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Q. Name one way you are helping your employees prepare for a productive and successful year.
I am encouraging everyone I work with to get a Fitbit and start tracking their daily exercise and sleep. We’ve all set personal goals and also compete against each other to see who can be the healthiest. It’s all in good fun, but I am already seeing a positive impact on motivation and performance. – Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work
A new year is just as much about old practices as it is about new ones. We’re placing emphasis on deciding what didn’t work for us last year so we can adjust for 2015. – Simon Casuto, eLearning Mind
Articulate your big picture goals to your employees, and outline how each one fits into the overall plan. Encourage your employees to write their own goals (using the SMART Goals system: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely). At ZinePak, all of our employees also make vision boards to hang by our desks for a daily reminder of the things we most want to accomplish. – Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
I’m rewarding my top performing employees by giving them a raise. For top performers to stay at your company, you need to pay them what they’re worth, period. It’s a major contributor to job satisfaction and overall happiness, which is the number one influencer of employee productivity. Instead of waiting for your MVPs to ask for a raise, invest in their happiness and give it to them. – Jared Brown, Hubstaff
We are prioritizing professional education. Our tech team is the lifeblood of our marketing. If they know more and get better, then traffic improves, sales go up and we all win. Don’t worry about attrition or other budgeting push backs, spend the money and invest in your core team. – Anthony Johnson, American Injury Attorney Group
6. Personal 2015 strategic planning
One of the biggest takeaways I have had from working at advertising agencies on major brands is that strategic planning for the next year and having quarterly check-ins around those established goals is huge for actually being able to achieve them. I encourage my employees to take what big brands do and apply that to themselves — be specific, get in front of the challenge and have a game plan. – Ryan Stoner, ryanstoner.com
7. Hosting team-building activities
I’ve been holding team-building activities for employees at our headquarters. It is essential that all team members work well together and have the same goal of growing individually and as a company. In fact, several key executives will fly to Florida prior to the holidays for a brainstorming retreat — the change of scenery will help creativity as we strategically plan for 2015. – Sean Marszalek, SDC Nutrition Inc.
8. Letting go of perfectionism
I’m going to encourage my employees to continue to hold themselves to high standards. But once those standards are met, I want them to let go and be happy with what they’ve done. They’ll get more done and be happier knowing that they don’t have to optimize for perfection. It’ll also encourage them to innovate — if everything doesn’t have to be perfect, then there’s room for an occasional failure. – Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
9. Limiting meetings to 15 minutes
It’s been recognized for a while that meetings can waste time from normally productive employees. By utilizing project-based internal communication, members can keep in touch with each other through less invasive ways of communicating. Furthermore, if an employee is not relevant to a conversation, then he or she won’t be invited or will be allowed to leave after their part is over. – Cody McLain, WireFuseMedia LLC
If you have a good staff, they will know their roles better than you do. Seek their input on what could be done more effectively. Ask everyone how they could do their jobs better: What worked this year and what didn’t? Take their comments to heart and give them the autonomy to make the changes they need. – Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com
11. Communicating companywide goals
We’re helping our employees have a productive and successful year by clearly communicating our 2015 goals and objectives to every person on our team. Getting everyone on the same page is essential for making big goals happen, and ensuring that every individual is able to monitor if they’re spending their time on the right activities. – Laura Roeder, MeetEdgar.com