Spice Things Up In The Office By Igniting A Little Passion

Starting out as an entrepreneur is far from easy, but it does have one thing going for it; it’s all on you. Your success or failure depends entirely on your passion. As a result, it’s likely that you have an ingrained passion for every project you choose to embark on. Why else would you even consider starting out in this field? For success to be an option, you need to have complete faith and drive to making your product a success. And, if you’ve got this far, the chances are you have that much at least.

The downside is that, as you start to grow your enterprise, you’ll need to bring other people onboard. And, there’s a distinct chance that they don’t have quite as much passion as you do. In fact, a report by Deloitte back in 2014 found that an astounding 88% of colleagues were NOT passionate at work. And, given that working hours have only increased since, it’d be fair to assume the situation has worsened.

To some extent, you may think this isn’t an issue. After all, most employers don’t expect their staff to have the same passion. That’s a near enough impossible ask. But, given that your employees will deal with everything from production to customer service, you at least want them to feel some passion for what they do. Which begs the question of how exactly you can ensure there’s a fire in the belly of the team you put in place?

Choose employees with interest in your field
Getting this right means starting at the beginning. During the employment process, only interview individuals who've shown passion in your field. That may mean looking out for people with degrees in the field. The fact they’ve spent years studying this career at university is a pretty sure sign their passion won’t wane. Bear in mind, though, that university-qualified staff require a higher wage. If you can’t afford that, look out for staff with some experience. If you can see that someone’s chased a career in this field, you can again ensure they’re likely to remain passionate. What you don’t want to do is hire someone who’s never worked or shown interest in a job like this before. Such a person is likely applying for a whole host of roles, and there’s no guarantee yours will suit them. As a result, their passion could fade before you’ve even benefited from employing them. Instead, always read resumes carefully. Make sure, too, to follow up references before offering any positions. Remember, some applicants may enhance their experience in the field. Make sure you have the facts straight to make sure they’re the passionate individual you think they are.
Be a good employer

Though you might not think it, the best way to keep employees passionate is to be the best employer you can be. In some cases, the promise of a good workspace and fair treatment can ignite a fire. By treating your employees right, you give them a motivation to stay, and thus ensure they become passionate about the services you offer. So, always do what you can to be a fair employer. Stay on the right side of employment law at all times, and treat your team with respect. Take an interest in their personal lives, and respect any time off they need to take for emergencies or outside issues. Make sure, too, that you provide an excellent work environment and a staff room for your team to use. It may not be a priority, but you’d be amazed what a difference this can make. Even if you don’t have a great deal of money to spend here, you could look into second-hand fridges and microwaves. You could even look into competitive coffee machine lease rates to give your coffee drinkers a boost through the day. And, of course, you should keep the tea and biscuit tins stocked at all times. Last, but not least, you should offer a decent wage. That’s not to say you need to put yourself out of pocket here. But, it’s better to keep your team small and pay a decent amount, than to spread your funds here thin. Money is a fantastic motivator, and few things work better to ignite passion. If your staff are working hard for low wages, how can you expect them to care about your company?

Give staff a say
When you think about it, your passion is only strong because you came up with your company. Everything, from the name to the products, are all down to you. You could argue that your company is your baby. And, it isn’t hard to feel passionate about your child. So, why not apply this thinking to your team, too? By allowing them to have some say in major decisions, you can ensure they have that same emotional connection. Their passion is sure to become much stronger as a result. Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you have to share your baby. But, it is worth holding regular meetings where you open the floor for discussion. You don’t need to accept every suggestion which comes your way. But, make sure to give everyone time to speak and give their suggestions respect. If a good idea does crop up this way, work closely with the person who brought it forward to see it into reality. This could involve anything, from marketing campaigns to your products themselves. Either way, the chance to look at their ideas in real life is sure to see your staff working hard and sticking around.
Keep things interesting

In most instances, mundanity is the driving force of lost passion. Even staff who love what they do are sure to get antsy if they do the same thing every day. After a few years of it, even the most passionate individual would flatline. By comparison, consider your role. The chances are you deal with a different thing every day. And, that in turn keeps your job interesting each time you turn up at the office. Attempt to bring the same benefit to your staff. Rather than handing out job roles and sticking with them for all time, keep things fluid. While you will need to play on everyone’s strengths, there’s no reason you can’t switch roles every few months. Let your marketing team try their hand at customer service. Let your production people play around with social media campaigns. It may seem like a nightmare situation, but you would be amazed at how much difference this can make. And, if you provide the same training for everyone, there’s no reason they can’t adapt to these various roles. All it takes is a little delegation and a knowledge of what each person would be willing to turn their hands to.

Provide opportunities for growth

Along the same vein, you should also provide opportunities for growth within your company. Without forward momentum, passion just won’t happen. If your staff work for years with no promise of improvement, you’re asking for trouble. By comparison, offering regular chances for growth and promotion will give their days focus. It might be that you offer training courses for advancement, or simply promotions to those who stand out most. Either way, this will make a huge difference in morale and job enjoyment. Rather than slipping into the mundane, your team members will have one eye on the future and work to achieve those goals. That in itself can put that all-important fire in them.

Take time for recognition

As a manager, it’s incredible how many times you can forget to give recognition for a job well done. But, when the jobs start piling up, this can slip from your mind. Besides, don’t you pay your staff to do what they do? Why should you thank them? To keep them passionate, of course. Even the most passionate team member will soon lose their spark if their work forever falls under your radar. Over time, they’ll stop putting their all in and merely fulfil tasks in basic ways. Why not, given that you didn’t notice their hard work anyway? By comparison, staff are sure to continue working hard for a boss who notices their efforts. A simple thank you can go a long way towards keeping everyone working hard. You may even want to take your efforts here further by offering rewards. Bonuses for a job well done, for instance, can work well here. Equally, those promotions we spoke about before could be a fantastic option. Even something as simple as a spot for ‘employee of the month’ would be worth your while.

Conclusion

The chances are that you’ll never find anyone as passionate about your business as you are. This is your baby, and there’s no way around that. But, by putting the above points in place, you can at least ensure your staff feel a pretty intense passion of their own. And, that can work wonders for creating the most productive working environment possible.