Taking the time to plan in January is an excellent way to make sure you don't drift as the year goes on.
I'm going to assume a few things first...
1. You had a great Christmas break
2. You took some real time off from work
3. You rested or had a good change in pace (because as they say, a change is as good as a rest)
If not please do consider a break first, because starting a year burnt out from last year is never a good idea!
Like me, you're probably wondering what the year has in store. Could it be a record year of revenue growth? Maybe you're launching a new product? Maybe you're going for investment? Or could it be the year that you sell your business and cash out?
I don't want to curse any of your plans at this early stage, but how did 2020 feel when you left it behind? Maybe some people handed their notice in and left at the end of last year. Maybe you're going to walk back in to a flurry of people handing their notice in. Or, maybe the mood became quite low at the end of last year and you know it's going to be a challenge to raise spirits and re-engage your team?
One thing is for sure, if you've got huge ambitions for 2021 you're going to need a rock solid team that's firing on all cylinders to help you get there.
Here at Ten Space, we've thought about this for you. We've put together a 5 week plan to help you put your team first in helping you to achieve your goals.
Over the next 5 weeks we'll cover;
Week 1 - How will a more engaged team help you achieve more?
Week 2 - Engagement Pillars - Connection & Leadership
Week 3 - Engagement Pillars - Fulfilment & Wellbeing
Week 4 - Turning your plan into action
Week 5 - Measuring success
If you lose track of our posts at any time, you can find all our blogs on www.spacehr.co.uk.
STEP 1 - How will a more engaged team help you achieve more?
Employee engagement touches everything you do in your business. It's in the colour of the walls, it's in the type of coffee you provide, it's in each payslip and every word that comes out of your mouth.
It isn't a project, an initiative, or a short term fix. Great employee engagement doesn't have a deadline and it's never finished or completed. High engagement today doesn't guarantee you high engagement tomorrow. You need to work at it every day and in every corner of your business.
Your Engagement Bank
Think of employee engagement as a bank account. You opened it on day one of your business and since then you've been adding to the balance. The currency in your account has a value and it can help buy the business great things such as increased revenue, higher profitability, better talent, higher employee retention and increased creativity.
Every day in your business you are making deposits or withdrawals from your account. Making more deposits increases the level of employee engagement you have and gives you the opportunity to buy more. Similarly, you'll naturally make withdrawals. These are unavoidable as an employer, but they matter less if the balance in your account is kept high. You simply need to put more in than you take out.
Your 2021 Goals
Most businesses start the year setting out goals they'd like to achieve. There might be some specific goals such as entering new markets, building new products, offering new services or smashing higher sales targets. Whatever they are, it's likely that some withdrawals will need to be made from The Engagement Bank along the way to meet these goals.
Some examples could include;
• Goal 1: Work with bigger clients - So requiring your team to up-skill
• Goal 2: Ensure profitability - So communicating that pay-rises might not happen this year
• Goal 3: Increase revenue - So sales targets need be increased
• Goal 4: Streamline processes - Requires introducing a new piece of tech and re-training
Your Task
1. Document the goals for your business in 2021
2. Consider what you will need from your team in order to achieve these goals. Have you got enough currency in Your Engagement Bank? What withdrawals are you likely to need to make to ensure this year is a great success?
Writing these things down, gives you a good foundation for your engagement plan. If you'd like to use the Ten Space Engagement Planner to create your plan, email victoria@tenspace.co.uk and we'll send it to you.
Ten Space's model of engagement provides focus and direction to create impact.
Over the coming weeks, we'll be looking at engagement in 4 key areas:
- Connection
- Leadership
- Fulfilment
- Wellbeing
Want to do it faster? No problem! We can send you the next 4 weeks content now! Or we can help create your plan with you: victoria@tenspace.co.uk.
