How to create a positive working environment
We’ve talked about creating a heliotropic environment before, where people, like plants and animals lean towards the sunlight.
So how can you make your workplace somewhere your team enjoys being and want to present the best versions of themselves.
Here are my tips:
1) Coach and train
Right from the recruitment, induction, and ongoing development, we should always think about how we can be coaching our colleagues, helping them to continuously grow and challenging them to new tasks and responsibilities which they will hopefully find rewarding. If training is available it should be seized as an opportunity.
2) Engage with people in sincere and meaningful dialogue
There is a concept of fierce conversations, where you should always tackle an issue by presenting the facts early rather than waiting until it bubbles over, and people feel blindsided and then act out in anger or confusion.
Finding out what people enjoy, what their prospects are, what their goals are both long and short-term. All of these conversations build relationships with your team members and show that you care about their careers and well-being.
3) Clear values in the business
Working by your company values day in and day out helps to focus the team and set expectations. There is no point in having company values if they are not lived within the business.
Some should obviously be company focused for example, centered around customers or the product/service you deliver.
However, you should not exclude the fact that we go to work to participate in some social activities too. Work isn’t a coffee morning, but spontaneous conversation and participation can really work in your favour to engage people positively.
As a result, friendships forms beyond the hierarchy of the organisation.
You can actively encourage team meetings and ice breakers to support the building of these bonds but creating a pleasant working environment will also help this. Now, I’m not saying every office needs beanbags or free halloumi…but a clean, warm, and tidy working space should be the bare minimum.
4) Communication
In your company values, make sure that listening to other people’s ideas is a focus point, so that everybody feels heard and valued in the workplace. With every pair of hands, you get a free brain.
Different people will have alternative approaches to problems. Communication styles are an important way in which people are able to work most effectively. Some people are impulsive thinkers, others require a more considered and thought-out approach. Similarly, if you’re voicing your opinion about an idea someone has had, if you say you don’t agree some people might have no issue and take it on chin, others may get more upset. It is easy to forget, but as a leader, “well done” and “thank you” are some of the most powerful words you can use.
Increased communication builds trust too. Once you begin to trust your team with tasks and responsibilities it frees up more of your time to focus on other aspects of your job. It also allows your team to feel respected by their superiors.
5) Don’t assign blame
Everybody makes mistakes. It’s a fact of life, no one is completely perfect. However, if you always search to pin the blame on an individual it can create a negative environment where people are scared to get things wrong.
Without mistakes, people don’t learn. The ability to learn from mistakes allows your team grow and evolve and become even better at their job. Knowing what you shouldn’t do is just as important as knowing what you should do. (If not more!).
Trying to pin the blame on individuals is also more likely to discourage your colleagues from feeling like they can talk to you and approach you when something does go wrong.
This in turn has an effect on all the other elements of a heliotropic workplaces.
The outcome
The end result of following these tips should be an environment where people are happy to come to work, a cohesive and in-tune workforce, strong communication, and meaningful friendships.
We will next cover how to create a positive working environment when members of your team (or all of your team), are working remotely!
Keep your eyes peeled for that coming soon!
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