How to create an environment your employees will thrive in.
What type of people do you want on your staff? Driven, loyal, collaborative, motivated beyond the paycheck? Even those in dream careers are prone to loose faith in the mission. So, how do you keep everyone, from the dishwasher to the executive chef, intellectually engaged in the long term success of your company?
Garnering an emotional investment from your employees isn’t as simple as increasing salaries – it’s about your overall company culture. While perfection in this department may be a tall order, with the right values as your foundation, volunteer mindsets can not only evolve, but flourish.
4 tips on cultivating employee engagement
In general, when people aren’t involved with the broader scope of anything, apathy tends to infect their motivation. While the cleaning crew might feel disconnected from the missions of the company, they really aren’t – everyone in a business matters.
Below are 4 ways to establish a sincere volunteer mindset throughout your team.
- Assess your company goals. Before you can create a nurturing environment for your staff, you need to make sure you have a clear understanding of your goals and how each of your departments contributes to those objectives. From there, determine where improvements need to be made, and if any adjustments are necessary, so you can…
- Share your vision for the company. When the cleaning crew understands how important presenting an image of impeccable competence is they feel important. Communicating your vision for the company and how it relates to each department has a similar effect throughout your staff. Not only does this establish a strong sense of worth, shared goals are powerful – we’re less inclined to cut corners when we know it’ll let our comrades down.
- Be positive. There are times when criticism is functional, but it can also be stifling. Micromanaging is the professional equivalent of henpecking – it leads to resentment, frustration, and can even make otherwise competent people question their own expertise. Conversely, positive feedback can be an endless source of motivation and loyalty. It also sets a standard.
- Allow them to take risks. This doesn’t mean irresponsible risks, but rather more along the lines of thinking outside of the box, and pushing the envelope innovatively. Failures are learning experiences that typically come with their own built-in negative reinforcement. When employees know their management has their back, they’re less inhibited, and as NFL legend Joe Namath once said, “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”
How to assess your company
While you probably have a clear idea of your company goals, assessing how realistic they are, and what you need to achieve them, can be complicated. No Boundaries Advisors has been helping business leaders and their employees thrive for over 25 years.
For more information on how we can illustrate the best path for your company’s growth and success, contact us today.
