To retain your best employees, you need to offer ongoing growth and development opportunities to help them achieve and maintain their full potential – and continuously raise that bar as they reach even higher in their careers. If you meet this need, they’ll do so under your roof, versus your competitors.’
Always be poised to equip your employees to succeed, build relationships, and be better leaders. The end results will pay off for everyone involved.
Measure employees’ potential against key leadership competencies.
Track the progress of your high-performing employees against such leadership competencies as team management, relationship building, and communication – with a particular emphasis on the latter. The ability to effectively lead a team depends on successful two-way communication, whether it’s in one-on-one conversations, small group meetings, or larger forums. It requires active listening, along with a consistent demonstration of confidence, conviction, and clarity.
Help employees build their emotional intelligence.
As employees develop into stronger team leaders, they’ll need to delegate and rely on others to get the work done. This requires trust support and guidance; in a nutshell, it is based on a high level of emotional intelligence (EI). And two central facets of EI are self-awareness and empathy. Both are required to manage conflict, coach and mentor others, and provide motivation. With dedicated behavioral change, these soft skills can be learned and sharpened. So be sure to build them into your overall training strategy.
Promote individuality.
Pay attention to each individual employee’s strengths and passions, so you can assign them to tasks that best utilize those qualities. As an added benefit, engagement levels will likely be heightened, as people work on assignments they enjoy and are naturally good at.
Keep your door open.
Model strong leadership tendencies in everything you do. This includes, among your top priorities, always being accessible as a manager yourself. When employees feel comfortable coming to you with questions or for guidance, they not only have a better understanding of mutual expectations, but they also thrive in their own roles.
Build strong teams.
Creating strong teams allows employees to learn from one another and build upon each other’s strengths. Peer-to-peer learning can be very powerful, as people become less afraid to make mistakes, knowledge is continually boosted, and confidence grows in a mutually supportive environment. You may want to foster peer mentor relationships as part of this approach.
Provide cross training.
Empower employees by expanding their roles and giving them new tasks. Encourage them to stretch beyond their comfort zones, and help them along the way. Cross-training is a great way to start. Eliminate any barriers to people succeeding and becoming their best possible selves.
At PrideStaff Northern Kentucky, it’s no accident that we have the word “pride” in our name. We pride ourselves on helping leading companies – and their workforces – grow and prosper. This includes the latest solutions in employee training and development. Reach out to us today to learn more about what we can do for you.
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