This is part 1 of a series of articles about this topic
Ask yourself the following questions:
Where will your business in five years? What are your revenues? Profits? What services/products are you offering?
Now think about how you’re how will you get it there? Are you going at it alone?
If you want to scale your business, you’re going to need help from your employees. But how and, maybe more importantly, why will they help you?
Despite what you may think, offering your employees a bigger paycheck isn’t going to keep them engaged in your vision or even with your company for the long haul.
The High Performance Paradigm
There has emerged in recent years an exciting new paradigm known as high performance work systems that is changing the way we think about people and how work is organized.
A high performance organization could be defined as an organization in which each person is a contributing partner to the business. High performance work environments require a deep respect and trust in people.
People are not viewed as extensions of machines, objects to be manipulated nor costs to be controlled but rather as thinking and feeling human beings who bring enormous energy, creativity and talent to their work. Most people want jobs that are meaningful and allow them autonomy to make decisions and contribute to the company in significant ways.
Effective organizations are those moving beyond attempting to control people to trusting and empowering them with the resources, information, tools, skills and support to manage their work processes and create products and services of unprecedented quality.
In a recent study, employees reported that being challenged and intrigued by their work (48%), having a work-life balance (41%), and being part of the organization’s growth plan (34%) were the top reasons they would stay with a company long term, according to Aberdeen Group.
When you create a high performance culture and work systems, your employees will care more about their jobs and be more invested in the success of your company You’re creating a workplace where your employees want to be. They’re no longer just there to collect a paycheck. They feel valued and can see how their day-to-day efforts contribute to the greater good of the company. It’s no longer just a job, it’s an experience that will help them grow and achieve their own goals.
In return, you get a more productive workforce; a team who is willing to give it their all and has a vested interest in the success of your business.
In my next article, I will discuss how to start creating a high performance culture.