Talent: Your people are your superpower *
“Clients do not come first. Employees come first.
If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
Richard Branson
Over the last few years, we’ve worked with business owners from many different sectors and we’ve seen time and time again how vitally important it is to have positive, engaged and motivated employees.
As we go into this New Year, it’s a great time to think about how you value your staff, and why it’s the difference between success and failure. Do you put more time, strategic planning and money into your people or customers? If you switched things around, how much difference would it make?
Our experience has taught us that it’s critical to think about your team… a lot!
Here’s a couple of questions to get you started.
Are your team happy and engaged? How do you know?
What if your employees aren’t happy at work? Quiet discontent (and quiet quitting) can destroy an organisation; affecting customer service, productivity and your bottom line
Business growth is impossible without employee satisfaction and engagement. On your own, you can create structures and strategies for growth, but you van’t physically make everything happen; you need a team who cares, wholeheartedly believes your vision and brings it to life.
We would say that your team are much more important than your customers and now is the time to invest in them - here are 5 reasons why:
Customer care - Every member of your team affects customer interactions and relationships. We know that even one unhappy team member can influence these relationships, creating negativity and poor customer service. Imagine if you have lots of unsatisfied staff and the damage that could cause. You can invest countless hours, energy and resources into customer care, sales and marketing but you also need to make sure your team are on board and ready for action to make it count.
Organisational energy - you know that sense or vibe you get when you walk into a business; this could be a shop, restaurant or office. Usually you'll instantly pick up on aspects of organisational energy or culture and feel energised, or calm, or unsettled, or whatever it might be. We know that a toxic culture and an unhappy team spreads its negative energy out beyond the four walls of the office. The unhappy vibe spreads to home lives, to customers, to bad reviews and even further afield. That’s why it’s critical to know and understand your employees; building up a sense of trust and openness.
Employee empowerment - the positive energy yourpeople can bring to your business is powerful. Think about all the things your business could achieve if you fully trust and empower them. You’ll see them develop solutions you couldn’t have imagined, they’ll collaborate effectively, innovate daily and create value for your organisation beyond your wildest dreams.
Increase your profits - ensuring your people feel valued can increase profitability. Now’s the time to think about the ways you can add value to your employee experience; it could be by evaluating pay, benefits or leave or by looking at how you support and empower people as individuals. Do some research into how the most successful companies look after their people and see how you can make some changes too.
Connection - if you think about it, your people are the only thing that connects management at the top of your businesses to customers and real world interactions. Building strong relationships and connections will build trust and bridges between both worlds. A weak connection creates space for failure.
Building trust, good relationships and fostering empowerment of your employees will create a bright 2023 and beyond. Here at KAIZ3N, we’re in no doubt that your team are more important than customers. Let us know how we can help you achieve your goals this year.
* Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK: In Adversity is Opportunity
