty, and increased overall productivity and effectiveness.