Do you feel as though your team isn't quite as productive as they could be? Maybe you just want to make sure that you put in the work to ensure that you support their growth in the long run but don’t quite know how to go about doing this. Either way, this is the guide for you.
First of all, you have to make sure that you surround yourself with a team who are diverse. Diversity and inclusion have a lot of benefits, and they can help you to expand your business more than you realise. Some studies have highlighted the fact that companies that have more diverse employees are more productive and they have a much richer bottom line.
Gratitude comes a long way when it comes to your team’s productivity. If your team are putting out great ideas or if they are working hard to try and put themselves out there then you should show them that you are grateful for this. If you don’t then you may find that you end up not recognising their accomplishments and this is the last thing you need. If you want to show your team how grateful you are then it could be wise for you to find out how each team member wants to be recognised. It may be that they like a gift, or that they want to be pulled into the office and told how great they are at contributing. If you can get the wheel of appreciation turning then this will benefit your team more than you realise.
You may think that being a leader makes it very hard for people to work with you, and this is understandable. That being said, if you take the time to provide a safe working environment for your team and if you allow people to speak up then this will help everyone more than you realise. The more you allow your team to speak up and the more you allow them to share their ideas, the more innovative they will become. If you, as a leader, can balance your competency with vulnerability then this will make you more human and it will also help to encourage risk-taking. This is how you see the biggest and best results, so make sure you are mindful of this.
If you want to encourage your team to bring their whole selves to work then it is important that you give them a space to work. You need to encourage calm, creativity and perspective if possible. Start by doing a temperature check of red, yellow and green. Ask your team to grade themselves on how they are doing, and find out ways to support them. This is a very simple test but it allows you to give your team the support that they need when they need it. As a leader, you have to encourage your team to be their best self, and the only way they can give you this is if they feel like it. Offering mental health support is one of the best ways for you to show support to someone when they truly need it and the positive boost you see to their productivity, will speak for itself. Another thing you can do is speak to your team about their working environment. Do they want height adjustable desks? Do they want a way to be more flexible in their working hours? Things like this can help you to meet their core needs.
Every single team member has to be clear about the role they have and the unique skills that support it. When you have a team who are clear on their roles, you can make room for more impactful changes. By adopting this philosophy, you can make sure that your team are not losing productivity or wasting energy, so make sure that you keep this in mind.
Of course, if you want to make sure that you get the best result out of your team then make sure that you support them in their professional development. Ensure that you are aiding them with roles that they want to pursue and do not turn them down for a promotion if you genuinely feel as though they are ready. Stunting your team’s professional development is one of the worst things you can do if you want them to be more productive so be mindful of that if you can.
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