No matter what the size of your company or the scope of your industry, employees are the most important part of your business. Employees who feel valued and respected are more likely to feel invested in their work and willing to stay and grow with the company. Make strategic employee development a high management priority, and reap the benefits of improved retention, productivity and team performance. A supportive company culture encourages personal effectiveness in individual team members and benefits the team as a whole.
Effective Employees:
- Communicate well with colleagues to foster teamwork and collaboration
- Take initiative to create strategic plans and solutions
- Are accountable for their decisions
- Are responsive to employee development ideas and make an effort to learn new skills to improve continuously
- Know their strengths and weaknesses (and how to utilize or improve them)
Increasing Personal Effectiveness in the Office:
1. Listen to your employees.
The easiest way to show your staff you respect their professional opinions is to listen to their feedback, suggestions and ideas. Make time for a casual team meeting or a one-on-one conversation with individual employees. Ask specific questions and carefully take note of their responses.
For example: What processes or systems help the company run smoothly? What changes can be made to improve them? What kind of support would help them do their jobs? What are the most satisfying or dissatisfying parts of their jobs? Each employee knows his or her job best, and you may be surprised by the insight you receive. Encourage honesty and be responsive to all company and employee development ideas. Involve your team in creating solutions for the problems discussed, and keep them updated on steps you are taking to implement changes.
2. Allow them to make decisions (and sometimes mistakes).
An essential part of nurturing employee development at your company is empowering your staff to take on leadership roles and have ownership over projects. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of your employees, and tailor work accordingly. Whenever possible, let team members take responsibility over different parts of a project. They may make mistakes along the way, but they will learn from them and improve their personal accountability on the job (an important part of personal effectiveness).
3. Encourage critical thinking and innovation.
When brainstorming new ideas or solutions to problems, reinforce a “no idea is a bad idea” mentality. Sometimes what seems like a crazy notion is actually the best approach, so leave yourself open to creativity and innovation from your employees.
4. Provide opportunities to learn new skills and gain knowledge.
To retain the top talent in your organization, you must provide opportunities for employee development, allowing your employees to expand their existing knowledge, acquire new skill sets and increase their leadership and responsibility. Promoting continuous learning and management training courses shows you are willing to make an investment in your staff and value their growth and success. Keep your eyes open for potential employee development ideas, and encourage your team to do the same.
5. Give credit where it is due.
Everyone appreciates recognition for a job well done, so don’t be afraid to praise employees for quality work. Small signs of appreciation—an afternoon off, a thank-you note in the employee newsletter or even a simple “great job”—go a long way to improve morale.
Interested in learning more? Find out how the Increasing Personal Effectiveness course can improve your business.
