At Startup Grind you can learn about how to maximize your employees' talents, how to connect with them better, and how to motivate people. You can learn how to turn a dud into a stud in the office, and how to work on team-building exercises.
One item that is irrefutably one of the most important issues to the business owners is learning how to help their employees engage in the company culture, vision, and goals. When we are talking about a successful company, we are referring to a company that has all of its ducks in a row, has a good product and distribution model, but also a company that has employees that are emotionally vested in the company's success. Lets take a look at some of the ways we can build a stronger company culture by helping our employees really care about each other and the company they work for.
One of the very best ways to help an employee (or many employees) engage with your company on more than a "this is my 9-5" is to proactively help with career and personal development. Employees are no different than you, the entrepreneur, other than the fact that they are currently okay with working for someone else, and have not put the time into starting a business. Other than that, they want to move forward in life meaning moving upward, and not sideways. Provide employees with as many opportunities as you can to develop professional skills and advance their careers. Give them responsibilities and a job title that gives them this responsibility. This is not referring to simply arbitrary titles (Dwight Schrute, anyone?) But, a title that they can own and be in charge of. This helps with learning the skills needed to advance their career.
Are your employees in school? Look into tuition reimbursement packages, and offer to help offset the cost of any continuing education for the employee. If you are able to help them get through a university or MBA degree, then you will likely be able to keep them in house when they graduate, and be able to put them to use helping your company. If not, you may as well be training your competition.
Watch for opportunities to advance their development when it comes to technical skills. Even if you are not in an industry where every single employee needs to know every software platform in the company, they will appreciate the chance to learn how your business works. This, in turn, will qualify them for higher and better spots in YOUR company. Even better, you are training these people to do the jobs exactly the way you want them done, which may be different than how their last boss or their college class professor told them to do it. YOUR WAY.
If you want to establish a vested atmosphere of employee engagement at work, most importantly, engage with them yourself. Talk to your employees, be concerned and interested in them as a person (and not just an employee.) Help them understand what your personal goals are with your business.
Increase engagement with your employees and you increase the success of your company.