It’s the month of love, and while some of us are scrambling to find some last minute heart shaped chocolates for Valentine’s Day, have you taken a minute to think about how to inspire your employees to love their job? Thankfully, we’re here to help!
Igniting Passion
Disengaged workers need motivation from their leaders, and it’s important to help your employees see how their work fits into the big picture. From manual labourers to mechancial engineers, to private entrepreneurs, it’s imperative workers understand their work is necessary to meet the end goal for the company. If your team knows how much you value every aspect of their job, they will be that much more proud of what they do and passionate about their role in the company’s mission.
So, how do you inspire employees to be passionate about what they do? Simply put, it all comes down to you. You need to focus on communicating the importance of every task, living out a passionate life at work, and encouraging your team to communicate how they feel certain aspects of the job should be completed.
Communicate Job Importance
Every facet of a business is important in achieving the goals and the overall purpose of a company. It’s important to explain to your team how their day-to-day tasks affect the big picture. For example, if an employee’s job is to populate data reports, don’t just sell the importance of the task, sell the importance the numbers have on understanding how the company is helping others and if it is reaching its goal to be a positive force in the community. It’s important to know what the purpose of the company is before you can communicate to your team how they affect it. Simply saying “your work helps the company make money” isn’t enough. Explaining the “why” to your employees makes delegating the “what, when, and how” that much easier.
Encourage Open Communication
One of the best ways to develop a team that loves their work is to develop a culture of open communication in the office. Leaders who are approachable and open to others’ opinions are more likely to create an environment full of free-thinking, engaged employees. Employees want to know that they are heard and their voice has the power to affect change. Those who know they have a voice are more likely to see their work as meaningful.
Live Passionately
Your team is looking to you for inspiration. They see you on your best days when you’re a beacon of hope and insight, and they see you on your worst days when you seem bossy or disconnected. When you spend at least 40 hours a week with people, your best and worst are going to come to the surface. It’s important that, regardless of how you feel, you are perceived as passionate about the company’s vision.
Engaged employees are passionate employees, and being passionate about the work they do is key for your team to fall in love with their jobs. Having a team of professionals who love their jobs isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s a must have to achieve your company’s goals.