Business is becoming tougher. There is increasingly greater competition within markets and to make matters worse, Americans are changing jobs more than ever——half of us will change the industry altogether! Recruiting and retaining top talent while growing your business against the pressure from the stock market’s most well-established ticker symbol entities is hard work, but it’s all within reach.

Check out the Ways to Lead

Get Your Team Moving

Everyone has seen those videos of a Japanese office exercising together to begin the day. They might look a little silly the first time you watch, but these workers are on to something; physical activity and a healthy lifestyle really get the body energized for the day.

Communal wellness activities are a great way to energize your workforce and promote a feeling of togetherness and common, goal-oriented problem-solving. You don’t have to implement a full-blown Japanese routine, or insist on an after-hours gym session once a week. But if you can present your employees with a fun and rewarding atmosphere, you can give them built-in incentives to work hard and stay with you over the long term.

Promote Healthy Minds

Clint Stinchcomb President and CEO of CuriosityStream, knows the power of an activated mental state. Keeping your employees healthy and happy is about so much more than a weekly activity. In order to really energize your staff, you need to pile the break room with mentally stimulating relaxation.

Employees who benefit from a workplace wellness program are often happier and are able to translate that feeling beyond the halls of the office. Small improvements to the perks and overall atmosphere of the office make a huge impact on the lives of your employees. This in turn translates into greater workplace efficiency. A library of documentaries, or the addition of Apple TV channels to your typical television lineup during relaxation times can be an effective tool for making your team feel appreciated and valued.

Smart Hiring

An organization’s culture is affected significantly by past hiring decisions. As a team builds toward a bigger corporate future, it becomes ever more important to have the right teammates by your side. Utilizing interview scheduling software to sync up calendars with the best candidates should be an essential part of your hiring practices.

Recruiters have always worked to identify hidden sparks of brilliance and potential shortcomings in candidates through social media research, parsing resumes and basic information, and identifying leadership qualities. But candidate recruitment and talent management takes more than a careful eye.

You have to strike while the iron is hot, precisely because so many potentially great new hires are looking across a huge volume of corporations looking for their talent. The interview process must be efficient and quick, so you can identify and hire high-quality applicants and promote a better candidate experience overall.

Remain Critical

Learning from your mistakes is the only way to grow. Showing your vulnerability is also critical to fostering trust and respect amongst your teammates. Bosses who try to put on a tough exterior rarely find an easy path to corporate success because their team eventually comes to find them unapproachable. Showing your employees that you are human too, but want the best for them and for the company is the best way to combat burnout and create a work environment that everyone enjoys spending time in.

Always Look to the Future

Maybe your business is destined for the Nasdaq marketplace, or maybe you are poised for competition with a series of local businesses. No matter where you are today, you need to plan for the future in order to remain relevant and solvent. Involving your team in the planning process invites top talent to rise up the ranks, building partnerships among staff and loyalty to the team in the process.

A tight-knit corporate community can take on anything, plan for a bright future and you may just reach beyond it.