What does it take to make an employee grow and develop professionally? Before you became a supervisor, you could focus on your own personal growth; having reached a leadership position, it is your responsibility to guide your employees to reach their full potential. You can’t expect any worker to progress naturally – it will take dedicated effort on your part to help them develop their abilities. How can you challenge your workers to grow?
Be Positive
Our performance depends heavily on our self-esteem. In what can be seen as a self-fulfilling prophecy, if we believe we are going to fail, we are likely to do so. In contrast, confidence in one’s own abilities is key to success. Are you open about expressing your confidence in your top employees? Doing so will help them gain the positivity and confidence that they need to perform at their highest level.
Show Them Their Career Path
Would you give your best effort to a dead-end job that offered you no future and no rewards? Your top talent is unlikely to give you their full loyalty if they don’t believe they will receive the same in return. Make it clear that you are watching them closely, and outline the different ways that they will be able to advance in your company. If they understand that your business can offer them a promising future, your workers will be eager to give their best.
Show Them the Value of Their Work
Everyone wants their work to have value and to be meaningful. Do your top employees know the value of their work? Have you shown them how their efforts fit into and contribute to the overall success of the business? Showing your top performers how important their work is will be a powerful motivating force.
Show That You Value Their Opinion
Even lower level employees can offer valuable insight into all aspects of your company’s day-to-day operations. Ask for their opinions, and listen when they speak. Feeling like a collaborator on a team will help them take the company’s successes and failures personally.
Offer Autonomy
When you delegate a task or project to a promising employee, don’t micromanage every step. For a talented mind, taking ownership of a problem and its solution is a powerful – even addictive – experience. You can offer guidance and advice when asked for, or when absolutely necessary, but you should try to keep your distance, otherwise. With the training wheels off, they will be able to stretch their own potential.
Create a Culture of Encouragement
While you should be open and ready to give counsel and advice – even criticism, when necessary – praise should flow more freely than anything else. And don’t keep praise private, either. A bulletin board or emails that publicly celebrate individual and group achievements are sure to encourage your employees to reach out and try hard.
Choose Wisely
Though you undoubtedly value your entire team, not all of your employees have the same potential. Isolating top talent for special attention will help you groom them for future responsibilities. But identifying star performers starts with the hiring process. Building a powerful team, one that is full of potential, means hiring candidates that are capable of growth. As one of the leading staffing and temp agencies in York, PA and the surrounding area, we can offer over two decades of experience in providing talented, promising staff to local businesses. Contact us today to learn more about solving your temporary, part-time, and full-time staffing needs.