Here are ten steps you might want to take in order to get the best from your employees.
Develop & communicate vision & strategy
- Agree the company’s main purpose and objectives and its plan for achievement.
- Communicate & involve staff so they know why the company exists and buy in to the strategy.
- Remind staff often about what you are aiming for and how you are doing as a business.
- Set and monitor Key Performance Indicators to track progress.
Hire the best people
- Consider carefully what and who you are looking for.
- Have a compelling ‘employer brand’.
- Effectively communicate your brand, especially through recruitment channels.
- Understand where your candidates are hiding & how to reach them.
- Make applying for a job with your company as easy as possible. (You don’t have to make it easy to get the job though!)
Pay attention to culture & values
- Culture is driven by how people experience your company’s:
- Values & beliefs
- Behaviours
- Working environment
- Processes
- Does everything in your company give the impression of a positive culture and values?
- Leaders’ actions and behaviour is key. What do they pay particular attention to?
Organise for success
- Departmental responsibilities should be are clear to all, with no duplication or ‘gaps’.
- Processes should flow seamlessly between departments.
- Resources are structures should be efficient and ‘best fit’ to deliver the strategy.
Clear roles, requirements & measures
- Expectations for each role should be clearly stated and understood.
- The type of skills and attributes a person needs to suit the role should also be clear so that you can recruit and train people well.
- Outputs required of the role should be clearly stated and measured e.g. KPIs
Actively manage performance
- A practical approach should be taken at company, department and individual level to:
- Plan and specify expected outputs / measures.
- Track and review actual performance.
- Make necessary adjustments to address any problems observed.
- Managers should be trained in the skills of performance management i.e. set objectives, provide feedback and coach their team to make improvements.
Develop skills & talents
- Train your people to maintain necessary skills and qualities to be the best at what you do.
- Anticipate future requirements and train to stay ahead of the game.
- Identify your key talent and do what it takes to develop and retain them.
- Praise the best examples of performance
Get the most out of your pay budget
- Understand the pay market in your sector / area and pay the going rate to get good people through the door.
- Incentivise the right outputs and behaviours and reward the best.
- Be creative about benefits.
Manage risk and integrity
- Provide professional employment documents and policies
- Understand and demonstrate fair treatment to support a healthy, diverse culture and manage the risk of discrimination claims
- Train your line managers in the essential requirements of managing people
Motivate your people
- Understand what makes your people tick
- Think about helping your people to achieve:
- Autonomy – being trusted to make decisions and influence things.
- Mastery – becoming the best that they can be.
- Purpose – felling part of something that has positive goals beyond just the profit motive.