Many business owners and leaders have an exciting vision for the future of their business. A vision that inspires new people to join them on their journey.But despite this exciting future, these businesses can still struggle to retain employees.Why?
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Many business owners and leaders have an exciting vision for the future of their business.
A vision that inspires new people to join them on their journey.
But despite this exciting future, these businesses can still struggle to retain employees.
Why?
Well, it's all very well having a great vision for your future, but that's pretty useless if your staff don't know what is happening on a day-to-day basis.
At any one time, your team MUST know what the key priorities are for your business, and then what their role is within those priorities.
So how do you ensure that you have a team that is engaged and motivated?
Here are 6 steps to follow:
1. Clearly define the 3 Year Vision
- It is not sufficient to have some great ideas for the future in your head
- You need to write down your vision for the future
- Where will the business be in 3 years' time?
- What products, what type of customers, what level of sales and profitability?
- Whether this is written, typed or you have something visual is up to you, but it must be clearly specified for your team to be totally engaged with your long term plans
2. Have a clear 12 month plan
- What needs to happen over the next 12 months to keep you on track?
- What are the key milestones & priorities?
- Has this been communicated to the team?
3. Make it real for your team
- What does this mean for them as individuals?
- What effect will it have on their jobs and careers?
- How does it affect their day-to-day duties?
4. Regularly review the plan with your team
- Block out times in your diary each quarter to review the plan with your team
- Ensure that on a week-to-week basis that people understand these priorities and how they fit into the overall direction you are heading
5. If the goal posts move - tell them!
- Things will always change based on changes in the marketplace, new opportunities and indeed your own impulses!
- Make sure your team know about these changes and (where possible) the reasons for the change
- The minute you don't communicate this, you lose trust and your team start losing motivation
- Such a disengaged team is the foundation for staff turnover
6. Tell your team what you don't know
- Given the rapidly changing world we live in, there will always be elements of uncertainty that come with change
- To retain people, your job is to reduce this level of uncertainty where possible
- But sometimes you don't know what is around the corner because you haven't figured it out yourself!
- But that's ok, just be upfront and honest with your employees where possible
Being honest shows you have no 'hidden agendas' and will help keep your team keep focused on their job and keep trust in you
Having a plan, communicating it clearly and then being open and upfront about what is going on in your business will always help you build trust.
It will also illustrate that you value your people sufficiently to take the time communicate things every step of the way.
Trusting an employer and feeling valued are two of the most critical success factors when it comes to employee retention.
You can be as ambitious and 'blue skies' as you like about your future vision.
But if you don't take the necessary steps to engage your team now, you will lose your best people - and with it the ability to realise your future goals.
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