Page 30 - Australasian paint & Panel Sep-Oct 2021

30
Business Matters
PAINT&PANEL
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
company to succeed, you need people engaged and enthusiastic about what they do. To create this kind of enthusi- asm in your employees, you need to make each person feel like their voice is important and their opinions matter.
Another way is to create an ideas box for your employees or put up a bulletin board where people can post their ide- as. This adds a sense of fun and com- munity to the business, and it’s more
If your team members are
committed to a shared goal, they’ll have more fun
working towards it.
likely that others will get involved. En- couraging employees to make sugges- tions gives them a sense of ownership, and they’ll feel more personally invest- ed in the new systems or program you’re implementing.
MAKE YOUR TEAM’S IDEAS
PART OF THE PROJECT
After you’ve gathered all of the feedback and ideas from your employees, it’s time to put their thoughts into action. You can either put all of their ideas together and create a new system or program from scratch, or you can choose some of their main suggestions to implement for your project while leaving out others that don’t fit the company’s goals. This will help keep everyone interested in the project because they’ll feel like they had an active role in making it happen. After they see the finished product, they’ll be more likely to use it and enjoy working with it because it’s something that they had a hand in making.
SAY THANK YOU
It’s never too late to say a simple “Thanks” for the things that employees do at work. People remember positive feedback far more than they remember negative feedback. If you want your em- ployees to feel encouraged and motivat- ed, then make sure you are always offer- ing constructive criticism to help them improve, but always let them know with your words and actions that you appreci- ate all the things they do for you.
BE CONSISTENT
In the beginning, it will take a lot of time and energy to get your employees involved in creating new systems and programs. But once everyone is on board with the project, it can actually save you a lot of stress and effort in the long run because you’ll have people keeping track of ongoing processes for you.
If your team members are committed to a shared goal, they’ll have more fun working towards it and will be more excited about the things that are happening at work.
If you really want your team to buy into a program or system, then make sure to get their input on what needs to be done. By involving them early in the process, you can help ensure that they have a vested interest in the finished product.
Make sure your employees know that their ideas will be put into action and not just ignored or dismissed. Once you’ve gathered all of their feedback, get as much input from them as possible about how they would like things done - this will help ensure that they feel invested in the process and motivated about the finished product.
CREATE A SYSTEM
FOR FEEDBACK
Sometimes it can be difficult for you as the business owner or manager to be able to give quality constructive criticism to your team because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. But if you’re honest with them and help them improve, then they will have no choice but to be enthusiastic about the systems that you’ve set up in the company. You should encourage feedback from your employees so that you both can learn from each other.
A strong team is all about finding the right people, then training them appropri- ately and providing them with the tools they need to succeed.
When you approach them about a pro- gram or system they’re going to be us- ing, tell them that you really value their opinions and that they are important to the project. Then ask them what they think about the system, why they like or dislike it and how they would improve it. Be sure to listen carefully and not dis- miss their ideas right away if you don’t agree with them immediately.
Instead, try to find points in their suggestions that make sense. If there are aspects that won’t work well for your company, then explain why you don’t think it’s a good idea and suggest an alternative.
Remember to always make them feel like their opinions matter - that way, they’ll be more likely to take the time to get involved in your project.
BRAINSTORMING IDEAS
Once you’ve established a relationship of trust with your employees, you can start to get their input on creating a new system or program. If you want your
Ben Fewtrell is the author of the Business Exceleration Blueprint, is a sought-after advisor, speaker, podcast host and trainer. He has mentored and coached hundreds of business owners in dozens of industries, including collision repair. Visit Maxmyprofit.com.au