A team of average players can achieve its goals. But only a team of rock stars can consistently knock it out of the park. If you’ve got a team of average players, or if high-performers seem to be slipping, there are ways that you, as a leader, can work to turn them into rock stars.

Connect Everyone to the Bottom Line

One of the biggest reasons employees become disengaged is they don’t know why their work is important. They know they must do their tasks, but they don’t know how it makes any difference. You can help your employees feel engaged by tying their jobs to the overarching mission and goals of the organization

Connecting team members to the bottom line allows them to see tasks they may think are mundane move the company closer to its goals. Making that connection gives employees an “a-ha moment” that opens their eyes and helps them understand their work is valuable, and they are a valued contributor to the team.

Create a Learning Culture

If you’ve hired the right people, you’ve got a team that is chomping at the bit to learn new things. By providing them with opportunities to learn, develop and grow, you show you value them and want them to succeed with you.

Creating a learning culture means different things to different organizations, but some strategies include:

• Monthly lunch-and-learn sessions
• Offering tuition assistance or reimbursement
• Sponsoring conference attendance
• Offering formal training on new skills
• Promoting cross-training opportunities between roles or departments

Don’t Give in to Micromanagement Tendencies

When an employee’s performance drops or someone is performing at just an average level, it can be tempting to micromanage them. Avoid this urge. Micromanagement can break someone’s spirit, while coaching can lift spirits and help employees soar.

Provide your team members with clear instruction on a task or project, allow them to ask questions; then step aside and let them do their jobs. It’s ok to check in every now and then, but standing over their shoulders will make them feel like you don’t trust them.

Promote Collaboration 

One way to avoid micromanaging while promoting performance improvement is to create new opportunities for teamwork. When employees work together towards a goal, they will bounce ideas off one another, challenge each other and look for ways to solve their own problems before getting you involved.

Teamwork also encourages a bit of healthy competition and can naturally light a fire under a stagnant employee. Nobody wants to be the weakest link in a group, and people will naturally push themselves beyond their current perceived limitations to achieve their goals.

Are You Looking for Rock-Star Talent?

If you are looking to hire rock-star talent right out of the gate, contact the agricultural industry staffing experts at Morris Bixby Group. Our proven strategies for success can help you achieve your recruiting and retention goals, fast.