Jason Foodman is an entrepreneur, board member and CEO. Foodman is the strategic advisor for Sheet.page.
Four words almost every business owner hates hearing from an employee: “That’s not my job.” When an employee utters this simple phrase, it is a sure sign that a certain culture and expectations have failed to take hold in the workplace.
Every task a company needs to accomplish needs to be done by someone, so what environment would encourage an employee to experience this feeling of detachment from the company’s overall goals? What can a leader do to quell these troublesome tendencies and create a sense of pride and ownership throughout an entire organization?
More kitchens, more cooks
When starting a brand new business, the owner naturally feels a very personal and direct sense of ownership. After all, at this point, the new owner is typically responsible for all facets of the business, large and small. Success and failure rest solely on the shoulders of the owner; every job is their job.
However, as the company grows and more investors and employees are added, this initial sense of belonging within each participant often becomes diluted. This isn’t how all businesses scale, but it’s not uncommon either.
Companies implement various measures, such as stock option plans, to try to create and instill a sense of ownership, but it takes more than just a piece of paper or an incentive complex financial situation to achieve this. Additionally, small business employees often work only for a salary or hourly wage and do not own the business. Lack of participation in results results in a lack of sense of ownership on the part of employees.
Remote engagement
Consider what the phrase “it’s not my job” implies: the reason the employee is unwilling to do the work is because it falls outside of their specific “job description” for that job. that moment. It’s not a lack of time or ability; it’s a lack of teamwork and desire.
This mentality is a sign that the employee feels they have no sense of belonging within the company and, therefore, no responsibility or reason to act outside the specific parameters of their role. Even if an employee does not have an actual financial investment in the company, they should have a personal one: their job depends on the success of the company and, hopefully, the growth and success of the company will result in greater rewards for his work.
So how can a leader create this sense of accountability? Here are the five key factors that help develop a sense of belonging among your staff.
1.Vision: Everyone must be aligned on a business vision. It’s easy to say, easy to write, and easy to put on a slide or in an email. It’s not so easy to get others to see the vision with the same clarity and feel the same passion as a business leader. Do this by making the vision something very concise and very specific. An ideal vision is one in which each participant easily grasps and understands their role.
2. Empowerment: Every employee is entrusted with a certain degree of responsibility, and this responsibility must be accompanied by a proportionate degree of authority. You hired this person because you believed in them, at least for this role, so give them the authority to represent the company in this role and make decisions in this role. Showing that trust will not only create a sense of belonging, but will also require less management and thus make the business more efficient.
3. Acknowledgment: When employees do something well, tell them. When their efforts garner praise inside or outside the company, highlight them. Reward their efforts financially and with opportunities for growth and career advancement. Additionally, well-intentioned failures should be viewed as opportunities to learn, grow, and improve.
4. Transparency: Aim for maximum transparency, protecting only highly confidential and private information such as personnel files. When it comes to core business functions, such as sales, marketing, operations, and customer service, everyone in the company should be able to see the discussions happening. Modern group collaboration tools make this possible, enabling open discussions and efforts. This level of transparency creates a sense of belonging and keeps everyone in sync, so embrace it.
5. Lead by example and get strongly involved: A leader sets the standard for how his subordinates will act, whether they like it or not. The manager must therefore be as involved in the activities of the company as any other employee. The leader must work at least as hard as any other employee and just as committed to the work they delegate. For example, to instill a sense of importance in caring for customers, the leader must take a hands-on approach to caring for customers.
He East Our work
Using the techniques above, you can create and strengthen a sense of belonging within a team. There are huge benefits to having this mentality exist throughout an organization; employee satisfaction increases and customers get better products and services. Simply put, it’s worth creating and cultivating an environment where everyone is emotionally involved in the success of the company and where every job is everyone’s job.
Forbes Business Advice is the leading growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Am I eligible?