Three ways to rocket your team’s performance in the year ahead

So when you take a look back at how your business performed last year, are you satisfied with what was achieved? A little reflection is always useful, but now’s the time to start thinking about the future. No doubt you have big plans for the next 12 months - targets to meet and goals to smash?  And if you want to ensure that these plans become a reality, then you’ll be only too aware how important it is to give some serious consideration to making sure you get the most out of your staff.

Sometimes though, this can be much easier said than done. Every business owner knows that improving performance could be key to overall growth, but you’ll need some solid strategies to make this happen.

You’ll be pleased to hear then that we can help at The Human Resource. Let’s take a look at three ways to rocket your team’s performance for the year ahead:

1       Provide challenges that are stretching but achievable

No one ever achieved great things by just coasting along without a challenge. Your staff should be stretched, but there’s a fine balance to strike. Give them too much to handle, and you’re not going to get the desired outcome. It might be time to assess your staff’s performance objectives, and consider whether they’re really fit for purpose.

Your line managers will play a big part in making this a success. They’ll know their team members best, and so you need to make sure they’re capable of helping their people to set goals, and just as importantly, ensuring they believe that they can achieve them.

2       Outline the value of the work outside the context of the business

If you’ve done any reading or research into best practice when it comes to managing a team, then you’ll know that it makes sense to encourage everyone to realise how their work helps the business to grow and meet its objectives. In other words, your staff should understand how what they’re doing fits into the bigger picture.

You can take things a step further than this though. Are your people aware of ways their work makes a worthwhile contribution, profits and growth aside? Most businesses have some kind of social impact, and this can often be a great motivator for staff. Does your organisation make a positive contribution to the community? Are you changing the lives of your customers and clients?

3       Recognise achievements as part of day-to-day business

Most of us can take huge amounts of personal satisfaction away from simply knowing that we’ve done a good job. Often, this alone can encourage us to strive to be even better. But let’s be completely honest here. Most of us also enjoy being suitably rewarded for our efforts.

This isn’t necessarily about financial incentives, it’s about rewards that are proportionate to the achievement. It’s about applying the same principles across the board. It’s about considering your reward and recognition processes as a whole, rather than just worrying about budget restraints. And ultimately, it’s about getting to the stage where ‘the annual performance review’ isn’t a one-off activity, but part of an ongoing dialogue.

Team performance is important, and this is your chance to make sure that you’ve laid the right foundations for the year ahead. Are you ready, or are you lagging behind?

If you’re keen to rocket your team's performance this year by providing stretching challenges for your people, communicating the value of the work you do and recognising achievement,  or if you're concerned that employee motivation could be damaging your business, then we can help at The Human Resource. Get in touch today by phone on 07884 475303 or email enquiries@thehr.co.uk.