The moment your business gets large enough that you need staff, you have a staff management requirement. Our experience shows that staff management is one of the most neglected skills in the SME market in New Zealand.

Four ways to build a powerful team

You need your employees to help you drive your business and there are four things you must do.

1. Meet with your direct reports every week

If you are a small business with 5 staff or less, that’s everyone. Make sure your staff know who their leader is. All leaders in your business must meet with each team member weekly.

If you aren’t meeting with your direct reports each week, you’re making a major mistake in your business – and you’re strangling your growth potential.

Based on decades of research, a key to improved employee performance is spending dedicated one-on-one time with their boss on a weekly basis. Spending time with your direct reports each week is a proven way to make them into superstars – and take tasks off your to-do list by delegating them to a capable individual.

2. Never delegate without providing coaching and guidance

While taking tasks off your to-do list is absolutely essential, most business owners do this the wrong way. The biggest mistake business owners make is expecting their employees to be mind readers. Giving your employee a task and simply expecting them to figure it out for themselves is a recipe for disaster.

As the business owner, it’s your responsibility to provide the coaching, support, and guidance your employees need to be successful in their work.

As your employees take on bigger responsibilities and projects, you need to ensure they get regular feedback to ensure their success.

3. Never treat an employee like a computer

You need to treat your employees like people, and not like a computer program.

This means connecting with them on a mental and emotional level, discovering what makes them tick, and using that information to bring out the best in their performance.

It may seem complex, but it doesn’t have to be! Just take the time to make some human connections, and take note of what motivates them.

4. Set and review goals regularly

If you want to get the best performance possible out of your employees, it’s simpler than it looks. You just need to use a Goal Setting and Review program.

This is a structured weekly meeting. Long-term users refer to it as the single most important meeting a business owner can have in their business, whether you’re a small six-figure start-up, or a large established business.

These meetings are more important than those with customers or other relationships a business might have.

Start using this technique and you will see rapid growth without burnout – and extraordinary results in your business.

Don’t know how to get started? Contact one of our Business Advisors now.