Today’s working world is filled with stressed-out professionals that don’t know what tomorrow holds in terms of their working world. They’re often stretched between working from home, teaching their kids, worrying about health, and some even worrying if they can keep their job. Leaders might think they should lower their standards because these stressed-out workers won’t ever work at their highest potential in these times. These leaders are wrong.
Most people love a good challenge. They work at their best when people set high standards for them. When workers commit to their success, they have a deeper passion to reach goals. Leaders have to step up and set these high standards. The workers feel this devotion and this belief in them.
Some leaders try to toughen up employees by not giving them any room for mistakes. Other leaders turn away when employees can’t do one part of their job well, but excel in other areas. The best way to positively impact all employees is to hold all of them to a high standard. Don’t let anyone slide too much, but give them tolerance at the same time.
It’s important to prioritize the work of your employees. Get rid of the things that don’t really matter to their position. You might not know the ins and outs of every part of their position. As a leader, it’s important to get rid of the parts of the jobs that you know don’t matter as much. When employees get overwhelmed, they start to lose focus. They need to feel as if they have a real impact.
Give employees creative reign over their job. Work with them to generate new ideas and take action towards results. Set the high standard that results need to be met with creative strategy. The normal business day is gone due to the pandemic. It will take creativity to change the way business is done.
Set the high standard that each person is important. Treat each person as if they’re ready to conquer the business world. If you’re scared to give them a big project, go ahead and conquer that fear. They will reach as high as they can to beat the status quo.