Would you recommend working for you?
Even better: would you want to work for you?
I want you to be very careful when you answer this question, and make sure you are thinking of your business as it really is, not as you want it to be. Your employees work in the reality that exists today, tomorrow, and every day. Not in the ideal or long-term goal you have set for your business.
The average day
Think of an average day in your business.
What is the work environment like?
Is it a fun place to work? Are people comfortable and happy?
Is it a productive place to work? Do employees see the results of their efforts?
Is it a supportive place to work? Are people valued and sustained in what they do?
The good times
What are you like when things go well?
Do you recognize employee and team accomplishments? Do you encourage the best behaviors? How do you celebrate employee wins? How do you celebrate company milestones?
Would you want to work for you on the best days?
The bad times
What are you like when things go wrong?
Do you still recognize positive efforts?
Do you explain mistakes? Do you offer guidance for better performance in the future?
Are you able to hold people accountable and still guide them forward?
Does your team feel equally valued by you?
Would you want to work for you on the worst days?
Build the business you would want to work for
What do people think and feel when they come to work each day?
What do people think and feel when they end their work each day?
And ask yourself, sincerely: would you want to work here?
What next
To create a good work environment, be deliberate about what that means. Start with a 30-minute discovery call with me, and let’s think out loud together.