Last week I got up at 5:45 AM only to learn that my 6:30 meeting was canceled. This morning I was again up at 5:45 AM only this time my appointment happened. I noticed that 5:45 felt radically different this time around, because this time there was a purpose that was met. Apply this lesson to business and you have the key to encouraging employees and achieving success.
Think about it, from the time you were young you probably hated doing anything that felt like a waste of time. Homework, making the bed, hanging up your jacket. Whatever it was, you dreaded it more because you didn’t see the point in doing it. You likely did other
more onerous tasks more willingly because they made sense to you. The type of tasks may have changed but your reaction to doing them hasn’t. Even as adults we are more willing to jump in and do something when it seems reasonable to us. The challenge as a small business owner is to make the majority of tasks purposeful so that your staff will be motivated to complete them.
Share your vision. You’re probably not in the habit of dreaming up busy work just to give your employees something to do. Let them know your reasons for requesting that a job be done. Making coffee may seem like a demeaning task until your employees realize that it is an integral part of your customer retention strategy. Sending out daily tweets may seem like an inconvenience if your employees aren’t on board with the customer attraction plan. These tasks can seem small and insignificant unless your staff sees how they fit into your overall growth strategy.
Show your appreciation. Employees may be less motivated to give a job their all if they feel as though it is unimportant and underappreciated. Let your staff know that even the little things are being noticed and appreciated. No matter how small the task, it can have a large impact on your success. As an added bonus, this can improve employee retention as well.
Shortcuts. Whenever possible, make the boring jobs faster, if not better to do. Technology is your friend. Invest in solutions that will speed up the process. The fact that it was important enough for you to invest in technology also says something to your staff. Clearly this is a job that needs to be done if you spent your time and money choosing a solution to assist with its completion.
Shuffle responsibilities. Anyone can handle a boring job every now and then, real burnout doesn’t occur until you are asked to complete the same boring task over and over again. Switch it up some and don’t ask the same person to do the menial tasks all the time. If you can take a turn, do. Nothing says that a job is important quite as effectively as seeing the boss completing the task.
Give your employees a purpose even when they’re doing the less fun activities and you’ll see a difference in all aspects of your business. As you continue to grow you’ll see that spirit of camaraderie carry over and buoy your growth.
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