Business

Make a resolution to improve your team this year: here’s how

January 13, 2021
Imagine this familiar scenario: it’s January 1st. As you set resolutions for 2021, you tell yourself all the things you told yourself last year. Whether it was about your routine, your diet, or anything in between, all too often the same thing happens…

January 12th rolls around and instead of the idealistic “resolution-driven” life you’ve imagined, you’re on the couch bingeing on Netflix with pizza in hand as dust accumulates on your resolutions. But it’s too soon to feel like a failure. what if you considered an alternative path? This year: make a resolution for your business.

As business leaders and small business owners, thinking differently about yearly change is beneficial. Instead of self-focused resolutions, consider a commitment to the well-being of your employees. Not only do you have a team to gather feedback from, but improving that team will undeniably pay-off by the end of the year (maybe even the end of the quarter). 

Make a resolution to invest in your team this year 

In an article written last year by Lindsay Gaskins, President at CCA Member Solutions – she suggests business leaders adopt a different kind of resolution this year. 
“What if in 2020, we as business leaders decided to have the resolution to improve our teams’ skill set and knowledge by providing the tools, training, and opportunities for our team members to improve themselves. The outcome of this type of New Year’s resolutions is a win-win for both our team members and our businesses.”
Lindsay Gasksins
Lindsay Gasksins
President, New Business Ventures | CCA Global Partners
It’s hard to argue with a win-win. So what does investing in your team look like? There are numerous ways to invest in your people, even if you’re on a tight budget like most companies in Q1 of 2021.

Where to look for accessible professional development opportunities

Investing in your team doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money. Consider these suggestions to add some spark to your people, productivity, and maybe even your profits.

Online Resources

For many, 2020 showed us that there is a wealth of inexpensive online training courses and e-learning sites that can deepen an employee’s skill set while supporting development. This makes it easy to show that you’re willing to expend some thought and energy furthering an employee’s growth. 

Here are some suggestions:

  • EDX.org

    Access 2500+ online courses from institutions like Harvard and MIT in everything from statistics and data science to supply chain management, Six Sigma, project management, and more.

  • Lynda.com (Now Linkedin Learning)

    Now owned by Linkedin, Lynda.com has a history of offering thousands of courses on everything from specific software and management topics to web design and marketing.

  • Udemy.com

    With affordable plans and plenty of courses, Udemy provides actionable learning that many leading organizations find great value in.

Don’t forget about networking and conferences

2020 didn’t kill the conference, it just moved them online. That said, while we can still expect in-person events to be few and far between throughout 2021, there are still opportunities to make connections and help your team grow. Set a reminder to consistently look for professional development opportunities. It means a lot to your team!

Create a Nurturing and Inquisitive Environment

Investing in your team can be as simple as making them feel included and intellectually stimulated. Whether you start a series of ‘learning’ lunches, a team book-club, or host regular strategy and brainstorming sessions to get your people talking, thinking, and participating – it all plays a vital role. 

The bottom line here is making your team feel invested in by providing a forum for discussion and development.

If you don’t have time to give them helpful feedback, what message does that send?

Rethink Your Employee Evaluation Process

Sometimes running a small business is so consuming that you can’t fathom spending time doing quarterly or year-end employee evaluations. But stop for a minute and think about how that makes the employee feel. If you don’t have time to give them helpful feedback, what message does that send?

Carve out time to sit down with each employee you manage. Give them feedback on performance, areas for improvement, and a raise/bonus if at all possible. It is equally important to give them time to voice concerns.

Start the year strong

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