Business Management

Challenge Employees for Growth

Managers should never manipulate employees to attain a certain level of performance and the challenge is knowing how to ethically motivate and encourage behavior that produces the results any company hopes to achieve.




Here are a few ideas to help employees perform to their highest potential.

1. Why
Employees need to know why the work needs to be completed, what the goal is, and how they can contribute. Management should share their vision and how each employee contributes to the overall success.

2. Develop
Opportunities to advance usually correlate with improved performance. Allowing employees to determine how they can improve their job and build challenges for the future should be encouraged. This can raise overall standards.

3. Clarify compensation
Performance increases when employees understand their work is compensated commensurate with contributions made to the business. Communicate with employees so they understand how performance is measured and rewarded.

4. Seek Input
Management does not always have to develop the answers. If you enlist support from employees that will generate increased enthusiasm and commitment.

5. Build employee confidence and loyalty
Encourage positive communication among all employees and eliminate where possible negative criticism of staff and their work. Develop goals that challenge staff without creating unreasonable demands and trust employees to participate in goal setting. If employees own the objectives they will gain greater feelings of achievement and this buy-in also develops stronger loyalty to the firm.

6. Include opportunities to learn, fail, and grow.
Employees are motivated by learning. Sometimes this involves taking risks and perhaps failing. This can be a positive experience for the business and the employee if the lesson learned helps move the business forward in an atmosphere where employees are encourage to continue efforts to improve.
These are but a few opportunities to provide a work environment that can challenge employees to play an increasingly important role in growing the business. Take the opportunity to grow the business and employees together.

Let me know your thoughts: gerry@polarisgroupmc.com

Managing Change

We face change all the time, driven both by internal or external influences. Growth, innovation, redundancy, outsourcing, relocation, diversification and competition all can force change in a business.


In is important to make the necessary changes before they are forced upon you – minimising change that can impact on profitability and maximising change that creates opportunities. Most people, in particular employees, are uncomfortable with change because it interferes with their routine and exposes them to the unfamiliar.

Drive Change
It’s better to drive change than let change control your business. It’s also important to identify any need for change early on. Think ahead to where your business needs to be in one, three and five years’ time. What do you need to do to get there?

Prioritize
Decide which changes are most important and focus on the changes with the biggest potential benefits – not the easiest ones to implement.
Aim for continual smaller changes rather than a few large ones. Large changes are harder to digest and can interfere with one another, while small-scale changes are easier to manage.

Network
Change usually involves going into unknown territory, but others will have been there before you, so seek their input and advice. Talk to business associates and learn from the experience of people who have made similar changes.

Communicate
Whatever the area of change, you will need the co-operation of your employees. However, resistance from employees is often the biggest stumbling block to successful.  The key to managing change successfully is to keep staff informed. Start communicating the change as early as possible, so people have time to come to terms with it.

Even small changes can backfire if they’re not handled sensitively. Consult with those affected before implementing any changes. Those involved may be able to suggest alternatives that deliver the same results more effectively or more efficiently.

Remember Life in Business is about change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.

I hope these thoughts are of value as you move your organization ahead through change.

Please let me know your thoughts. gerry@polarisgroupmc.com