You run a business and it is going well but you are wracking your brain to think of ways to make it even better. This is already a good thing because complacency is never good, and no matter how well things are going, there is always room for improvement. You always see this in soccer, where a team might win the championship, but the manager will still want to sign new players. The same logic applies to business, you must always be looking for the angles and the opportunities to make things even better. If this is the situation that you find yourself in, here are a few tips and ideas to help edge you towards the next level.
Environmental upgrade
The old saying always suggests that a change is as good as a holiday, so if holiday is not an option then make a change to the working environment. We are not talking about relocating, rather look to find good ways to freshen up the work space. An office revamp if you will. This is something that you can do yourself or which you can get the staff involved with. Or, go online and search for something like ‘office fit out Sydney’ and see what comes back. There are a lot of people out there who specialise in interior design and work space development. Have some conversations and listen to the ideas of the experts. You might be amazed at what a change of environment will do to your people.
Surprise bonus
Staff inevitably have contracts which cover their hours of work and their remuneration. But just because they have a contract doesn’t mean that you cannot go beyond that. If things have been going well but you think that it is possible to get even more out of your people, then look to pay a surprise bonus. Something that is clearly above and beyond anything that is in their contracts and which will come as a surprise. An act like this has many benefits. These include engendering loyalty, even better performance and sustained performance – if staff think that the possibility of another ad hoc bonus in the future is even a remote possibility they will continue to go above and beyond.
Team building
No matter how tight a team is they can always be tighter. And a tight work unit should also be a unit that can play hard together as well. So, look for ways to get the team to spend time together outside the office and to get to know each other on a human level not just on a work level. Look to engender this attitude at all levels of the business. It is not just about the senior management hanging out together and socialising, it is about making each member of the team, from the CEO and senior people right down to the receptionist or tea lady, feel as though they belong and contribute and are important. If you have a team that plays for each other, you are well on your way to winning in whatever industry you work in.
