HOW TO GET EMPLOYEES TO TAKE INITIATIVE AT WORK
Business owners and managers are always looking out for ways to maximize productivity from employees. But often, that leads to a negative response from employees as managers tend to micromanage to coax the best out of them. To get the best out of employees, you should get them to affirm your vision and feel like a part of its success. For example, you can execute an employee share option plan, which is gradually becoming one of the top approaches to maximize productivity. In this article, you will learn other ways to get employees to take on initiative and responsibility at work.
Delegate effectively
The main reason managers often micromanage is because they do not delegate effectively. Delegation does not mean giving employees complete control but rather giving them the room to operate while being responsible for their actions. Once you identify the right people to whom you can delegate, they will take on more responsibility for the tasks leaving you with only oversight responsibilities.
Encourage problem-solving
It is pretty standard in every organization to have employees always running to their superiors when they cannot solve issues. This is primarily because of a lack of initiative and employees viewing their superiors as the only people who have the mandate to make decisions. Some workers do not want to come across as usurping roles that do not belong to them. And unfortunately, your business is likely to encounter problems with this mindset. But if you empower them to take the initiative and encourage problem-solving, they will begin to bring solutions instead of problems.
Use a solution-focused approach
Dwelling on a problem and why it exists will prevent you from clearly analyzing the solutions to remedy the situation. Playing the blame game diverts your attention from what needs to be done and creates an atmosphere of distrust amongst the employees as they all want to dissociate themselves from the problem. Instead, employing a solution-based approach will ensure that everyone offers their input on how to resolve the issue. This is a more effective way of allowing employees to take responsibility.
Find out what works
When things are not going so great and employee productivity is low, you should find out what you can do to increase it. It would be best to consider using innovative ways to determine what works for them and what does not. When you identify these things, you can categorize and properly analyze them. From the information, you can create an enabling environment to increase productivity.
Believe in their ability
When employees come to you often with problems, it may take a toll on your work, and worse still, it may erode their confidence and make them feel incapable. But as a manager, it is your job to make them confident in their ability. Please encourage them to use their skill set, strengths, and experience to deal with situations that may arise. Showing your belief in their expertise will enable them to tackle issues and find solutions to them.
Employees are the fulcrum around which your organization turns, and if you get them more involved, they become more responsible, and productivity is likely to increase.