Most staff are actually interested in your business. They want to be involved and do want you to tell them how they can contribute. A haphazard approach to your business growth will not instill confidence in your employees.

You may have a direction in your head, but get it down on paper €“ two pages is ample. Then communicate this direction to your employees. It is amazing how the dynamics of a business space change when you involve your employees at this level.

It is also surprising how many good ideas your staff will have to offer. Everyone likes to feel important.

Appreciate our differences

Your employees will all differ in their skills, attitudes, personalities and behaviours. Some like to work 9am to 5pm, but they are hard working and diligent. Others aspire to a steep career path.

In addition, some employees learn by visual aids while others need to hear the directions in detail. Appreciating the differences between employees will allow you to tailor workloads, training and development, communication pathways and performance assessments. Failing to recognise the differences between people is a sure recipe for business failure.