But this isn't always easy—especially with the current economic and social climate piling on the pressure.
In an ever-changing working landscape, how can you ensure you're on the same page as your staff and keep that positive energy flowing?
Here are my top 5 tips.
Listen and learn
Express genuine interest in your employees' well-being, and ask how you can help them be more productive or feel involved. Remote team members feeling left out of office antics? Set up a monthly social to encourage bonding and nurture stronger relationships between individuals.
Lead by example
Set goals for yourself as a director in tech and make them known. There's power in leadership taking accountability - it helps your staff know you'll publicly win and fail alongside them. This way, you build trust and motivate your staff to achieve their individual goals, as well as work towards those shared by the company.
Be flexible
Be willing to change course if things aren't working out as planned. Let's say your Support team introduces a new internal process they feel makes it simpler to onboard new hires to your product. 3 months down the line you're not seeing much of an improvement in onboarding times, but feedback from the team is they enjoy the new process.
Could you be flexible in this situation? A happy team that feels their needs are prioritised, and their wants listened to, is a motivated team.
Develop a strong EVP...
...and really embody it! Your EVP may look strong on paper, but is it the honest experience of a new employee 3, 6, or 12 months down the line?
If you advertise a 'supportive company culture', make sure you're regularly bringing this to life. If you advertise quarterly bonus packages for high performers, make sure the review process is fair, honest, and that you stick to it.
Hire the right people
This is one of the most challenging parts of your job. It can be tough to find qualified candidates in today's tight labour market; with highly skilled candidates thinner on the ground than ever and salaries at an all-time high, but nowhere near parallel to inflation.
The right hire can slot perfectly into your existing teams, providing that much-needed motivation boost to current staff.
Deciding on the right candidate is best planned from a consultative angle - who you've hired before, current team dynamics, what you're looking for skills-wise, and more.
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