Are You Connecting With Your Team?

Finding great talent is a challenge in and of itself. Your employees are the most important asset to your business. Leaning on (and trusting) your team to carry out the day-to-day aspects of running your business is what all business-owners strive to have. As the leader, part of your job should be connecting with your team. Once you put the right people in the right seats, it’s not time to sit back and kick up your feet in your office hiding out. That’s only half the battle.

Employees feel empowered and connected to their job when they have a strong connection with the leadership and vision. But are your employees on board with your vision? How will you know if you aren’t connecting with them?

First, you must be accessible. Like I mentioned earlier, if you are hiding out in an office or always away at meetings, your employees will never get the opportunity to see you let alone connect with you. Carving out time to be present at your office or workspace is important. Make rounds with your employees. Say good morning. Engage in chit-chat and work conversations. Being accessible and available might be hard when you are being pulled in
several different directions but it will speak volumes to your team that you making time with them a priority.

Secondly, give them a voice. Let them speak up and actively listen to what they have to say. Create an environment where they feel comfortable to speak up and speak out. Your team is the front line of your business and many times will have outstanding ideas about how to do things better, opportunities to improve and creative ideas for prospecting new business. The value that you will get from it will be well worth the time spent.

Also, let them in on business decisions. By giving them a vote, they will feel like their opinion matters (which it does)! This will help strengthen the connection between them and business leadership bridging the gap between employer and employee.

Thirdly, give your team the opportunity to take on more responsibility. When you have committed employees who are engaged, connected to your vision and in the right seats, it’s important to show them how important they are and the value that they add. By giving them more responsibility or opportunity to grow in their professional development, you are communicating your trust in them and their future.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to get to know your team on a personal level. Caring about their lives outside of work promotes a healthier work/life balance. After all, we all have lives outside of work. For many people, it’s hard to separate work from personal life 100% of the time. Personal life can trickle into work life and vice versa. If this is something you are really passionate about, make it part of your culture to show your team how much you are devoted to it.