All entrepreneurs who have decided to take their product vision and turn it into a real business venture want to see it succeed. For many small business owners, there is nothing more satisfying than building a reputable brand that grows over time.
Unfortunately, however, the reality is that many startup companies fizzle out within the first couple of years of their inception due to a lack of funds or not having the right team driving the organization forward. So, how can you avoid this and increase the likelihood of seeing your business succeed?
Thankfully, there are some practical steps you can take that can help you maximize your team’s performance while putting you on the path to sustainable business growth.
Aligning Your Team with a Shared Vision
One of the key contributors to business success is having a team of employees who all work toward the same goals and milestones. However, this isn’t always easy as a business grows, and it requires putting in the time to clearly define a company vision for everyone that outlines both the short- and long-term objectives of the business.
A key factor when creating a unified vision for an organization that everyone gets behind is helping all employees understand the specific role they’ll play in helping to achieve it.
While there is nothing wrong with explaining “big picture” ideas or painting some broad objectives for everyone, it’s important for employees to know how their day-to-day activities will contribute to the overall trajectory of the business.
Creating a Culture of Empowerment and Ownership
When establishing a working culture for their business, owners and their leadership teams have decisions to make regarding the level of autonomy and oversight their teams have. It doesn’t matter whether you’re coordinating a large marketing campaign or working on a bathroom remodel project, it’s essential to help employees feel less inclined to need approval for every decision they have to make.
Helping employees take more ownership over their work and be empowered to complete their assignments without someone actively watching what they do takes patience and trust. However, If you’re able to extend this level of autonomy to your employees, it can often lead to a much more positive working environment.
Striking the right balance between working flexibility and direct management supervision isn’t always easy for businesses, but it’s worth continuously working toward.
Adapting to Change
It can be really hard for employers and their employees to adapt well to change. Change of all types – whether selling a home or moving careers – can quickly challenge someone’s comfort level, and the first reaction they have is to put up a barrier. However, change is a necessary part of the process for both the business and its employees to grow and develop.
In order to encourage employees to adapt to new changes, the business first needs to prove that it is also willing to mold itself over time. This can be expressed by supporting more modern expectations of employees regarding their working arrangements or scheduling.
Offering the ability to work from home on occasion or even allowing completely remote working environments can show employees your willingness to change with the times. This helps set a positive standard when it comes to acknowledging the need to adapt and can help encourage the same reaction from employees when they are asked to incorporate some changes into their workflows.
Prioritizing Employee Well-Being
Modern workforces continuously experience increased awareness of their employees’ physical and mental well-being. As an employer, it’s important to recognize the importance of creating an environment that not only recognizes this but also puts in place policies to actively support it.
The challenges of everyday life have shifted considerably over the last couple of decades, and employers have a responsibility when it comes to making sure they’re not actively contributing to undue stress on their employees. This includes the number of hours they subject their employees to and the unnecessary demands they put on their teams.
In order to do this, businesses should actively look for ways to help their employees better balance their personal and work lives. This might include:
- Offering flexible work arrangements
- Encourage regular breaks throughout the workday
- Recognizing and rewarding employee achievements
- Providing resources, such as mental health support and financial planning
Nurturing a Growth Mindset
It’s important for businesses to always innovate their approach to improving the organization’s revenue potential and how it manages employees. This includes helping to nurture a growth mindset with everyone and helping them to view the challenges they face as opportunities to improve themselves and how the business is run.
Looking for opportunities to create collaborative brainstorming sessions or company workshops is a great way to help employees think outside the box while feeling more connected with their work. These environments are great for empowering employees to share their ideas and helping them feel like they’re more than just another number in the organization.
Investing in Continuous Learning and Development
A big part of helping your business grow is surrounding yourself with employees who want to do the same. However, not all of your employees will have a natural inclination to want to push themselves or immediately see the benefit of sharpening their skills and adding to their knowledge.
It’s important to show that you are invested in your employees’ success over time by helping them increase their confidence and continuously work toward new goals they set for themselves. Looking for ways to add continuous learning and development opportunities into their role is a great way to help achieve this.
By helping them find courses that they can take to improve their skills or giving them more responsibilities outside of their regular work routines, you show that you care about their future and want to help them achieve more in their careers.
Establish a Company Culture That Helps You to Grow
When you take the time to build a company culture that encourages open dialogue and celebrates the achievements of everyone, it creates an environment that’s welcoming and more conducive to personal and professional growth.
By following the strategies discussed, you can ensure your business thrives while establishing a strong foundation for long-term success.
Author Name: Dalip Jaggi
Author Bio:
Entrepreneur, technologist, and passionate business leader sum up the core of Dalip Jaggi, co-founder of Revive Real Estate, a PropTech company with a goal to democratize house flipping. Since its 2020-inception, Revive has since become the smartest solution for homeowners to maximize their home’s sales value across the nation.
