Creating a high-performance culture means bringing the most out of every individual on the team. This is done through effective communication both ways — manager to an employee and employee to the manager — focusing on open lines of feedback about progress made each day or week and understanding that there may always be room for improvement.
It also requires trust in both directions. If employees trust their managers to provide direction while they are working hard towards achieving it, they are more likely to push themselves even further to not only meet but exceed expectations.
However, by following these seven tips and implementing them within your team, you will establish a strong sense of collaboration between individuals to strive towards excellence.
1. Provide Direction and Expectations
As the manager, you must establish clear direction with your team to work together towards an end goal. It’s important that everyone is on the same page, and they understand not only where they’re going and what their role is in getting there, but why it’s important.
Employees who know their role and how it contributes to a greater purpose are more likely to give 100% every day.
2. Establish Goals
The most successful teams strive towards goals they create for themselves each week or month (depending on the frequency of performance reviews). Establishing goals within a team makes individuals feel like they have control over what happens to them at work; this increases morale, which is critical to a high-performance culture.
Furthermore, goals help individuals understand exactly what they are being measured against, which is an important step in developing trust between manager and employee.
3. Provide Feedback
Another factor that contributes to building trust with your employees is open lines of communication about their progress. This requires managers to be both approachable and understand how best to provide feedback that will motivate teams towards achieving their goals throughout the week or month (the same concept applies here).
Giving frequent feedback on areas where improvement can be made increases morale and helps employees adjust their work habits accordingly rather than waiting for the end of the performance review period — this sets them up for success throughout their time at your company.
4. Celebrate Wins
Nothing brings a team together like celebrating wins! Employees work hard towards achieving their goals, and when they get there, it should be celebrated for them! Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and acknowledging the efforts individuals make throughout the week or month will go a long way in keeping them motivated.
This also helps develop trust between manager and employee by showing that you recognize their work and that your appreciation goes beyond just productive output.
5. Teach and Reinforce Skills
Another important factor in establishing an environment where everyone has the opportunity to excel is teaching new skills when applicable/necessary. If someone on your team learns something new within their role, teach others, so they are able to pick up slack if the learning employee needs time to catch up.
If an employee learns something new outside of their role, teach others how it might be beneficial to them in the future. Reinforcing these skills within your team ensures that everyone is constantly learning and improving, which will lead to increased productivity across the board.
6. Contact Advisory Firms
In the past, many companies have been hesitant to reach out for advice from advisory firms because they saw it as a sign of weakness. But in actuality, this is one of the best ways to increase employee productivity and develop a high-performance culture.
Advisory firms like Waterstone Human Capital specialize in organizational development and will work with your team to create a strategic plan that reaches goals you’ve set while capitalizing on your company’s strengths.
These objectives should align with company goals, fostering a sense of teamwork between management and employee by creating a common goal to strive towards together.
7. Don’t Forget About Ongoing Support!
When introducing an initiative such as developing a high-performance culture, it is important to set employees up for success and provide them with ongoing support.
This includes providing resources that will help employees achieve their goals as well as having managers available for questions or concerns they might have. Ongoing support is key in keeping employees motivated, which will impact the quality of their work and consequently increase productivity across your team!
Creating a high-performance culture can be a difficult task, but it can also be one that is very rewarding. To create a high-performance culture, you will need to start with the basics and focus on specific practices helping your team excel. Check out these seven tips for creating a high-performance culture!