At this time of year it’s important to make space for reflection on this year and to look ahead positively in anticipation to the new year.
In any business or job it is critical for you to get the foundations spot on before scaling your business up. With solid foundations the potential for growth is phenomenal and the fundamentals have to be in place to support this.
So how do you build a business strategy with strong foundations? In this blog I will examine 7 key ways to create your solid strategy.
1. Engage your people
Time and time again I see companies who create a vision and then roll it out to the organisation in a ‘tell’ approach. This is what we are aiming to achieve, this is what we need you to do. This automatically disengages your staff because they do not feel part of the creation and development process. If your staff feel like they have participated the level of ownership they feel towards the strategy is more and therefore your ability to achieve this automatically increases.
2. Onboard Your Staff To Your Company
When any employee begins with your organisation or within your team their first week is crucial to shaping their view of the organisation so it’s vital to make it count. Having a plan in place to help the newbie to meet others in the business and to orientate them to the vision of the organisation helps them feel positive towards the organisation. Knowing their role and where the organisation is going, irrespective of how junior that individual may be, is vital to the achieving the overall business strategy.
3. Focus On Staff Development
Staff training and development isn’t something that should stop once the employee is familiar with their role. It is an ongoing process which when implemented well sees business growth increase exponentially. Well developed employees will feel empowered to innovate, suggest new processes and overall feel engaged in their job. When people feel well equipped to do their job they are invaluable to the business. Many people lack confidence to support moving their team or company forward as they lack some basic skills which would enable them to be high performing in their role.
4. Set Specific Personal Goals
The overall business strategy, vision and purpose needs to be underpinned by clear and tangible goals. As a business if the goals are accessible for all, then it again enables alignment in terms of the strategy. Each individuals’ goals should feed into the larger organisation goals. For example if customer satisfaction scores to be 80+% for the overall organisation. An individual goal for a large % of the organisation would be to maintain excellent levels of customer service with average scores of 90%, this would lead to achievement of the company’s strategic goals.
5. Communication Strategy
How many times have you heard that communication could be better in your team, organisation or in personal relationships? For me it is the so simple yet made so unnecessarily complex. Engaging the relevant people at the right team using simple methods will ensure that that your organisation is set up for success. A communication plan will help ensure that your employees are receiving a consistent message about the organisation’s progress, vision and goals. Regular updates help to keep your team motivated which is another key means to creating a top performing business strategy.
6. Motivation, Motivation, Motivation
Motivation to work for your company, your team, to do a good job and enjoy the journey is key! Don’t expect your employees to do a good job if all they hear is criticism of the work they are doing. What motivates people – by in large recognition that they are appreciated. Also, understanding the importance of their role to the overall vision helps to motivate performance. Some organisations opt to financially incentivise their staff to achieve more throughout their working week. Research however shows that staff are more motivated by by praise and recognition.
7. Recognition
Recognition despite being mentioned above requires to be discussed in its own right. A simple email to recognise an outstanding piece of work or a phone call to say well done are great ways to show your appreciation. More formal methods of recognition like employee awards where top performers are awarded based on consistently excellent performance are a great way to say thank you to your team. Awards also provide staff with something to work towards throughout the year in the hope that they will be formally recognised. Simple recognition regularly maintains staff morale and engagement. Don’t underestimate the power of praise, it goes a long way to helping build a successful and happy workforce. The people are what make your organisation, never undervalue their worth.
To build a strong team the foundations need to be spot on. We at Brightside can support you to do this, so if you want to discuss this further or sign up for our online training course. Please email info@brightsideplanning.co.uk