At some companies, "family on one, business on two" applies. Your employees are essential because they have the skills that keep your machine running. The happiness and joy of your employees are paramount, even before bringing in new customers. With this mindset, you can quickly build dedicated team that grow the organization through innovation.

Family on one

But there is also a downside. No matter how much attention you give them, it doesn't mean your employees are as committed to the organization as you are. Too many entrepreneurs complain that employees don't work as hard as they do. That's not a realistic expectation: Why should they be concerned about a company that doesn't belong to them? To reduce that difference and friction, you must first treat them as individuals, not as employees. You can achieve this through research - by asking each employee what they would most like to achieve with your company. Everyone has a different motivation, so you will have to listen carefully to the ambition of each individual. Some people want a nicely balanced work and private life or want to coach their child. You have to respect that. By showing respect for your employees, you win dedication to your company.

Best tactic

There is no single tool or tactic to build real relationships with your employees. Personal contact outside of email and meetings is preferred for some entrepreneurs. Of course, you can communicate with different apps and send messages, but that does not have the same impact. When you have more than 600 employees, making time for each employee is difficult. But try to stay in touch by attending and participating in conversations about favorite sports clubs/teams, where people grew up, or their career ambitions. A meeting lasting five minutes creates opportunities for other short interactions. Say goodbye in the elevator, a joint photo at the company party, or when someone with a problem comes to you because they feel comfortable with you.

What is valuable?

This becomes valuable to the corporate culture as your company develops further. If your business is growing rapidly and you need to hire new employees urgently, use the employees who have been employed the longest to recruit new employees. This will speed up the process. When starting your business, you must ensure that the first ten to fifty employees are passionate about the company and know how to implement your business philosophy. If you share your personal vision with that first group of employees, they become a scalable version of you. Use the most trusted employees to recruit new employees. They will use their emotional intelligence to hire the right people. Thus, you can invest time in the new employees to ensure that they grow at the same rate as your first batch of employees, the old-timers. Whether someone is a new employee or has been there for twenty years, always present challenges to be able to walk the path to success. This means that you give your early twenties a new experience by having them pitch new business plans and lead team. In other organizations, the same twenty-somethings learn to get coffee alone.

Driven HR

Try to see yourself as an HR-driven leader. Be successful under the pressure of the entire company on your shoulders and feel responsible for keeping every employee, as an individual, happy. Develop relationships with your employees and invest time to learn what is most expected of you as a leader because that results in employees who are committed and caring about your organization. It's about building trust and trust you have to earn. You will grow faster when you put energy into making your staff happy.