Are you looking to actively encourage that discretionary effort from your staff? If you want your people to go the extra mile without being asked to do so, have a look at these 3 simple techniques you could use to ‘rocket’ your team’s performance.

So, when you take a look at how your business is performing, are you satisfied with what was achieved? A little reflection is always useful, but now’s the time to start thinking about this year to make sure you can achieve the results you want to!

You’ve got targets to meet and goals to smash, and if you want to ensure that your business plans become a reality, then you’re going to have to give some serious consideration to how you’ll make sure your staff are aligned to your goals and will help you achieve the results you need. Easy right?  Sometimes this is 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 this year.

1 Provide challenges that are stretching but achievable

No one ever achieved great things by just coasting along without a challenge or two. 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, so you need to make sure that they are capable of helping them set goals, and just as importantly, ensuring your people 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? 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 about what they are doing!

3 Recognise achievements as part of day-to-day business

Most of us take huge amounts of personal satisfaction 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 too!

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’ve laid the right foundations for the new financial year ahead. Are you ready, or are you lagging behind?

If you’re concerned about how employee performance could be damaging your business, or you want to make sure your managers are setting stretching goals or that your performance review process is up to scratch and providing the right feedback to challenge and motivate your team, then why not get in touch today for a chat: Book a Call with Emma Browning