Top Tips to Reenergize Your Small Business Team

If you run a small business, you’re bound to hit ups and downs – and as you do, both you and your team are going to deal with stress. And like many small business teams, that stress can eventually wear you out and cause burnout on your team.

There are ways to prevent this however – and ways to rebound from it!

In order to do this however, you need to be able to recognize the signs and get ahead of them. You need to be willing to put the work into building a strong culture as well as lines of communication with your team.

You also need to be willing to pivot when needed…and this can be a challenge when you’re facing overwhelm yourself. Building a strong culture and solid systems will make this process much easier!

Helping my staff avoid burnout in the first place and helping them bounce back from it, should it hit, are high priorities in my company. I don’t just want to build a team that can do the tasks and log out at the end of the day; I want to build a team that loves what they do and is committed to helping me build my company.

And most of all, I want to develop the people that I bring on, both personally and professionally. That can’t happen if my team has checked out. Here are some of my top tips to reenergize your team so you can grow your small business!

Tip #1: Keep the Lines of Communication Open

As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate. Believe me, I get it! When you first started out, you were able to handle a lot of the details yourself. As you grow, however, you have to step away from a lot of the details – and as your business expands, it’s not uncommon to also fall out of touch with your team.

Obviously, you won’t be able to stay in daily, deep contact with each of your team members, but you can put structures in place that allow you to still keep your finger on the pulse.

On my team, I have layers of communication in place. I am in communication several times a week with key team members, and they in turn are in communication with the rest of my team. They have a strong understanding of my goals, my values, and how I want various situations handled – and if they run into anything that needs my input, they know they can pull me in.

I also have an amazing Team Happiness Coordinator whose job is to both anticipate the needs of my team members and to check in with each person on a consistent basis. She looks for ways to let each person know how valued they are and to help them stay connected to the team.

Lastly, I make myself available to my team members weekly during Open Office Hours and meet with each person quarterly for a scheduled review. These reviews aren’t designed as merit/pay reviews, but as vehicles for communication. It’s a dedicated time for me to mentor my team and for them to communicate any goals, training needs, and concerns to me.

All of these layers of communication equip me to be proactive about building my company’s culture and leading a team that thrives!

Tip #2: Put Your People First

The #1 asset of any small business owner is your team. These are the people who are ready to step in and do the work, handle the details, serve your clients, and work beside you to drive your business forward.

Your plans and goals are important, but your people are essential.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything is fine and letting your culture build itself.

Your company will have a culture, but it takes intentional action to build the culture you want. And again, the culture you have will depend on the systems you have in place.

This process all begins with your hiring systems. Are you actively seeking and hiring superstars who are aligned with your Core Values and mission? (If not, we can help you put these in place!)

Once you have the right people hired, it’s time to onboard them effectively. For this step, you have two choices: 1) spend dozens of hours training every single person, hoping that your actions will pay off or 2) create an Onboarding University as well as position-specific agendas and checklists to automate much of the process. (Hint: the second option will both save you time and result in a faster and stronger onboarding process – and yes, we can help you build this too!)

The third aspect of putting your people first is to give them strong systems to work with. Some might see this as restrictive, but it’s actually anything but. Solid systems are what will keep everyone on the same page and give them the context they need to really excel at their jobs.

Essentially, your systems are what will give each member of your team the opportunity to innovate, excel, and thrive – allowing them to find greater job satisfaction.

Believe me, it’s far easier to motivate people who are happy in their role and love their job!

Tip #3: Equip Your Team Members to Grow

I can’t even count the number of business owners I’ve spoken with over the years who are intent on keeping their employees stuck in the box of their job description.

On one level, I understand it – this is the person you need right now, and any extra training or projects could take them away from their current responsibilities. In addition, there’s often a bit of fear that if they grow in their skills and marketability, they’ll leave.

Let me ask you, though: how effectively will your company grow if your team is stagnant? (The answer is, it won’t.)

Personally, I would rather give my team members every chance to grow and innovate. If they want to learn new skills, I’m all for it – and often, I’ll cover the cost. If they have new ideas and want to spearhead the implementation, I’d love to hear about it. I’ll often guide the process to further train my team and increase the chances of success, but I love it when my team comes to me with ideas for growth and improvement.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t just blindly approve every proposal that’s sent my way! I do, however, hire people that I can trust and then allow them to do what they do best.

I’m also not saying that all of these steps are easy to execute, but they are worth it – and with the right guidance and frameworks, they’re a lot easier to build than you might think.

If my team and I can help you strengthen your culture and reenergize your team, just let us know!