Good leadership not only improves employee retention but also increases morale. In turn, these improvements make for a better company culture and brand, as well as increased productivity for the company. Taking the necessary steps to make your team feel valued can be simple. Below are some tips for implementing best practices.
Do Small Things to Show Your Appreciation
Showing appreciation can go a long way in not only improving morale but re-affirming an employee’s dedication to their role. Gestures can be simple: from a quick email just letting them know how much you enjoy having them on your team to a call or handwritten note expressing your gratitude for their contributions. Make it personal and specific. Consider highlighting their accomplishments and tell them that you value them.
Make Time to Connect with Your Team
Leading a team or a department is a lot of responsibility and can make things like connecting personally feel like a low priority. It is actually a top priority that should be done on a regular basis. It can help a team feel valued when you take the time to get to know them. Find out what’s going on in their personal lives and be empathetic when they share. Ask questions. Get to know what additional tools they need to succeed.
Make sure to have one-on-one conversations regularly so that you can listen and show that you are approachable. This is a good way to show your team members they can speak freely about what is bothering them or how they are doing in the job. This can open many avenues for you to improve the team’s function and cohesion.
Honesty and Transparency
Being honest and transparent with your team is a must. Some leaders believe that keeping bad news to yourself is better for the team, but many times bad news or hard truths can not only help the team commit and work harder but also give them something to focus on improving. It is difficult for a team to know the direction they are headed if they are only provided with good news.
Give Them Ownership
Ownership of projects and tasks is important for improving engagement and making team members feel valued (even more so if you run a project-oriented team). It allows them to care about what they do because they know that they are taking ownership over it, and it gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills and not get lost in the crowd.
Once your team sees that you care about them, that you value them for more than just filling a role, and that you will give them ownership over their projects, they are much more likely to go the extra mile for you and the company.
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