Your employees are disengaged because they think YOU are.
Everything starts at the top, and what may begin as a little stress and overwhelm can easily turn into full-on dissociation (for you and your team). It's not that your employees don't care about their jobs - it's that they think YOU'RE too busy to care about how well they're performing.
So, how do you end this burnout cycle so you can bridge the gap between yourself and your team? Here's what to consider:
Move from solitary to shared leadership
Think long and hard about what tasks you're performing now that you could easily be passing on to a manager or employee. Delegation is arguably the most challenging aspect of running a business, but it's a question you should constantly be asking yourself, especially if you're already spread thin.
Embracing delegation not only alleviates your workload but it also empowers your employees, who gain new skills and responsibilities, boosting their engagement and satisfaction.
Redefine your role as a leader
Stop thinking of yourself as a perpetual problem-solver, and begin to embrace the idea of being a coach who encourages your team to find answers on their own. You have the ultimate vision for your business, and in order to realize it, you have to start focusing less on day-to-day operations and more on setting the direction, inspiring the team, and developing the potential in others.
Ask for and implement feedback from your team
This shift is arguably the most important to implement if you truly want to reconnect and engage your team. The primary reason why they've lost motivation is because they don't feel as though they have the tools and resources they need to truly thrive in their roles, nor do they feel like there's anything they can do to change that.
Ownership is the ultimate driver of motivation, so take the time to ask your team what they want and need in order to succeed, and hold yourself accountable to creating and providing that to them.
Which of these is most challenging for you to shift as a business owner? Reply back and let me know, and feel free to send over any other employee engagement topics you want to see covered here!
Things I found helpful this week:
- This LinkedIn post by Roberto Ferraro that highlights the importance of simplifying decision-making and touches on the dangers of analysis paralysis.
- This podcast episode from the Science of Success podcast where psychologist Benjamin Hardy explains how we have far more control over our environment than we think and can engineer it to make ourselves more productive.
- This quote: "Coaching isn't therapy. It's product development, with you as the product." - Pete Carroll
I hope you found something helpful or insightful here - please reply back and let me know what topics you’d like me to cover in future issues. See you next Thursday!
-Anais
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