You are here because you want to inspire your employees. And you have a great group to lead! You know that when your employees are performing at a high level, your company is, too. So, how do you inspire your employees to put forth their absolute best? You perform to your best ability every single day, but even that may not be enough.
Below is part 1 in a 2-part series of practical strategies for fostering inspiration among your team members. Whether you’re leading a startup or managing an established company, the ability to inspire is a critical component for unlocking the full potential of your workforce, especially in a hybrid environment.
Genius ways to inspire employees – part I
Get to know your team
Can you list 5 unique facts about anyone on your team? Do you know their birthday’s or kid’s names? When was the last time you had an offsite lunch or played a team-building game together? Inspiration is driven by trust and connection, which can only be strengthened when you take time to get to know your team.
Be transparent
No one likes to feel like there are whispers behind their back or facts being hidden from plain sight. Bring the big picture to light and have a discussion with each team member on his or her contribution to reaching the company’s goal. Adopt an open-door policy, schedule performance reviews and regular meetings if public recognition seems appropriate for that particular employee. Your team is more likely to do their best work when they are engaged in honest and transparent communication.
Explain the why, not just the how
Lead with why. Break it down to each employee. If the department’s goal for the year was to bring in $3 million in revenue, calculate and share how each employee contributed. Try to make this an open forum where you can take questions, or be sure to send a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly email with updated statistics and results that your team helped bring to life.
Add more value
Profit is the key to keeping any business afloat but in order to make more, you must give more. Find a local organization your team can stand behind. If it’s a local soup kitchen, offer paid time when employees go in to volunteer up to 10 hours per month or reward employees who choose to give back. The more synchronicity between the cause’s mission and your company’s vision, the better.
Facilitate greatness
People on the path to greatness do not want to be micromanaged. Instead of lecturing your team, do two important things: know the top 2-3 tools that every team member needs to do their job and go above and beyond in facilitating all of the tools necessary for your team to get the job done.
Be the messenger
Everyone on your team should know the company’s vision and how they fit into making that statement a reality. When you communicate specific objectives, tie them into that important vision statement.
Everyone is unique and thus motivated by different experiences. Comment below and get in touch with me on LinkedIn or Twitter to share how you’ve inspired your team or been inspired by a high-performing leader. Stay tuned for Borderline Genius Ways to Inspire Employees Part II.
Want to hear more? Book Art Jackson as a speaker for your next corporate event.