How to Keep Your Team Engaged
Some business leaders are indifferent to their team members’ happiness. These leaders are more concerned with whether or not the team is getting the job done and consider the team’s mental health to be excess/expendable. Countless studies have shown that this line of thinking is wrong. In fact, it is completely counterproductive to the survival and success of a business.
A great company cannot exist without great employees, and great employees are the ones who are engaged, motivated, and invested in the company. Here are three key strategies that you can implement to build, strengthen, and engage your team:
1) Be a team, not a dictatorship
Being a strong leader does not mean you need to constantly remind your employees who’s the boss. Every ship needs a strong captain, but the strength of your leadership depends on the quality of your leadership. Your employees look to you for guidance, but they also want to feel as though you are in tune with everything that is going on and that everyone is working toward a common goal.
As a leader, your role is to develop excellent people in your business. You must help them to grow so your business can grow. Focus on keeping your team’s knowledge updated and on developing your own leadership skills.
2) Give people the chance to shine
While it’s true that some employees are content with staying in their comfort zone, there are also employees who are restless and want to be given the opportunity to achieve more and prove that they can advance beyond their current roles. If you deny these employees the chance to grow, they will either begin to look for this opportunity outside of your company or, if they stay, they will become disengaged and disillusioned with their role.
If someone wants to prove themselves, let them. An employee who shows the initiative and drive to better themselves is an invaluable asset to your business. Don’t waste this potential.
3) Don’t take people for granted – show your gratitude
Saying “thank you” to someone and recognizing their contributions can be powerful. When employees feel like their contributions are not recognized or rewarded, they feel little incentive to go beyond the bare minimum of what is expected of them. Rewarding achievement is the flip side to punishing failure, and a balance between both is necessary to craft the ideal team.
Disengaged employees do just at or below what is expected of them; they appear to lack motivation and never ever go outside of what their job description requires. If you don’t work on your company’s culture and take the time to support, motivate, and engage your team members, then the growth and success of your business will be at risk.
