Trust your Employees

Why is it important to trust your employees? 

I don't mean be so blinded by trust that you are unaware of what's happening in your business... but you must trust them to do what they've been asked to do. Let them do what you've hired them to do!

A while back I worked with a business owner who would assign an employee a task, and practically in the next breath ask someone else to do the same task.  One employee had been assigned the task of creating a marketing piece, and then another was asked to do the same project.  Neither of them knew for days that the other was working on it... and the owner couldn't even remember who they had assigned!!  This made the employees feel untrusted and unappreciated.  They felt like they weren't viewed as competent, and for that reason, someone else had been asked to pick up where they left off.  Super frustrating!!!

There are a few key elements required in trusting your employees.  Here are 5 tips that I've found:

1.  TRAINING
Provide your employees with adequate training.  Provide guidelines and job expectations.  Use an employee handbook.  Employees generally want to do a good job... and they want to know what's expected of them.

2.  ONGOING COMMUNICATION
Is there something new happening in your business this week?  Is there a new task or project that needs done?  Make sure all involved know what's going on.  Don't leave employees out of the loop and expect them to know what's happening.

3.  BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC
When assigning a task to an employee, give them clear instructions.  Employees are not mind readers.  Let them know exactly what you need done.  Nothing's worse than an employee spending hours on a project, only to find they didn't meet your expectations... because your expectations weren't clear.  That's a complete waste of time and money!

4.  FOLLOW UP AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Check in with employees to see their progress.  Trusting them doesn't mean that you don't need to check in once in a while.  Follow up with them and set deadlines for their projects. 

5.  APPRECIATION
Let your employees know you appreciate them when they do a great job. Everyone needs to feel appreciated.  It helps them want to work harder on the next project and live up to their potential.

By following these tips, you can create balance in your business.  You'll keep employees happy... and you'll see growth in your business!