Imagine this.
You’ve been hiking a trail for hours and then come upon a steep incline and a log laying across the path. Instead of encouraging yourself to climb the incline and move the log, you decide to turn around and hike back to the beginning of the trail.
Believe it or not, this same thing happens in businesses all the time.
Sometimes a manager will notice that an employee isn’t performing well, but nothing is said to him or her.
Why does this happen?
Because let’s admit it, confrontation can be scary.
You may think you’re taking the easier route by letting an employee avoid accountability, but actually, you may be going in the complete opposite direction.
Just like the hike. Instead of encouraging yourself to climb the incline and move the log, you ignore it and turn around. And where does that put you? Right back at the beginning of the trail.
If an employee of yours is underperforming, you may think they have a lack of skills. But the may just need a push of encouragement and greater accountability to improve.
If you, as a manager, fail to check-in and set those expectations, he or she may feel devalued, ignored, and will continue to feel more and more discouraged.
Having an employee that feels devalued and unappreciated may lead to a lot of tension in the workplace, something no company wants!
Additionally, if your other employees start to see that lower standards are okay, your business may not perform with full potential.
Addressing this problem, rather than ignoring it, will be super beneficial to your employees and business!
So how can you do this?
Three things can be done!
Communicate About the Individual’s Goals
You may know what you want and what you want the business to look like, but do you know what your employees want?
Take the time to discuss with your employees what their personal goals are. In what areas do they want to grow? What do they want to do to help your business to improve?
Asking these questions will help you help them! More than likely, people are already aware of their strengths. Asking them about their strengths will help you better align them within your business.
It’s important to remember that if you hold somebody accountable for your own goals, they will resent you, but if you hold someone accountable for their own goals, they will thank you.
Taking this step will strengthen your relationship with your employees and establish trust, comfort, and confidence.
Clearly Identify Expectations
Once you know their own goals, you can communicate together to set expectations. What do you expect from them, and what do they expect from you? Cleary doing this will help to avoid any grey areas! In addition to that, it gives both you and your employees a reciprocated desire to reach goals and standards for each other. One of the greatest forms of love is accountability, and communicating about expectations will show you care!
Do Regular Check-ins
Regularly give your employees your time and attention! Alternating between scheduled and sporadic check-ins will make a huge difference in the growth of your employees and business!
A scheduled check-in can have an agenda in which both of you are prepared to talk about roadblocks and other areas that may need attention!
A sporadic check-in, such as grabbing lunch, allows you to strengthen the relationship and to dig deeper into their own goals!
Take a look at how your employees are performing. Are they meeting standards? If not, it may be time to practice these three steps.
Start practicing these three steps in your workplace and watch your team and business strengthen through communication!