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“You’re only as strong as the weakest member of your team.” How many times have we heard that adage? Better question: How many times have we actually used it?
In a business setting, it can be easy to lose sight of your team when you are fixated on bootstrapping expenses, making as much progress as possible and increasing your bottom line. Investing in the business and the work you put into it gradually takes over while the investment that you put into your team slides further and further to the back burner.
Building a loyal team may seem like an art, but it can be broken down into a methodology, an actual science. There are a few key steps you can take to treat your team with the respect and care they deserve, bringing them together for both the short-term benefits and long-term success of your business.
Here are eight things I’ve implemented in my own agency that have helped us build a loyal team:
1. Pay above market.
You can’t make your business run successfully without a team. Growth and expansion become impossible, and you will eventually end up working 16-hour days before you come to a grinding halt. Financially investing in your team members shows them that you both respect them and appreciate their work. Pay them above the market, and they will not only be more likely to stay with your business, but also, in return, they will invest more in their work and the team.
2. Provide a sense of purpose and vision.
What are we working toward every day? Some businesses have mission statements, whereas others don’t. Ask yourself these questions:
• Do you have a mission statement?
• Does it speak to the values of your business family and the goals within your company?
• Is your mission statement broad or to the point?
Your vision should be one that you and your team are passionate about and that inspires them to work hard toward making a positive change. Be sure to give them a clear sense of what your business’s purpose is and, likewise, what you are working toward. Always keep in mind: The more specific, the better.
3. Involve your team in your goals.
Your team members are key stakeholders in your company; their livelihood depends on it. That being said, have you thought of involving your team with goal-setting and what you are going to do to get there?
Building a loyal team means involving them in setting goals and designing the process that will get you there. Give them a voice and a say in the business.
4. Share your financial success (yes, pay even more) with a monthly bonus program.
Having a great company culture and involving your team in key decisions is incredibly valuable for building loyalty within your team. You also need to ensure that they are financially incentivized as well.
When your company has a win, the fruits of your labors should be shared with anyone who was involved. If you just landed a big deal or finished a project that led to some sizable profits for your company, pay out a bonus to the team.
5. Provide a work-life balance by offering more time off.
Having little work-life balance is something that is unsustainable for long periods of time. If you encourage your team to be working and checking their email all the time, how long do you think they are going to last before they burn out and start looking for positions at other companies?
Make sure that you have clearly defined times and days of when people are working and when they are off the clock. Give your team more time off so that they can rest, recuperate and feel both refreshed and revitalized when returning to the office.
Try to minimize the amount of out-of-office work you are putting on them. Doing this can not only make them more productive and happier in the office, but it can also build team loyalty and keep team members with you longer.
6. Give clear direction.
There’s nothing more frustrating than not having a clear direction when you’re working, especially when someone tells you later that you haven’t been doing something correctly. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
In a leadership role, it is important that you give clear, specific direction for what needs to be accomplished. This includes a reasonable time frame in which the task needs to be accomplished, along with what purpose it is going to serve. This will give your team direction and clarity to knock out tasks and projects while avoiding the frustrations of unclear goals or directions.
7. Celebrate wins.
This is a big one that isn’t talked about often. I believe one of the biggest reasons that loyalty deteriorates within an organization is team members only hear when they are doing something wrong. Make sure you let your team members know when they are doing something right, too. When you see great work, even if it’s still in progress, notice it out loud. Celebrating those wins with the rest of the team is just one example. This can also inadvertently create other team members wanting that recognition and have them striving for this deserved attention.
8. Have coaching conversations.
Let your team know that you are invested in them. Sit down with them periodically to have coaching conversations. Use this as an opportunity to ask them questions about how they are doing and how things are going in their role. This is a great time to open yourself up to advice, pointers and tactics that will help them manage and accomplish their responsibilities. Give them a ton of encouragement, and (going back to point 7) celebrate their wins and their strengths.
Follow these eight guiding principles to get on the right track to developing a more loyal and productive team.
