Running a business (or playing a key role in one) involves many responsibilities. One of the more important is managing employees. You need to inspire your team to reach their full potential. When you can generate passion among your workers, they’re more likely to be engaged, which means they’re more likely to be productive.
This is difficult to achieve if you have a tense relationship with your employees. Think of yourself as a boss, and you may start to adopt behaviors that don’t promote a strong and healthy communication style.
That’s why it may be better if you think of yourself as a coach. Your role isn’t to force your employees to do their best. Instead, you’re helping them reach their goals.
Not sure how to adopt this managerial style? These points will help.
Give Regular Feedback
Your employees probably want to receive more feedback than you’re currently providing. Surveys confirm it.
That doesn’t mean the feedback needs to be exclusively positive. Employees are simply more likely to be engaged when they know if they are performing to their supervisors’ expectations. While there may be times when you need to give a member of your team negative feedback, you can still engage them by offering suggestions or opportunities for improvement.
This is a crucial element of coaching. Coaches don’t meet with team members once a year for a performance review. They’re actively involved in giving consistent, regular feedback. This is how they help team members grow. You should adopt the same approach.
That said, not all feedback is equally effective. The feedback you provide your employees with needs to be actionable. They can’t use your suggestions in any sort of positive manner if your suggestions are too vague.
Provide Growth Opportunities
A coach doesn’t immediately cut a player simply because they aren’t realizing their full potential. Although there are instances when a team member isn’t pulling their weight, there are also plenty of instances when team members simply need chances to develop their skills. Coaches learn to recognize when this is the case. They also identify the best way to support their players.
You should do the same. When employees are struggling, find ways to help them overcome their challenges. This may involve distributing tasks differently, offering training programs, providing access to educational resources, finding an office mentor for them, and much more. It’s worth noting that offering growth opportunities is another proven way to boost employee engagement.
Acknowledge Contributions
Have you ever paid attention to the way coaches appear to treat their players immediately after winning major championship games? They drop the stern facade of a boss. Instead, they’re smiling, congratulatory, and clearly indicating to players that their contributions are appreciated.
This is another habit you should pick up as well. Recognizing employees for their hard work is one of the simplest but most effective ways to engage them.
More importantly, consider recognizing employees publicly when doing so feels appropriate. Other members of your team will be more inspired to work hard if they see you’ll reward them.
There will be times when you’re tempted to act like a traditional “boss.” There may even be times when doing so is necessary. In general, however, you should adopt a coaching approach. You’ll enjoy a far more productive relationship with your employees as a result.
