There’s no secret that your greatest business asset is your employees. They require cultivation and attention just as much as your budget or marketing strategy. The challenge? People are unpredictable. People are nuanced. No two people are the same, and no two people will respond the same way to the same directive or motivation.

This is the art of management: managing the progress of the whole with the individual needs and development of the employee. Success in business requires achieving success at both ends. Start by implementing these general strategies to empower your employees:

• Give them a little leeway. They say there is more than one way to skin a cat. Unless you want to spend all of your time micromanaging your employees, give them a little leeway on accomplishing their next project. As long as the goals, deadlines, and global expectations are understood and met, give them space to work. Not only will they grow in the process, they’ll grow in confidence knowing they have your trust. And a little confidence is crucial to taking smart, calculated risks – which are the key to progress! After all, if you could do everything yourself, you wouldn’t have employees, so let them take the reins!

• Don’t make them read between the lines. Be clear. Crystal clear. The more explicitly you communicate your goals and expectations, the more confident your employee will feel taking on a project. This goes back to tip #1 – communication is key to developing trust and keeping those lines open and accessible is important along the way.

• Be personal. A good employee is more than just an employee. Why are they at work in the first place? Likely there is some external motivation driving them, such as a family, hobby, or personal endeavor. Understanding and respecting the multi-faceted nature of your employees is important to creating a healthy workplace. It also helps to personalize them and give them deeper meaning. When you no longer see your employee as a source of production (and they you as a paycheck), they are able to appreciate you for your role in support of them on a larger scale. A supportive, positive workplace is a happy and thriving one!

• Encourage (& demonstrate) balance. Bob needs to leave early to coach T-ball? Christine doesn’t want to miss her son getting off the bus on his first day of kindergarten? No problem. As mentioned earlier, employees are people, and treating them as such is a great way to empower them. Be sure to set expectations, however, on how and when they have flexibility in their schedule. How do you want that communicated? How much is too much? Life is all about balance, and happy, fulfilled employees are productive ones!

Check out the full article from Business.com, featuring six more tips on how to empower your employees. Your business (and bottom line) will thank you for it!

How do you empower and aid in the personal development of your employees? After all, personal development IS business development, so don’t overlook it! Give us a call at Piccolo Marketing at 615-348-7768 – we want to help you Build Your Damn Business!