How To Get Your Team More Involved In The Business
One of the many things I get asked on a regular basis is: "how to get your team more involved in your business"?
Now more than ever is it important to retain your key team members. However, before that can even get started, it's essential to transition those team members from mere staff to fully-fledged team members. Team members are those who are actively involved in your business, those who don't just view their role as a job and are excited for the company's success.
One of the top reasons team members leave is that they don’t feel valued in the workplace, don't feel part of the vision of the company or don't know what direction the company is heading in. The best way to correct this is not to send a monthly team newsletter or the odd update email, but to truly get them involved in the business and communicate!
What you may want to discuss with your team:
- Your 1-year forecast
Have you discussed with your whole team what your 1-year forecast is? If not, how are they expected to go in the same direction if this has not been shared?
- Your core focus
Have you communicated with them about your Core Focus? For example, what is your purpose, cause or passion?
- The 'why' in your business and the businesses core values
Have you discussed why your business exists or your Core Values? What are your vital and timeless guiding principles for your company? These define your culture and who you truly are as people.
Your 3 Uniques are what make you different and make you stand out. They should be 3 qualities that will truly make your company unique to your ideal customer.
I would imagine a lot of business owners have these in their heads but haven't written them down on paper. If you are one of these business owners, how amazing would it be to get your team involved to shape these for your business as they will also take ownership of them and really feel part of the business?
As part of improving the communication, you could have quarterly update events and regular team surveys to get to know how they are feeling and spot any mental health issues early on. I would also add that making the workplace a fun place to be is also important, as having happy team members will only be positive for the business.
You can also host team away days for your team members. Ask yourself this: how often do you have away days or socials with your team? Away days are a great way to get all the team together where you can share how well your business is doing, what the future plans are and the vision of the company. You could also include workshop sessions where you could ask them how they would improve the business, and try to get them involved in some decision making. Socials are also a great way to get the team to bond and interact with each other.
If you are serious about getting the team more involved, then why don’t you appoint someone in the team to be responsible for this and reward them accordingly when they do a good job. If they are passionate about their role, then it’s amazing how things can change for the better. Everyone benefits from the increase in team morale and company performance.
If you have any further questions, then please don't hesitate to email me at lee.manning@raffingers.co.uk or click here.