Do you wish your staff took more responsibility in their job?

For a number of years, I’ve worked with business owners and managers struggling with teams not taking ownership and responsibility. Many of them are left dreaming about it rather than believing it to be possible, and many think it’s the key issue holding back their business growth.

In my early days as a manager and business owner, I struggled with these same challenges. And I saw that if I didn’t do something different, my business would never grow.  That wasn’t going to work for me – so I started researching what might be behind this phenomenon.

That research set me on a course of deep learning from some of the great thought leaders on the topic of management and leadership.

In the years since, I’ve been developing and implementing systems that have not only helped me, but helped hundreds of other business owners and managers as well. The results? People started taking ownership of their jobs. And that wishful dream became a reality.

Now, I’m going to share that system with you.

By the end of this post, you’ll know what you need to do to get results from your team. You’ll also learn how to ensure your team possess the same clarity of their roles as you do. Allowing you, your business and your team to all grow together.

Not only that, but you’re also going to have measurable, time-driven goals in place. Giving you reference points at any moment you find yourself struggling with your team.

And the process is very similar to growing a garden. So, let’s get into it.

That’s your job as a leader. Ensuring your teams have access to the conditions they’ll thrive in.

This is where writing an effective position agreement comes in.

When done well, you and they will have outlined all the conditions for winning together. They’ll clarify what your staff is responsible for, what results you can expect and free you up to focus on other things once implemented.

So, how can you effectively prepare your foundations for growing your team? Here are some of the aspects you need to pay attention to:

1. Be aware of the major responsibilities of the job role. Make these clear in the position agreement, so the new staff member knows the core goals in their role.
2. Clarify the results expected. Knowing what’s expected is always far easier to adapt to. It sets something tangible that others can work towards. SMART Goals are best here. Specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, and time driven.
3. Know what skills the staff member will need. There’s nothing worse than not being clear on what skills a staff member needs to be successful. This will be super helpful in making sure you hire the right person for the job.

I have a gift for you. In my work with my clients, I came up with a system for writing great position agreements. And today, I’m going to share it with you.

6 Steps to Writing Great Position Agreements

This will allow you to clearly and decisively write a position agreement that’ll give every person on your team the best foundation possible.

The same goes for growing your team. They’re going to need regular tending for them to produce the intended results. However, you don’t need to (literally) water and feed your staff, obviously.

What you don’t want to do is abdicate (set it and forget it). Just because you put a position agreement in place doesn’t mean they’ll “just do it” and now you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

Here’s what to do instead:

1. Check in with them regularly. You’ve laid out results you’re expecting from them, now set a schedule with them of deliverables. Take the time to check in, likely weekly, and see how close your team is to those results. Check if they need any more support than what they have right now.
2. Trust their process. You ultimately care about the results being produced in an efficient manner without your intervention being necessary. Allow them to explore their own approach to things, correct their mistakes, and watch them flourish in their role.
3. Be present as a leader, not a micromanager. Yes, you should be checking in on your team. But you don’t need to be micromanaging their every move. Be approachable and able to give support, but don’t try to force your way in unless there’s a glaring issue.
4. Manage to a result. The whole point of outlining what you need your staff to achieve is to make it clear for you both. When you need a point of reference/measure to see how your team is doing, look at the results. Address it accordingly.

As you’ve likely guessed, it really just boils down to being there for your team. Address concerns that come up. Communicate regularly. Hold people accountable, including yourself, to the position agreements that you’ve outlined.

Your business, when you put the work in as outlined above, can begin to function with or without you. This is how you can free up your time to explore other avenues of business growth.

When you and your team are clear about how to win the game together, you are free! Free to focus on new goals and challenges. Free to propel the success of your business even further benefiting everyone that’s involved in the process.

And it’s all attainable, measurable and systematic. So you can’t fail.

Now you’re equipped with the concepts of how to grow your team effectively, the ball is in your court. You can take your business to new heights by learning the specifics of growing your team to achieve results.

So what do YOU want to achieve?

• Sales growth?
• Better customer service?
• Improved profits?

And maybe peace of mind knowing you have a great accountable team!
You choose!

As always, if you have any questions – please feel free to reach out through comments, email or social media. I’m more than happy to hear from you and I’d love to help you grow your team and grow your business.

If you missed it, I’m also offering a free copy of my “6 Steps to Writing Great Position Agreements.” Using it, you’ll be able to set rock-solid foundations. Every single time.