Regular reflection and measurement against goals is a high-yield business strategy that promotes successful decision-making and leadership. Between management and employees, the need is mutual. You must be able to evaluate the success of your team to confirm that members are working where they are best suited, most productive, and happiest. Your staff requires a clear picture of how they measure up to your standards in order to have any hope of improving. By assessing your team year-round, everyone stays on the same page and is ready to deliver incredible products and services to your clientele at all times.
Conduct regular check-Ins
At least once each quarter, sit down with your staff members and review recent job performance. Praise those things that are going well and identify areas where growth is possible. Ask your team members if they are happy with their positions and the company environment. Be open to suggestions for improvement.
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Your team’s morale is a visual manifestation of your corporate culture. Make sure that employees are serving in their ideal roles and are invested in the company’s success.
Meet regularly
Encourage consistency and create an atmosphere of reliability by creating a schedule for the next 3 months with meeting dates identified. For our team, we meet every Monday during wedding season. For larger team meetings like retreats we meet prior to each wedding season. Feedback is most powerful when it is regularly given and the results are both monitored and discussed. Don’t just ask your employee to improve something—return to the table on the appointed date and review their progress. Team members are more likely to act on your advice if they know that you will be circling back to measure improvement.
Encourage evolution
When you first start regular assessments and conversations about performance, you might employ a certain approach, but stay open to change. There could be a better measure of progress than the one you started with, or a more effective way to track growth. Add and delete things from your list as your discussions evolve, and try to be both concise and time-efficient. Even in the off-season, scheduling can be tight, so you want your assessment process to fit in easily without dominating your schedule.
Adopt the best system for your business
Determine which measures are most important to analyze and create a list so you can repeatedly reflect on the same factors throughout the year. Consider things like client satisfaction surveys, attendance, peer feedback, or revenue generation along with employee job satisfaction. You can create your own custom list or use a pre-made tool, such as Sage Wedding Pros’ human resource plan.
Successful team management ultimately requires regular assessment, adjustment, and reflection. Try applying these tips and you can look forward to seeing progress when you compare today’s results with your team’s condition one year from now.
