How to Lead your Business to Success in the First Year

Your employees spend a lot of time at work, let’s say (give or take) nine hours a day, five days a week - so it is key that they are happy in an office environment that they spend so much time in. But, believe it or not, that’s not always the case. And it could be down to one or two simple and easily corrected issues - whether it’s finding the appropriate serviced offices in Abu Dhabi or communicating more clearly with your team – that you as a leader can adjust, drastically improving the mood of your employees and that of the office. Here are seven ways to ensure your employees are happy and that your business start-up is successful in the first year:

 

Good Relationships

Every relationship is important, not just the one you have with your partner, friends or children. Having good, solid relationships with your employees can only impact positively on the work place, with improved teamwork, increased productivity and improved employee morale being some of the benefits. Here are a couple of ways to build relationships and get to know your employees better:

1.       Be social and get to know each other outside of work, away from your desks and deadlines. Have an informal get-together, go out for lunch or dinner. Here they can talk about their life outside of work.

2.       Take part in team building exercises. This will improve your team’s interpersonal relations and social interactions. Try the Mine Field, an exercise requiring trust and clear communication. One team member must guide another team member who is blindfolded around a challenging ‘mine field’ of objects (of any kind) without touching any of them by giving them verbal instructions. Every time someone touches a mine they receive a penalty. Or try The Paper Tower, a planning and adapting exercise with a very simplistic approach. Each person is given one sheet of paper and are told to make the tallest free-standing structure they can in no more than five minutes. Once the time is up, each structure will be assessed and you can all have a discussion about the planning process and what could have been done differently.

 

Encourage Creative Sessions that will Motivate

Great leaders know how to inspire their team, and there are many ways to do so while motivating them, too. Whether that be through having group meetings in a fun conference room or having regular brainstorming sessions with two teams that do not work with each other often to get a fresh perspective, the inspiration gained will help your team’s self-esteem and optimism, getting them motivated and excited about their job and the tasks they are tackling. Refrain from micromanaging tasks and people, be honest and trust that they will come up with ideas that will move the project forward.

 

Give Constructive Feedback

Face it, no one is perfect. There are going to be times when employees trip up, make (big or minor) mistakes or completely fail at a task or two, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t good at their job, and how you handle these missteps is key. As ‘the boss’ and their mentor, you should encourage your employees to take risks, express themselves, test their ideas and to find passion in their job, and in turn you can give them constructive feedback, steer them in the right direction and help them overcome the burdens associated with failure with a positive attitude. It is an important learning curve which will help your employees find their own footing and teach them to be less dependent on you.

 

Communicate!

So many problems stem from the lack of communication within an office. It’s a two-way street and is one of today’s most important skills to have in order for you to foster good relationships with your staff members. By simply letting your employees know what is happening in the company and asking them if they have any complaints or concerns or finding out their opinions and worries you are letting them know that their thoughts are being taken seriously, that you care about their wellbeing at work, and in turn making them feel at ease if they need to approach you about anything in the future. By communicating successfully you will be able to find solutions for any issues they may have, making them feel happier in the workplace.

 

Choose an Office Space that Works

Office layouts have changed drastically over the last decade, with co-working spaces becoming more and more popular than the ‘regular’ sitting-behind-a-booth-all-day seating arrangement. Different layouts will work more effectively for some companies than others, so it’s important that you choose the most suitable option for your office space. In more creative jobs, employees like to feed off of one another’s energy and ideas, meaning an open plan space with scattered desks (good coffee and a bean bag or two) would be welcomed with open arms over a segregated booth seated system. But, in a more corporate job, for example telemarketing, a booth system will work better as they need privacy when talking to clients on the phone throughout the day. The correct office layout will impact your staff more than you think.

 

Maintain Standards and Set Goals

By setting standards and goals your employees will not only have something to plan and work towards, but it is also a way of letting them know what they need to accomplish in a certain timeframe. Some tasks will inevitably be more challenging than others and may seem daunting and impossible to accomplish, but by setting goals you are breaking it down into smaller, more achievable ‘stepping stones’ that will not leave them discouraged and overwhelmed. Goals can also be used to track their progress, enabling you to look back and re-evaluate their process, which will help you come up with ways to implement changes in areas that need improvement.