No matter what type of industry you’re a part of – you know that having the right team of people is the beating heart of a business and its success. Whether you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur, an agency owner, or something else, understanding the importance of nurturing your people while fostering their growth is key.
What does it mean to nurture your employees?
In today’s world, it is important to ensure your employees stay for the long term. So, nurturing your employees means creating a culture that makes your employees feel valued and supported. When they feel respect, they are more prone to invest in your company and its livelihood. So, how can you best nurture your employees so you can ensure they are committed to their role?
Empower them.
When you empower your employees and they feel recognized for their talents and abilities, it leads to increased job satisfaction, better performance, and less turnover. Identify their strengths, give them job duties or tasks that align with those, and then demonstrate that you are confident that they can do the job well. It’s also important to show that you’re there to take care of them. If they know you have their back, they will be there to take care of your company, too. Last, praise them when you see them doing a good job. Constructive feedback is great, but without positive reinforcement and encouragement, your employees won’t flourish.
Recognize that micromanaging leads to low morale.
Monitoring your employee’s every move can lead to frustration, lower morale, and higher staff turnover. Working under someone who is always micromanaging or critical of their employee’s performance is stressful and can hinder creativity and limit critical thinking. In addition, it makes them feel like they can’t be trusted. Over time, this can make them feel unappreciated and undervalued and you might find that they will run the opposite way as soon as they can.
Be a good listener.
Do your employees have ideas or feedback to share? Listen to them. Your employees have a unique perspective and good listening is the foundation to being a good leader. They have insight into what things can be better, and by collaborating, you may hear about some new or exciting ideas that may not have even crossed your mind.
Give them opportunities for growth.
Once you spend time getting to know your employees and understand their unique gifts, give them the opportunity to grow, make decisions, and problem solve. Provide training opportunities and encourage them to hone their skills. Let them know that you trust them with the decisions they make and in turn, you’ll see them more willingly step into new growth roles and they’ll be able to work with greater confidence. Giving them ownership of projects or other responsibilities helps them feel more invested in the success of the organization.
A strong and long-lasting business needs passionate and dedicated individuals to keep it functioning at its peak. Your employees are your greatest resource, and you simply can’t afford to neglect or nurture them. By fostering an environment where everyone can bring their best selves to work, your business has the potential to be unstoppable.