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3 Actions Finance Leaders Can Take Today To Improve Team Performance
As a Controller or Finance Leader, your success depends on your team members’ success. Read the suggestions below for strong accounting management actions to improve team performance.
Be More Lenient on Productive Staff Members
Productive workers are achieving the company’s goals, so be more lenient on them. Because their actions show you can trust them, let those employees work autonomously as much as possible. Encourage top accounting staff to take more breaks for downtime, network with fellow employees, and brainstorm new ideas to help the company grow. If possible, show productive colleagues you trust and value them by allowing flex time to work from home. Of course, you’ll have to set parameters employees must work within, and you’ll have to touch base consistently to provide guidance on staff members’ progress. Otherwise, be more lenient and leave productive accounting workers to their tasks.
Be More Firm with Less Productive Workers
Less productive employees tend to be disengaged, so ensure management provides adequate ongoing training and constructive feedback regularly to motivate them. Respectfully providing workers with required information, tools, and meaningful guidance encourages desired behaviors that benefit the company. Time and money are saved when colleagues provide leadership through encouragement for a job well done and concrete suggested actions to better perform tasks. When staff members feel valued and respected and have clear steps and support to reach defined goals, they are more likely to engage and help the company succeed. Be respectful yet firm when dealing with less productive employees.
Implement Employee Recognition to Boost Morale
Regular employee recognition is the key to boosting morale. Although increased salaries and bonuses are always welcome, daily reinforcement of value and respect is what truly motivates workers to excel. Staff members of all levels need to verbally recognize each other for specific actions they take when putting in extra effort to complete a project, receiving positive feedback from clients, or finding innovative ways to save money or increase sales. Writing a thank-you card outlining an exceptional action of the staff member is also effective. Purchasing a small thank-you gift related to a worker’s hobby, mentioning in your company’s newsletter a colleague’s outstanding action, or having the company president call and congratulate an employee for a job well done are all highly effective ways to recognize employees. Promoting from within the company boosts morale as well. Recognizing an employee’s efforts motivates them to continue providing excellent service, which sets your company apart from the rest.
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