Make Your company the Best Place to Work

As the employment issue is deepening in all kinds of workplaces, it is critical we keep our team intact and support them to love where they work so that they won’t be wooed away by the competition. This employment crisis is not going away any time soon. Creating a team that enjoys their workplace and one another is one of the best investments you could ever make as an owner or team leader.

So, how do we do that?

One of our clients started investing in coaching for each of their team members earlier this year. He said this recently: "Our goals of implementing coaching as an employee benefit were to become better at communicating as a team and to respect each other more. In my opinion, it has really worked. Team leaders are working much better together, with minimal conflict. A couple months ago I don't think I would have been comfortable or had the confidence to really challenge them and I think our team morale would have eroded. I was so happy to see the way they responded, a vast improvement, and their behavior now reflects our values. Each team member is rising to the challenge and accepting their new way of working, learned from the coaching they are receiving. It’s a win all around. Communication among leaders is much better. Direct conversations that needed to happen are happening. I see so much improvement across the board.” -

Owner of a small business that we have the privilege of working with:

This year, Sherie and I have been coaching a number of small business leaders along with each of their team members. Here are the benefits of doing so: Sharing the same set of tools gets the team members on the same page: Based on what is going on in the team culture, we are able to teach the same tools to each of the team members, helping to enhance the level of communication. When they know how and when to use the same tools, it increases efficiency, collaboration, and the whole team feels more cohesive. What is most amazing is when we (as individuals) feel connected to a team or another person, it increases our levels of oxytocin in our bodies. This hormone is released when we feel “a positive social functioning and is associated with bonding, trust, and loyalty” as per a Business Insider article from June 28, 2018. Even our work experiences can help us release the happy hormones!

Developing the culture consciously: Team and corporate cultures are created whether we know it or not. And when we are able to coach each team member as well as the whole group, each individual begins to reflect on and see their part in the whole of the culture and can choose (or not) to take responsibility for their part. When one person chooses not to take responsibility for their part, it impacts the whole negatively. Coaching will help each person to observe and own their impact.

Clear values and what it means to work within them: Having consistent conversation about the dynamics of the team and how to enhance the culture starts to reinforce the values that the team is striving to work within. This helps each team member act with clarity when it comes to decision making. As each team member is more and more aware of the values in action in their own role, they become true ‘working values’ for the whole team.

We hire better: When we have a cohesive team, we are much more thoughtful about who we are willing to add to the team because we are aware of the impact that each person has on the whole team. So we are ultra careful as to who we choose to hire next. We base our decisions more on character than on skills, because skills can be taught, though character seldom can.

In addition, when a team member is sabotaging the team culture this behavior cannot be overlooked. Generally speaking, if the person is not committed to growing and changing to become aware of their impact on the team, they probably should not stay on the team. When someone’s skills are lacking but their character enhances the team, it is always worth the investment in helping that person learn the skills needed to be more effective on the team.

Utilizing coaching is a great way to learn both personally and professionally if all team members are committed to the team culture that everyone is striving for.

Less conflict & a more enjoyable workplace: When we start to use consistent and effective communication tools, rather quickly, the team learns that any conflict or misunderstanding or messy communication can be addressed immediately using the tools. The goal of working though the situation to find the learning, awareness and empathy for all helps to resolve the issue that is causing stress for any team member in order to get back to a collaborative work environment as quickly as possible.

Happier team members = Healthier team members

When we enjoy where we work, it’s simple, we are happier! When we are happier, more healthy hormones, such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins are released in our bodies. These hormones are famously called the happy hormones. And when these hormones are flowing freely and frequently through our bodies, we are healthier. On the contrary, when we are stressed, more cortisol is flowing through our bodies - this stress hormone was meant to flow to help us fight or flight in dangerous (short-term) situations, not long-term consistent problems that create stress. As leaders, we want to create a peaceful work environment where there is collaboration vs. drama, effectiveness vs. inefficiencies, positive acknowledgments vs constant frustration and criticalness. This creates a great work environment.

Better bottomline: Conflict among team members costs us. It costs time, it costs us money, it costs us efficiency, it costs us our happiness and it costs us our health. So investing in a team that loves where and how they work creates a much better bottom line!

I have degrees in biology and psychology, so I have always been fascinated by the intersection of our minds and our bodies. And now our businesses!

If you’d like to invest in making your business a great place to work and implement Employee Coaching as a employee benefit, email me. Let’s talk! (use the link below)