Many managers understand that giving your employees opportunities to step up as leaders can be beneficial. It allows them to take ownership of activities, feel heard, and contribute in ways that are meaningful, both to them and the company.
However, finding suitable opportunities can be tricky. Usually, it isn’t practical to allow employees to chime in on every decision, especially if your staff is fairly large. Additionally, there might not always be a suitable opportunity available that enables employees to step into leadership-style roles, limiting the number of chances they get to contribute in that fashion.
Luckily, there are options that allow your employees to take part in leadership-level decisions in a convenient and simple to implement manner. Plus, by getting your team involved, you can experience additional benefits, like enhanced engagement, buy-in, and performance.
If you want to know how you can let your employees lead in an effective and helpful way, here is an approach worth exploring.
Conduct a Survey on Broader Initiatives
If several initiatives are on the horizon, give your employees a chance to express their thoughts by conducting a survey. Present them with overview information about the initiatives and encourage them to provide their input regarding what they believe should be priorities and why. Additionally, let them discuss their level of buy-in, allowing you to identify which ones are garnering larger amounts of support.
Once you collect the data, review it for trends, questions, and concerns. The goal is to reflect on all of the input and use it as a guide during the decision-making process, ensuring that the perspectives of your employees are fully considered.
Drill Down to the Project Level
After you have a solid understanding of your employees’ thoughts on broader initiatives, it’s time to drill down. Connect with your team and ask them which projects they believe would provide both them and the company with value.
By taking their thoughts into consideration, you can increase the level of buy-in. Plus, since your staff feels heard and like active participants in the process, engagement tends to rise, resulting in higher overall performance and dedication.
Discuss the Results
Once a decision is made, let your employees know how their input influenced the process. Discuss what points and thoughts resulted in changes that may not otherwise have occurred. By doing so, you are giving them specifics regarding how they impacted the process, showcasing how they functioned as leaders when it came to initiative prioritization.
Additionally, express your appreciation for their input. By doing so, you are recognizing the effort they put into the process, increasing the odds that they will enthusiastically participate when the chance comes around again.
Looking for employees you can develop into leaders?
Ultimately, the process above can create opportunities for your employees to assist with leadership-level decisions regularly, bolstering engagement, buy-in, and productivity along the way. If you’d like to find out more, the team at TRC Staffing Services wants to hear from you. Contact us with your questions today and see how our expertise can benefit you.
