How to get the best from your team

How to get the best from your team

Good leadership is critical for any business owner if they want their business to be a success. If your team are happy, they are more likely to stay in their jobs longer, do their best work and become a brand advocate for your business.

I’ve been leading teams for many years and undertook a two year leadership development programme which was invaluable in my own personal development as a leader. Whilst I’m not an expert I am continuing to learn and develop my own skills to get the best from my team, I’ve learnt a few things along the way.

Be self-aware

The first place to start is by looking at yourself. Being self-aware, holding a mirror up and considering your own actions, can have a significant impact on your team’s motivation and performance. So often, business leaders are the ones responsible for draining capability and restricting creative thinking out of their own teams by believing they must be the smartest person in the room and have all the answers.

If your motivation, excitement and energy are low, then how do you expect your team to be inspired and motivated to help you build and grow the business? Share your enthusiasm and confidence in them as individuals. Often your belief in them will directly affect their confidence in themselves.

Identify and utilise strengths

Identifying the strengths of each individual in the team, utilising them and developing them will give you the best results.  

Every person wants to feel good about their own abilities and want to be successful at work. By talking about their current strengths and exploring other areas they want to develop with each individual and then setting them small goals to demonstrate their skills will help you develop great individuals within your business.

Give them space

So many owner managers remain hands on in the day to day running of their businesses, but this is not only bad for the longer-term strategic development of your business but can also be bad for your employees. Backing off, giving your team members space to grow, learn and take on responsibility can be a great way for them to feel trusted and for you to let go of the reins to focus on longer term growth. But make it clear to everyone in the business, that your door is always open should they need your support, advice and help. It’s a fine balance but one you should master as a business owner.

Prioritise employee health and wellbeing

Workplace health and wellbeing is about ensuring your employees are safe, healthy, satisfied and engaged with their work.

Healthy and happy team members will often lead to better results and productivity. Promoting health and wellbeing in your company can create positive working environments where individuals and the company can thrive. Nowadays with the competitive job market, a focus on health and wellbeing is key to employee engagement and company performance.

Clear communication

Whether it’s giving clear and simple instruction of what needs to be done or achieved, keeping your team aligned with your overall vision and purpose, or having difficult discussions, good communication is key.

When directions are clearly defined, each team member understands their role and can contribute to achieve quality work and meet expectations.

Having a shared vision and goals is important. Ensuring your team can see how the work they undertake each day contributes to something bigger will ensure they feel part of the bigger picture and will help them understand the reasons for the role they play in the company.

Create and communicate a plan for improvement and growth. Ensure that plan has achievable goals for future development to give employees something to strive for.

Give praise, recognition and reward

Praise and give regular positive feedback and reward your team. Showing appreciation will make your team feel empowered. Whether it’s praise for big things or little day to day things, remember to tell them. If possible, be specific about what you’re praising and do it in an appropriate way – some people love public praise while others may be embarrassed by it and would prefer a simple one to one conversation.

A simple thank you

Just saying thank you can go a long way to showing your team that you recognise their work and effort. People who believe their work is valued will take pride in what they do, contribute more and aim to achieve better quality work in the future.

Listen

Whatever your own goals or motivations, don’t let this overshadow your ability to listen to your team. Listening doesn’t just happen naturally for many business owners. You may have to structure time in your day to go and talk to your team and listen to them. Ask questions and listen to your employee’s response and give them feedback wherever possible. Listening to ideas from employees and then not acting on them or not giving them feedback on why you won’t act on them is one of the worst things you can do to destroy confidence, empowerment and motivation in your workforce.

Show respect

If team members don’t feel respected, they won’t be motivated to bring their best ideas or do their best work. Treat everyone in the company with the same level of respect, regardless of job or position. You set the tone and model the behaviour of the company, if you treat people with a lack of respect then this culture will flow throughout the company.

The skills and attributes that contribute to a good leader are undoubtedly the ones that will ensure you get the best from your team. Much of the above is common sense and sounds simple but reminding yourself of the little things that make a big difference to your team’s motivation, health, wellbeing and productivity will ensure you continue to get the best from your team.

Please contact our offices in Liverpool, Wirral and Chester for support and resources to help you grow your business.