The New Year always brings promise, excitement and of course resolutions with it. With that said, if you’ve nailed down your personal resolutions for the year and haven’t considered what you could change for your business just yet, now is the time.
Why are business resolutions so vital? As a business owner you should always be striving for growth, success, and happy employees. Without these components, your business will remain stagnant and as a result may not produce the profitability and expansion, you’re hoping for in 2019.
The good news is that as a small business owner your resolutions don’t need to be extravagant or elaborate; but rather, following some simple habits and processes should produce the results you’re after, giving your business a boost to create more confidence for yourself, more engaged and happier employees and a more successful business.
While these simple tips don’t have a direct impact on profit sales, or gross margin, they will positively impact these important financial measures for as long as you are in business.
These refer more to the behaviors and habits and how they affect employee productivity. Each of these can impact your overall results and change your level of business success forever.
If You are a Small Business Owner Review the Following:
You should allow your team to be involved in goal setting. Remember that even though you are the final decision maker, your team is invested in your business as well and helps significantly in its overall success. They spend their time, effort, and energy daily at your place of business. Wouldn’t it be nice to have them more personally invested in the success of the business?
If you answer yes, you’ll need to keep them involved in the goals at hand and enhance overall employee engagement. Keeping this in mind is important to achieve higher commitment levels and ultimately greater success. Involve them as much as possible in all aspects of your business ambitions. You may set the overall direction but let them be involved in the creation of the outcomes. Slowing down enough to involve them in this important work is a big key to greater involvement, commitment and success.
Keep Business Goals Transparent and in Sight
Once goals have been established, be sure to remind your staff and management of them on a regular basis. We don’t mean nagging your team but simply providing friendly reminders to stay focused through regular motivation and reminders. You can do this in many forms; for instance, you may have an online portal you use, a bulletin board, or weekly staff meetings where you can discuss progress and any concerns in person.
Increase and Expand Communication
As a manager, you need to communicate important messages through the proper avenue of communication. This means also ensuring that the message you sent was in fact received and read. Doing so, especially as your team gets bigger, requires communicating more regularly and in different modes, so your message is sure to be heard and drive action.
Listen More, Talk Less
At first this may seem contradictory to the last resolution. As with most complex things in life, balance is the key. In trying to make sure their point is made, or to stimulate a discussion, leaders will often share all of their ideas and then ask the rest of the team for input. At that point it is often too late.
If your boss just spent ten minutes sharing their ideas, then asked for you input, how likely would you be to chime in? When you want the team’s input and ideas, you must ask questions and shut up! Let the group share their ideas as a means of team building. Be patient and give them time. If they don’t think of a key idea or piece of information, you can share it later in the conversation with greater effect. This approach also helps you listen better and be a better boss– because it is hard to listen while you are talking!
Organize and Declutter
Your workplace should be free from overflowing documents, clutter and general disorganization.
When it is clear there is distraction, focusing on the business goals at hand could be tricky. Productivity levels may drop, and you may find your staff are lacking enthusiasm and attention to detail. A clean space promotes a fresh mind and is generally a more positive environment to work in. Shred your old documents through a professional shredding company for peace of mind and security. If you don’t need them, they are only contributing to the clutter that is building up in your office.
Set an Example
Your team is watching and emulating you. Are your behaviors the ones you want them to showcase? Is your attitude, work habits, and customer focus in line with what you want to see? Looking at the attitudes and behaviors of your team is almost like viewing yourself in the mirror. If you’re happy with what you see, fantastic! If not, look in the mirror more carefully and recognize that the source of your frustration with other’s behavior probably begins with you.
Like many New Year’s resolutions, these may seem daunting, but they don’t need to be. In fact, they only take a change in mindset and some habit formation to achieve. You will be thankful and glad you put in the effort in the end, as you and your team will surely benefit from positive results.
Tri-State Shredding is here to help make your 2019 a successful and secure one! We’ll help you limit your clutter through our document shredding services, which save you time, hassle, and money.
Get in touch to learn more at 717-233-5606