Tips from the Trade

Amy Miller, renowned author and business coach, encourages business owners, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs to embrace the future and current challenges they are facing. By approaching change as an opportunity that can inspire us, she explains, we are inclined to step up our game and motivate others around us. Her top 2023 recommendations to help position companies for success:

Employee autonomy: Allow employees to self-select projects and teams. “We’re naturally more focused when we’re working on something that drives us.”

Individual development: Give employees and the supervisors and leaders who manage them time to selfreflect and develop individually to grow as a team. “When we get to know ourselves better, we can discern when to keep pushing forward with a task or reach out to a team member who may be stronger in that area. Leveraging team strengths as well as identifying areas for improvement can build team cohesiveness, momentum and individual confidence.” recommendations for companies to consider. Affirms coach and author Miller, “I’m seeing more individuals beginning to pay attention to what it is they want out of their careers, whether it’s a better work/life balance or shifting career directions to something that feels more meaningful.”

Much like the corporate transparency we’ve identified as a 2023 expectation, the organizational purpose will be central to attracting and retaining top talent for any business. Shift that organizational mission from words on the page of the employee handbook into daily cultural norms and values by inviting employees and leaders to review, refine and even redefine what drives and guides the organization. Company retreats, mission engagement and activities and even corporate swag with the mission, values and purposes can help keep employees connected with the why and fuel their daily purpose and performance.

Work Redefined

How we measure employee work performance is continuing to evolve. In 2023, employers will be challenged to consider and evaluate employee performance differently. Michael Mankins and Mark Gottfredson, partners in global consulting company Bain, offered the following advice in their 2022 Strategies for Turbulent Times article, published in the Harvard Business Review: “Leaders must approach performance monitoring with a new mindset. The central question should be not, ‘How did we perform?’ but ‘Should we alter course?’”

By expanding how we define the quality of work and organizational outcomes in 2023, employers will be creating more opportunities for talent development and career growth. More consistent engagement with employees through improved corporate communication technologies, including video conferencing, messaging and micro-meetings, will empower and guide employee performance in real time instead of outdated annual reviews.

Creating work performance objectives and goals together, ditching the traditional evaluation forms and norms and replacing them with more creative, real measures of achievement that align with daily work duties and responsibilities will help the company excel and the employee feel more engaged and empowered to redefine what work really means in 2023.

Plan To Succeed

It’s been said that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Yes, more disruption is coming. To wit, these days, the expectation should be to expect the unexpected. But a comprehensive change management plan that supports the strategic priorities of the organization, including short-term and long-term goals, can make the difference between success and mediocrity.

Serial entrepreneur and author Brian Myers recommends that in 2023, employers should “have a plan and have a backup plan. Prepare to work a lot more if you have to downsize or have staffing challenges. Make your customer service game the best it’s ever been.”

An organization’s ability to pivot and refine processes while faced with adverse circumstances will benefit from thoughtful investment of the company’s resources in change management, innovation and new technologies.

Preparing for the unexpected may seem like a daunting and futile task, but organizational agility and planning make good business sense. A willingness to “make it work,” in spite of whatever challenges come into play, will strengthen organizational performance in 2023. Investing in the development of employees and inviting employees to help guide the organization not only this year but in years to come should be a staple of the long-term plan for business success.