Enterprising employees with passion, ambition and a hands-on approach. They bring the skills they have learned as entrepreneurs to your company. A fantastic asset to any company, isn't it? Because is their passion for your company, or for their own business? Read in this article how you as a company can bring out the best in your enterprising employees!
Employees and be open
Try to make sure you enterprising employees can be open about their own business. If you notice that he or she is less present in the workplace, take some time to have a conversation with him or her.
As a manager you may think that the person is too busy with other things, but perhaps the enterprising employee has a completely different view on this. If you as a manager are open to your enterprising employee, the chance that your employee will be open to you is often greater.
Trust and freedom
If you own your own business, especially if it's a sole proprietorship, you may be used to keeping your own hours and schedules. If you then become employed, this can be quite a big change in your working style. Sometimes someone can have a hard time with this in the beginning.
Employees who have their own business are often driven. Their ambitions may not be to grow in your company, but they can bring ambition and drive to your company. Try to give your enterprising employee confidence and freedom in their work. This trust can motivate them to commit more to the company. A motivated, enterprising employee brings infectious energy to the company. They often have a hands-on mentality that can motivate the employees around him/her to go the extra mile.
Also try to be understanding about the passion that an enterprising employee has for his or her own company. If necessary, let them make a short call or answer an important email for his or her company.
What does your company get out of it?
When you, as an enterprising employee and employer, are honest and open about expectations, activities and agreements, there is a chance that your enterprising employee will really excel. To the drive and knowledge of someone who works as an entrepreneur you can have a lot as an employee. They in turn benefit from your trust and security. It can turn out to be a win-win situation.
Will you embrace enterprising salaried employees? Hopefully this blog has been able to help you make this decision.
Let people grow
The core of good leadership is getting the best out of your people. That starts with understanding what drives each team member and where his or her talents lie. Not everyone is motivated by the same things. One employee wants autonomy, another seeks recognition, and yet another thrives on new challenges.
As a manager, it is your task to recognize those individual drivers and align your approach accordingly. A personal development conversation is a good tool for this. Not the formal performance review, but an open dialogue about ambitions, needs, and possibilities. Teams in which employees feel seen and heard perform demonstrably better.
Do you want to get started with this in a concrete way? At Kenneth Smit, we offer practice-oriented Next Generation Management training that you can apply directly in your daily work.
The conversation with your employee deserves the same preparation as an important client meeting. Consider in advance what you want to achieve, which questions you want to ask, and how best to approach the other person. That investment in preparation always pays off in a better and more productive conversation.