Let’s talk about a team of 10 employees. If all of them are bringing 80% of their game to work every week, solid B work, you are probably doing well as an organization. But think about what is getting left on the table. What if your greatest opportunity for growth was already in the business or team? How can we get our A team to show up with their A game more frequently?
1. Ask Great Questions: Draw them into the conversation. Here is the secret, you have to really listen, and build their ideas and input into the plan. Almost every time you ask for insight, your solutions get better.
2. Show Sincere Appreciation: “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated,” William James, creator of modern psychology. ‘Thank you’ is good, but, giving effective and specific appreciation is an art that leaders must master.
3. Pull The Weeds: If one of your ten employees is a thorny, droopy thistle, PULL THAT WEED! The remaining nine will probably get 50% more done without the morale crushing distraction of a non-performer (see previous blog on the Dance of the Lemons).
Take action on 1 & 2 today.