by Donna Toothaker
As a CEO, you have people working for your company, running the day-to-day and handling client work so YOU can grow your business. Your team is perhaps your most important investment, and as any investment, your team requires care and attention in order to provide you with a great return. Here are four important steps to strengthen and empower your team, so you can SOAR to success, together!
Selection Building an empowered team begins with selecting the right team members. Hire individuals whose specialties compliment each other, and whose personal work and communication styles are a good fit for you, your clients, and within the team itself.
Team members who are consciously chosen for their specialties and their “fit” will feel appreciated from day one, knowing that they will use their skills and talents, and that they are liked and accepted by the team.
Objectives When you take the time to clearly lay out your objectives and expectations with your team, and create a structure within which your team members can work to meet these goals, they will feel comfortable, confident, and empowered to work their individual magic within that structure, and contribute to the overall success of the business. Establishing basic rules for getting the work done is also imperative. Team members need to understand how they are to proceed, when and how decisions will be made, how issues will be addressed, and how results, and success, will be measured.
Autonomy Give each team member ownership of his or her role in the team, and take great care not to step over those boundaries. Part of having a successful team, and being a successful CEO is to acknowledge the talents and experience of each member, trusting that they can do the job to your specifications (or beyond your expectations), and letting go. Micromanaging your team members is a sure-fire way to lose good talent. On the other hand, giving them the freedom to use their creativity to use their skills their way, and encouraging them toward achievement, may lead to new discoveries and opportunities for business to grow in new directions, while giving your team a feeling of true job satisfaction.
Recognition Take the time to express to individual team members – in person or in a hand-written note — just what their talents mean to you and your business. Recall one or two specific incidents in which they really went above and beyond for you, and thank them. Throughout the year, make it a point to thank them for a job well done. Put team events on your calendar, like a teambuilding day outside the office, an appreciation dinner, a holiday party, and a company outing. Calendar and acknowledge team member birthdays and other special days, but also celebrate the “small victories” that happen on a daily basis. Just simply acknowledging the efforts of your team members can be a huge morale boost.
Choose your team members wisely. Give them structure, and the freedom to use their skills and talents within that structure. Encourage them toward achievement, and consistently recognize their efforts and successes. Invest in your team, and SOAR to success!
Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit http://www.stepitupva.com to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.
