It has been said before that everyone has a talent of some sort. And while this may be true, it is also true that many people never really get a chance to act on it or hone that skill so that it becomes more developed and possibly useful. On the same level, you may also want a more talented workforce for your company. Rather than firing and hiring, hoping to find more talented people, look at what you have and work on helping them to elevate their talents!
Investing Works
If you look around at your employees and feel you want them to have more talents and skills, forget about replacing them. Instead, invest in them and their skills so that they become more talented and skillful. When you do that, they will likely give you a great return on your investment. Those employees who gain skills are going to end up putting them to use right away.
Not sure where to start to help elevate the talent of those you already employee? No problem! Here are a few tips to get you started:
● Find out more. Ask them what their personal goals are, and find the best role in your company that can support them in achieving it. Maybe you have someone working in your receptionist position that really has a mind for becoming a sales person. With a little training, they could become your top salesperson!
● Time matters. Remember quantity and quality time. It is important to get to know your team on a personal level. Strong connections will bring about a strong sense of loyalty. And as you know, when your employees feel a connection to you and your company, they are going to be more committed to helping you grow.
● Goals count. It is important to have clear, well prioritized goals. If people know where they are headed, they will perform better (duh, right?). This may seem like something that is straight forward and a given, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses fail to establish and share clear goals. It’s kind of hard to get people to strive for those goals when they don’t know what they are.
● Develop skills. To elevate the talent of your employees, you will need to invest in and train your people. But it is important to let them direct the training. Just sending them somewhere is not enough. Instead, let them choose what they want and then report back on it.
Retention Role
Another key aspect to a company being successful is being able to retain employees. It is costly to have a high turnover rate, and it makes reaching company goals that much more difficult. When you take the time to invest in your employees, they will be more likely to stay, as well as want to help you grow your business. Keeping your employees active in growing professionally will provide you with a return as well.
So even if you didn’t hire the most talented people to start with, you can change that once you have them hired. It really comes down to finding out what it is that they would like to improve upon and supporting them to make it happen.
With proper training and skill development, you could have some star employees on your hand that you may not have been able to afford, had they come to you with all that talent already developed. Elevating the talent of those you have working for you is not only easier than it may seem, but when you help them grow, they will help you grow. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!
