Whether you are a manager, a business owner or a leader of any kind, one of the most important responsibilities you all share is your need to inspire those around you and help them become the best versions of themselves for the sake of your business. You need to find a way to create more productive employees in your office or, at the very least, create a company culture whereby your employees want to be more productive. It’s not easy. We know that. But when done well, wow, you’ll not only find everyone on your team is being more productive and efficient, but they are also happier in their roles, and that’s good for a) productivity again and b) reducing employee turnover.
But here’s the hidden challenge: trying to balance this inspiring leadership role, where you help others be their best, while not forgetting about your own work. Thankfully, this is a skill and, just like all skills, that means it can be learned and perfected – just like throwing a ball or riding a bike.
Sure, there’s no blueprint you can follow to ensure you become the greatest leader of all time while remaining an efficient worker in your own right, but there are certain things you can do to help your employees head in the right direction as you keep up your side of the bargain.
So, without further ado, here are some proven ways you can boost your employees’ productivity and celebrate your own step-up in leadership.
Always, Always Do You
The majority of the workforce is now made up of Millennials and Gen-Z-ers, which is exactly why you need to be authentic all the time because, trust us, these generations of workers have the most incredible BS detectors. They can see through any fakeness you throw into the world. So don’t bother because not only will wearing a mask with your employees every day see you lose their trust, it will also make your job way less enjoyable too. It makes much more sense to be you, to develop your own leadership style and behave in a way that aligns with your beliefs and values. Not only will this give you more energy, it will also encourage your employees to be themselves too, and that comes with plenty of big benefits.
Be Transparent, Give Feedback
The hardest word in the English language is “sorry”, especially for managers and business owners. But you need to have the courage to admit when you are wrong because that is the secret to building a transparent culture of honesty. Why is this important? Because it will encourage everyone to think and feel free and that’s when we all do our best work. So, no matter what level you work at – line-manager through to CEO – suck it up and learn how to say sorry when you need to. We know this is hard because the higher you are in a business the more you need to know what you are doing. But your employees will actually appreciate it more when you admit you don’t know an answer or that you made a mistake. Do this and a culture of learning will sprout up in no time.
Get To Know Who They Are
When you are first hiring someone, it’s easy to see them as little more than resumes with great experience and even better potential – an outlook that clings on even when they get the job. But your employees are so much more than that, which is why it’s so crucial that you take the time to get to know them.
Get to know what they like, what their passions are, their values and their interests. Understand what they believe are their best assets, their capabilities, their challenges, and where they want to be down the line. But don’t just do this for the sake of doing this. Do it with genuine interest. Care about the things that happen in their personal lives because this will have a hugely positive impact on how much they care about you and the company. It will keep them loyal and happy and it will help you discover any untapped skills and abilities they might have. The more someone feels appreciated, the more productive they will be.
Give Them The Best Technology
We live in the technological age. You need to accept that and use it, otherwise your employees will be spending additional hours on tasks that could be a) automated or b) highly sped up thanks to tech.
We know there is an upfront cost for this sort of thing, but most of the time it’s actually cheaper to make that investment. It makes more sense to use calendar automation than it is to schedule meetings manually in the same way that having an AI developing firm create you some bespoke software to cut your employees wasted time and your company’s costs. And that’s just a fraction of it. There are solutions for so many things these days that you probably don’t even realize exist. So, take a peek at the tasks your employees are doing – especially the repetitive ones – and then find the solutions that can automate or speed up these tasks. Productivity and smiles will follow.
Recognize Good Work
One of the best things you can do to boost productivity is to be attentive. It’s about giving heartfelt recognition to those that really put in the time, effort, growth and output because, when you celebrate an employee’s accomplishments, what you are doing is demonstrating that you care about them. You are showing that you pay attention and that nothing goes unnoticed. As such, you should try to acknowledge and offer feedback to your employees at least once a week. This will give them so many assurances that their time is not wasted and that they are going in the right direction. It will help them to perform at their highest level each day and constantly remind them that their jobs are important.
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