One of the biggest differences between a freelance worker and an entrepreneur is that, in most cases, freelancers work on their own. Even though entrepreneurs might also decide to do this, they start a business to grow and hire more staff. It is true whether you are the founder of a new enterprise or you decide to buy a franchise in early education services, food, retail, transportation, or home services.
As a result, a challenge many new business owners face is having to deal with people. After all, no two human beings are exactly alike. Some might respond to incentive-based management styles when it comes to work, while others may focus on colleagues and the work environment.
Still, there are ways for entrepreneurs to navigate through these waters effectively. There are things you can do to ensure your staff is well-motivated and committed to the organization.
Let us look at a few of them.
Having Clear Goals
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “if you have a why, you can endure any how.” If you know the reasons why you are doing something and place value on them, chances are you will work hard and do whatever it takes to achieve it.
For instance, let us imagine you need to work overtime every day and have to deal with an unbearable boss. If you know your loving wife and young son are waiting for you at home, and they need the food and shelter that your income will provide, this will give you the energy to keep going and the mental fortitude to endure whatever comes your way. On the other hand, if nothing and nobody is waiting for you, there might be no reason to continue working.
As a result, business owners must have clear goals their workforce not only understands but also buys into. When a goal is there to benefit only the organization, employees will see no point in working hard.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
As most animal experts and pet owners will tell you, even if two dogs are brothers and have been living together for their entire lives, there is a very high possibility that their personalities will differ. If this happens with animals that are arguably much less developed and complex than human beings, why would someone expect two people to behave the same way?
Yet, this is what happens in plenty of organizations. Many leaders believe they can use the same management approach with all employees. Of course, if one deals with different people in completely different ways, this would create chaos in an enterprise, and staff members would complain about biased or unfair treatment.
Still, managers can incorporate subtle differences in their methods. While one employee will respond much more favorably to constant feedback, another could prefer working in an empowering environment where he can tackle his tasks without interruption.
The Importance of Recognition
Shy people often feel embarrassed when recognized in public. Many start sweating and cannot put together an understandable sentence. But this doesn’t mean they don’t want to be recognized. It also doesn’t mean it is better if nobody says anything to them when they do great work.
Oftentimes, those running their businesses forget the immense power of simple words like well done, thank you for your contributions, or I’m proud of the work you put in this project. They feel as though there is no value to them, and it’s a matter of paying unwanted lip service.
It couldn’t further from the truth. Recognition and rewards are important, much more so than one would think. And it doesn’t always have to be money. It can also be an extra day off, a certificate of appreciation, or even a small benefit like temporary free access to the company gym.
Remember that praise, recognition, and rewards only work when done with the utmost honesty. If you give someone in your firm an award, make sure you do it for the right reasons, and this person is of high value to you. The last thing you want is to be fake.
If you are an entrepreneur and want your business to flourish, make sure you hire the right people. And once you do that, put in place the right mechanisms to keep them.
Three of these mechanisms are having clear goals that the entire staff can relate to, applying different management styles to different people, and understanding the importance of recognition and rewards.
By doing this, your company will have started its journey to success on the right foot.
