Employee engagement is a highly-talked-about topic. Everyone has their own ideas about what works. But whatever you think about employee engagement, you should know that confidence is important.
Employees with a healthy level of confidence can achieve new goals and develop bigger and better ideas. A staff that feels confident is more engaged and can be more productive. Unfortunately, just as confidence can be built, it also can fade away.
According to one workplace expert, the most common reason employees lose confidence is because of a bad relationship with the boss. Negative peer relationships at work can damage confidence, but since leaders play a critical part in an employee’s future, they have the greatest impact on confidence levels.
The good news is that employees’ confidence is something you can change and preserve, with a little influence.
Building Employee Confidence
So, how can leaders build and maintain confidence among the members of their team? There are several approaches, but here are four we’ve outlined for this blog:
- Uncover their strengths. It is important that employees are set up for success. Find out what their strengths are and then align their responsibilities with those talents for optimum results. For example, you may have a team member who doesn’t like to get into the details, but loves customer interaction. A good leader will recognize when a person is better suited for a different role and will realign that individual with a better fitting job.
- Help people get a win. Don’t assume people know you appreciate their work; tell them. It’s a nice reminder every once in a while, not to mention a simple motivator, especially if a respected leader in the organization is giving the recognition. Help your team members achieve success by allowing them to take the credit. If you have a new employee who is struggling in their role, sit with them and model desirable behavior to help them get a win. Do so by planting seeds of confidence and encouragement along the way. And remember, leaders can build or tear down team member’s confidence in a single moment.
- Embrace innovation. Your employees have wonderful ideas; encourage them to share. I started an initiative called the Paycom Innovation Awards. Although it’s always been a priority of mine to consistently recognize and encourage creative thinking, the awards offered extra incentive. Employees presented many ideas and were judged on a set of criteria. The very best took home a prize and, to this day, have their names etched on a plaque for everyone to admire.
- Embrace the whole person. There is more to people than meets the eye. Most employees have skills or talents that their job doesn’t require, but still could be valuable to the team. Find out what employees are passionate about doing and how they can use these skills at work. Focus on an individual’s personal talents as much as their professional skills and allow them to find ways to incorporate those strengths into their job. If you have a service team member who has a passion for writing, allow them to get involved in the company newsletter. This is a win-win scenario for the company as well as the team member.
Leaders who are committed to building their teams are far more successful in gaining the respect they desire. A respected leader backed by a confident team is the key to great results. Making a conscious effort to improve confidence among employees is a good investment. In fact, it could make a big difference in your organization’s long-term stability.
