Warning! Don't Forget About Nurturing Your Team Culture

If you've ever owned a business or managed people, then you know it is crucial to keep your team members happy.

After all, happy coworkers make for better results, a healthier environment, and an overall more relaxed work culture.

It's important not to forget how much focusing on our team members matters. It empowers them, and that empowers you.

The people in your team are the ones who will make or break your early childhood business.

This is because the quality of your team culture affects more than just the people who work with you. It also affects your time, energy, and most importantly, your bottom line.

So, how can you nurture your team culture and make sure your team members are as happy as they can be?

I answer this question (and more!) in today's episode, so tune in now!

Your Team Is the Heart of Your Business

I know many of us are busy, especially around the beginning of the new year. But it’s important not to forget how important focusing on our team members is. Empowering your team will help grow your early childhood business more than you know.

Placing a focus, even a small one, on nurturing your team culture will pay off in enrollment and revenue. 

Always Practice Gratitude

Part of nurturing your team is showing appreciation for them. It's more important now than ever to create a culture of gratitude in your early childhood business. 

Gratitude is an essential aspect of a healthy workplace. It can impact the quality of your team's work, their well being in the workplace, and your retention rates. 

In fact, a recent study revealed that 93% of employees who felt valued were motivated to do better at work, and only 21% of those employees were planning on looking for a new job within the next year. 

Expressing gratitude and nurturing your team culture is especially important right now, since many early childhood team members are experiencing burnout, and turnover rates are particularly high.

How to Empower Your Team Members

The key to empowering your team and nurturing your team culture in your early childhood business is easier than you think. 

The least expensive and most effective way is simply encouragement and recognition. I cannot say it enough; encourage your team! And never underestimate the power of a smile, a high five, or a well placed word of thanks. People want to know when they're doing something well, and not just when they're making a mistake.

This is especially important with your team members who struggle in our daily life of constant chaos and fires to put out. When we're dealing with parents’ most prized possessions in life, they can get cranky. So a nice word of encouragement can go a long way from a fellow adult. 

Always keep an eye out so that when they are doing something well, you can make a point of letting them know. This is a great way to encourage wanted behavior, while making every member of your team feel valued.

It Only Takes 15 Minutes

It truly only takes 15 minutes a day to create a great team culture in your early childhood business. I know, sometimes, even 15 minutes sound like a lot in the middle of a busy day, but trust me, those few minutes will pay off.

Here’s what I do with those 15 minutes: Every day, I walk around the school or the play café. I make sure to say hello to everyone. I make a conscious effort to try to connect with each and every person, even if it's only eye contact and a smile. A simple “hello” can help your team members feel seen and valued. 

It seems almost too easy, but believe me, people notice when you don’t do it. 

Don’t Be an Absent Leader

An easy way to support and recognize your team is to be there for them. I know this sounds obvious, but most team members know what it’s like to have an absent leader. 

So, be it in the classrooms, be in the lunchroom, be there at pickup and drop-off times in the café or the school. Just make sure to be there. Your team and families want to know you care and are available to them. 

A Gift Card Never Hurts

Yes, encouragement and recognition are the easiest and most cost effective way to nurture your team culture in your early childhood business. However, I also swear by and often use the $5 gift card.

Keep a few $5 gift cards in your pocket, and when you see a team member doing something that models your team values, give them one. Trust me, a $5 Starbucks gift card is always welcome!

When we take the necessary steps to support our team, we not only set them up for success, but also boost team retention and customer service. 

So, before you go, remember this: 

Great leaders find success by making the people around them shine rather than themselves.