How to Empower Your Team from Nathan Billmaier

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / December 9, 2021 / A company is only as strong as the people who operate it. A boss cannot do it all alone, and a team is only effective when its members are engaged and armed with the right knowledge, skills, and experience.

"Empowering your team starts with establishing ‘buy-in,' says Nathan Billmaier, CEO and founder of Sopris Solar, a full-service solar installation and sales company providing alternative energy solutions for residential and commercial customers. "Your employees should know that you see them as human beings with their own goals and that you hired them because you want to work specifically with them to achieve great things."

Nathan Billmaier shares three ways below to increase team "buy-in":

Listen to your team and ask for input.

The ones who interact directly with your projects and processes on a day-to-day basis will probably have the best view of what's working and what isn't. By actively seeking out input from your employees or instituting an easy feedback apparatus, such as some variation of an open door policy or a survey, you will essentially receive real-time analytics into best practices for your company.

What you do with those numbers is up to you. You don't have to respond to every observation or critique; they won't all warrant action, and they won't all be positive. However, every time you demonstrate that you have listened, and can demonstrate that change has occurred because you heard them, you encourage more feedback and ideas. Open communication with your employees inspires honesty, and honesty is critical in making you and your company the best versions of yourselves that you can be.

Develop your team.

"My father used to tell me that it's never a bad idea to invest in people," says Nathan Billmaier.

One of the easiest ways to show your employees that you care about them is to invest in their career growth and development. Once they witness that you genuinely care to see them succeed, they will in turn put forth greater effort and energy towards the goals you all set together. Cultivating more invested employees with wider and deeper skillsets also has the added benefit of making you and your organization better.

Surrounding yourself with average talent will never make you anything more than average. If your employees aren't growing, then neither can your company. To use a sports metaphor, you can draft a talented player, but without the proper development, they'll never turn into a star, and you need a lot of stars to win a championship.

Recognize achievement while establishing balance.

If your employees are going to work hard to improve their skills under your guidance, you should recognize that growth. Always celebrate achievement, whether that's meeting personal goals or going above and beyond for the good of the company.

"There's that old adage: you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar," says Nathan Billmaier.

Noticing hard work will result in something tangible and meaningful (do more than offer a gift card as a reward), inspiring employees to continue working hard, and inspiring their peers to do the same. You want your team to exemplify industriousness and creativity, but a good manager also knows you need to take special care not to overwork your employees or let your employees overwork themselves. There is a point of diminishing returns.

Your team needs balance. Going above and beyond is terrific, but if your team is not properly managing their self-care or mental health, they will burn out. Once someone burns out, it not only negatively impacts them and their teammates, but it detracts from their productivity for the company as well. It's better to have everyone pulling together to methodically reach your goals within reasonable time frames.

A great culture is the number one thing that makes companies stand out. Keeping these things in mind will help you to establish a positive work environment and will help you attract the best and the brightest talent.

For more insights from Nathan Billmaier, check out his company page, Sopris Solar.

CONTACT:
Andrew Mitchell
[email protected]

SOURCE: Sopris Solar