So when you take a look at how your business is performing, are you satisfied with what’s being achieved? A little reflection is always useful, but now’s the time to start thinking about end of year results.
You’ve got targets to meet and goals to smash, and if you want to ensure that your plans become a reality, then you’re going to have to give some serious consideration to how you’ll make sure you get the most out of your staff.
Sometimes though, this can be much easier said than done. Every business owner knows that improving performance could be key to overall growth, but you’ll need some solid strategies to make this happen.
Let’s take a look at three ways to rocket your team’s performance in the last few months of the year.
1.Provide challenges that are stretching but achievable
No one ever achieved great things by just coasting along without a challenge. Your staff should be stretched, but there’s a fine balance to strike. Give them too much to handle, and you’re not going to get the desired outcome. It might be time to assess your staff’s performance objectives, and consider whether they’re really fit for purpose.
Your line managers will play a big part in making this a success. They’ll know their team members best, and so you need to make sure that they’re capable of helping them to set goals, and just as importantly, ensuring that they believe that they can achieve them.
2.Outline the value of the work outside the context of the business
If you’ve done any reading or research into best practice when it comes to managing a team, then you’ll know that it makes sense to encourage everyone to realise how their work helps the business to grow and meet its objectives. In other words, your staff should understand how what they’re doing fits into the bigger picture.
You can take things a step further than this though. Are your staff aware of how their role makes a worthwhile contribution to the business, profits and growth aside? Most businesses have some kind of social impact, and this can often be a great motivator for staff. Does your organisation make a positive contribution to the community? Are you changing the lives of your customers and clients? If so, make sure your employees know about any of these things as it makes people feel good!
3.Recognise achievements as part of day-to-day business
Most of us can take huge amounts of personal satisfaction away from simply knowing that we’ve done a good job. Often, this alone can encourage us to strive to be even better. But let’s be completely honest here. Most of us also enjoy being suitably rewarded for our efforts.
It’s easy to think this is all about financial incentives, but this isn’t necessarily the case. It’s about rewards that are proportionate to the achievement. It’s about applying the same principles across the board. It’s about considering your reward processes as a whole, rather than just worrying about budget restraints. And ultimately, it’s about getting to the stage where ‘end-of-year performance reviews’ aren’t a one-off activity, but part of an ongoing dialogue.
Performance is important, and this is your chance to make sure that you get those end of year results you need. Are you going to achieve them, or are you lagging behind?
If you’re concerned about how employee performance could be damaging your business, or you just want to make sure your managers are setting stretching goals or that you are recognizing and rewarding your staff’s achievements in the right way, then we can help. Get in touch today for a chat.
