EXECUTIVECHRONICLES.COM |6 Smart Ways to Maximize Your Employees’ Potential | One of the most transformative strategies employed by top companies is maximizing their employees’ potential. According to Entrepreneur.com, when employees are made aware of their strengths, it helps them to become more consistent with the quality of their output. At the same time, they stay motivated for a long time and perform at more outstanding levels.
That being said, there is no doubt that every business organization should pay close attention to the skills and talents set of all employees, as well as the many factors that influence the quality of their contributions. However, that’s not all; it is likewise deemed a must to implement smart tactics that can maximize their strengths, as well as untapped potentials that can develop into total assets.
To do this, listed below are six brilliant and ingenious tactics.
1. Switch up teams.
According to Kompass Consultancy, a global talent management company in Dubai, switching up teams within the different departments of your organization can bring out your employee’s potentiaL, unique talents, and productive people combinations.
In a lot of circumstances, working with different people toward a critical goal requires employees to adjust and modify their behavior. Through such effort, a person can discover facets of their personality and capabilities that remain untapped because previous arrangements didn’t demand them to be utilized, perhaps due to another person’s recognized talent.
Switching up teams creates the perfect opportunity to push workers outside of their comfort zone and take on new and unfamiliar roles. In the best-case scenario, they may perform so much better than expected and discover that they’re more suited for a different job position.
2. Assess talents regularly.
Talent assessment can reveal so much about the skills and skill levels that workers possess, and whether they are perfect for the position they currently hold or not.
There are different ways to go about this task. One is through an examination or test. A talent management consultancy in Dubai can provide various psychometric tools to assess everything from Reasoning Ability to Personality and Work Style, Situational Judgment and Leadership Detailers.
Another way to assess talents is by examining their output. For example, when evaluating writers, the editors can determine the subjects or topics that specific writers are exceptionally good at and which of them consistently write engaging introductions. Feel free to use in-house experts to evaluate the work of other employees.
With talent assessment, the company can determine the enrichment programs to provide so all members of the organization can deliver top-notch performance.
3. Provide learning opportunities.
If you genuinely want to boost the performance of your employees, present them with learning opportunities. Create a culture of learning in the workplace.
You can get help with this. Some agencies offer classes, coaching or training that can either prepare prized employees for higher positions in the company or help workers acquire skills for the updated technologies to be integrated into operations.
It’s important to mention that providing employees with learning opportunities should not just be limited to work-related classes or courses. Consider classes or courses for leisure, too, because these will develop well-rounded workers. Such classes will allow your employees to tap into a different hemisphere of their brain, which can actually help them focus better on tasks and become more creative.
4. Hold team-building events.
If your company has established teams or departments, create opportunities to strengthen their teamwork. Games and physical challenges are just some of the team-building activities that can foster stable relations. These activities also provide opportunities for everyone to learn about the unexpected strengths of every member.
The skills that come on display in non-work-related activities are known to not only boost confidence, but also to enable teams to see each other in a new light. This new perspective of each other, brought about by team-building activities, can teach employees to source help more accurately, especially when approaching unique work challenges.
What’s more, it’s always an advantage for the company to discover different personalities with alternative methods that can yield the same or even higher quality results.
5. Boost engagement.
An engaged employee works better for the benefit of the company it serves. This has been proven by different studies shared by the Harvard Business Review. According to the studies of the Queens School of Business and the Gallup Organization, engaged employees are less likely to make mistakes at work. Meanwhile, disengaged employees miss more work-work more and are prone to accidents.
To boost the engagement of employees and optimize their potential, one of the key factors is the workplace environment. It is for this reason that some of the top companies in the world such as Google and eBay encourage their workers to design their work stations the way they like. You can do the same.
Another thing that you can do for a positive work environment is to discourage malicious talk among workers. According to ResearchGate.net, negative talk in the workplace affects the psychological contentment of employees, and it can also reduce employees’ absorption of job tasks.
6. Offer incentives and rewards.
Finally, there’s nothing like the acknowledgment of a job well done to boost workers’ confidence and motivate them to give it all for their work. However, a lot of companies these days fail to recognize deserving individuals. Therefore, the opportunity to make something good even better is lost.
So, if you wish for your employees to perform their tasks to the best of their abilities, acknowledge their efforts. Simple, sincere praises are enough to do the trick to up your employees’ potential. But, if you really want to ensure employee contentment or satisfaction, consider putting together an incentive and rewards program. This is a highly effective way to express your appreciation.
Some of the best incentives and rewards to motivate employees to consistently deliver their all are:
- A plaque of appreciation
- A celebratory party
- Special gifts such as all-expenses-paid travel, an extra day off from work, relaxation packages, and company-paid services for the employee’s family
- Special mentions in the company newsletter
Typically, employees form a strong sense of loyalty when they are aware that the company they serve is committed to developing them into the best that they can be. Therefore, even in the event that a different company offers them an employment opportunity, they are not likely to jump ship and get onboard a new one.
As such, make it a goal to develop your employees’ potential to the fullest. This will serve as a massive benefit to them, and it’s also a business investment that can yield solid returns by ensuring the progress of your company.
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Author Bio
Leila Rezaiguia is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Kompass Consultancy, an innovative global talent management consultancy headquartered in Dubai and with offices in Abu Dhabi and Sydney, that specialises in enabling individuals, organisations and educational institutions to achieve performance excellence and career success. Leila is a multi-lingual (English, Arabic and French) PCC Coach, Mentor Coach, Trainer, Facilitator and Business Mentor who is passionate about coaching, women in leadership, talent management and organisational development.
