When you are Successful, Everyone Benefits
Realise how big your contribution is when you are running a successful business. If you have staff, you are providing them with an income and a job, a purpose, the opportunity to grow and be part of your tribe. But even if you don’t employ staff, your business is buying products and services from other businesses and contractors, which creates jobs and opportunities to employ staff within these businesses. The more successful your business, the larger your turnover and profit, which means you will be paying GST, road user and petrol tax, income tax, company tax and more. These taxes contribute to jobs in local and central government which keeps another group of people employed. Your taxes also pay for the health and the education system, social welfare and support to those that don’t want to or are unable to work.
You might not feel that it is appreciated, because you definitely haven’t been told recently, but New Zealand needs you and every other business to succeed. We all need to do a better job supporting startup businesses in our community. It is these businesses that keep our communities alive, vibrant and the ones that prosper will in turn support us back. When there aren’t enough people starting new businesses, our towns and communities die.
Last week, I caught up with a friend who sold his business a year or so ago. Some of the people that worked in the business were shareholders, so the sale of the business had a positive impact on many people. He needed to be reminded however, how his success had actually helped hundreds of people, not only when he had the business but also when he sold it.
New Zealand is a country full of vast opportunities, with a good education available to all, so why is it that some people don’t want to go to school, find a job or start a business?
The answer in most cases is simple, they choose not to! Our challenge is to encourage more people to embrace their opportunities and create a vibrant life, full of success, but at the end of the day they have to want to.
5 Simple things you can do with your staff to reward them for choosing to work for you:
1.Share your business vision with all your staff.
This might be your medium term 5-year vision, which confirms your business purpose, how big you aspire to grow and what contribution you want them to make (spelling out how that will benefit everyone, especially them).
2. Become present by sharing what you are trying to achieve today, this week and this year – do this regularly.
Everyone should have goals for the year with specific goals that they are working on right now. Encourage those you work with to set their own work-related goals, identifying how their success will help you achieve your goals. A good leader measures and communicates progress towards achieving goals. Done weekly, this will help your people remain committed.
3. Empower everyone to own the customer experience and what your customer feels.
Your staff will influence much of what your customers experience, even in situations where you use automation, it is likely they will be the first to receive customer feedback. Encourage your staff, giving them the tools to improve the customer experience because it will encourage them to in turn to talk positively about your business.
4. Recognise and celebrate ALL successes.
It is absolutely essential your staff are rewarded and feel valued. This is a must if you are hoping for their continued effort, allowing you to share in their ongoing success.
5. Encourage your staff to think outside the box to improve their output, results and contribution. Make sure you REALLY listen.
If you can create an organisation that appreciates and embraces creativity and open-minded thinking, you will empower your people to achieve greatness from which you and your customers will benefit.
These 5 things are not difficult to implement and in doing so, I guarantee you will generate better results from your team. It starts with great leadership and clarity from you.