Employees: Are You Getting The Best Out of Them
EMPLOYEES: Are You Getting The Best Out of Them?
Written by: Jerel Benjamin / CEO – ProfitGOLD Consulting
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 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? Further 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.
Create Systems of Accountability: The best thing you can do for your team is to create a system of accountability. Note: Accountability is NOT ruling with an iron fist or pacing the floor with the sole intention of correcting and/or micro-managing everyone for everything done wrong, every deadline missed, and anything else that may cause you frustration as a leader. Instead, create systems where the team can evaluate themselves during the process, make the necessary corrections, and present their end results at pre-scheduled times. It is also vital that you let them know the details of what your final expectations are supposed to be and why you expect them in the time frame you have requested. This consistent way of communicating and creating the environment for accountability will propel your team to achieve and exceed the results you’ve always intended for them.
NOTE: This article was published as one of the most popular educational articles on LinkedIn.