I am an entrepreneur and business owner who recently took on a major leadership role in my community. This role has a lot of responsibilities and requires a significant amount of my time and energy. I also own a firm that is 10-years-old and have a staff of fifteen that supports me in the work we do. I’ve been in my new role supporting the community for a little over 60 days and in that period of time I’ve lost 8 of my team members in my 10-year-old firm. I’m concerned that my firm may not survive the term that I’ve committed to for the community position, but it’s not a role that I can just walk away from. What can I do to strengthen my firm so that it continues to thrive without me at the helm?
Sincerely,
Sink or Swim
Hello Sink or Swim,
Staffing issues are plaguing many employers around the country. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused a lot of this issue, but it can be resolved. Here are some steps you can take to improve employee relations in your organization and recruit those who have staying power.
- People – Many issues inside of a company boil down to one thing: people. Knowing that people are the greatest asset inside an organization means it is pertinent to nurture those who keep your company moving forward. Evaluate how you’re investing in your people. Are you helping them get what they want so that you ultimately get what you want? How often are you deploying team evaluations? Do you know what your staff’s goals are and how your organization can assist them in reaching those goals?
- Culture – If you had to describe your current company culture in 3 words what would they be? Now ask your individual team members to do the same to determine if their answers match your answers. If not, you can identify where the disconnect is within your company culture. If their words are the same as yours, follow up by asking them to provide their definition of those words that are the same. Often, we repeat the words we want to describe our company, but the individual understanding is different. Once your team is on the same page you can begin to work towards clearly defining your culture and putting the systems and processes in place to support the company culture you’re working to create.
- Collaboration – More often than not you have outside people and organizations that you work in collaboration with to get your work done and grow your business. These collaborative partnerships are extremely important for business growth and sustainability. Nevertheless, the most important collaborative partner group that we fail to nurture and connect with are our employees and team members. Remember, they are your collaborators too. Many times, our clients have the answer to their biggest problem within their organization. They fail to see it because they fail to connect with the team as a group of collaborators when they think about building and growing their business.
Our work environments have changed drastically. Employees are no longer taking jobs or keeping jobs where they are not valued. Company culture has become one of the leading factors when selecting an employer. This requires making an adjustment in your organization quickly keep the employees you have and hire those you need.
Sincerely,
Coach RED
Where dreams happen!
