The Great Resignation. The skills gap. The labor shortage. Attribute it to what you will, but employers everywhere are struggling with talent pipelines like never before, with an end to disruption still impending. To meet the unique workforce challenges of 2022 and beyond, the most successful business leaders will focus on their current people and aiding their skill growth
Value successful behaviors over individuals
When employees believe only certain people are successful in your organization and others are not, there’s no incentive for improving their performance
- Instead of telling your team members to “be more like Jessica,” your star employee, telling them to “diligently review your work for errors, just like Jessica” is a much more effective way to encourage growth
Offer public recognition
While recognition, acknowledgement, and praise reinforce positive behaviors, doing so publicly magnifies them
- Take 15 minutes each week to stop and consider what progress people have made that you haven’t recognized publicly
- Send out a flurry of one-sentence texts or emails to call out any tiny, positive choices right then and there
Proactively change poor behavior
Reach out to strugglers on your team and communicate which behaviors are holding them back and which will make them successful
- Ben Marcovitz is the founder and CEO of the Rise Institute, which focuses on people’s ability to surpass expectations
- Clearly communicate what it takes to succeed in your workplace, recognize even the tiniest instances of that behavior, and take action to support strugglers when they need it
Be clear from the start on the path to success
Immediately immerse them in your behavioral expectations by pairing them up with your best employees
- Try creating a “scavenger hunt” worksheet focusing on the behaviors you value the most
- Encourage new employees to follow your best performers around and look for those behaviors
Make your approval accessible to everyone
Leaders of high-growth teams constantly look for tiny things to recognize to counteract limiting mindsets and give employees momentum
- An acknowledgement such as “That was a great memo you wrote,” or “Thanks for being on time every day when I know your whole family is sick,” tells your employee they caught your attention and workplace success doesn’t need to be a struggle each time.
