Why you should be interested in the growth of your employees.

A business is as good as the people behind it. Have you ever wondered why two different businesses, working in the same location, selling the same products at the same price will have different fortunes!?

Just look around your neighborhood and you’ll see this play out every day. In my neighborhood we have two shops. They are both retail shops and they both sell the same things that’s rice,sugar,soap e.t.c at the same price and are housed on the same building. One is growing and filling up it’s shelves while the other is having it’s shelves run dry by the day. Every thing about these two retail shops is the same save for one thing. Can you guess what it is!? Yes, you guessed right the people behind these two businesses. The ownership, the workers.

Pay attention to your employees’ development

Very many times we don’t pay so much attention to the personal development of our workers.Another quick question, when was the last time you held a training for your workers!? When was the last time you sent them to a short course!? Do you know what your employees do when they’re not at work or that’s non of your business!? Do you try to ensure your employees succeed outside their work life!? Ooooohhhhh again that’s non of your business hahaha. Now here’s the reality, it’s all your business and you are just being naive or ignorant about the reality.

At work we make an effort to send our staff to the different trainings around. They could be in line with their career or something they’re doing with their personal life. We also encourage them to have something going on, on the side outside work and demand that they manage these various interests well so there’s no overlap. I mean that’s what life is about. Managing work,family, marriage and your personal life all at ago so yes it’s is just asking our workers to manage life or learn how to do so. It’s quite funny, but every time we are interviewing workers my concern is usually what they’re doing outside their profession or work. So do you have a side hustle!?Do you have something you do outside work!?

All our staff will tell you that’s one question I asked each of them during their job interview. Some thought I was asking because I wanted to only hire people who were doing only one thing like most people but to their suprise when they got the job every one on the team was doing something else outside their job. Our admin runs an NGO with other young friends of hers and they provide pads and sexual health education to girls up country who can’t afford them and we chip in as part of our CSR to help her and the beneficiaries of her Organisation.She asks me to go for their adminstrative meetings every once in a while and am okay with it.Our lead app developer who is also a part time graphics design tutor runs a small desing side business on Nasser road. Our website developers get gigs outside and am okay with it as long as they don’t compromise their contribution to the company.

Why you should encourage employee development!!!

Why do we encourage this, because it helps them grow as complete humans exposing them to various scenarios of life which experiences mould them wholly.All our staff are supposed to have more than one skill and should be doing something with their life outside their job and we do our best to support that.Give the job 50% and the 50% to other things outside your job and strike the perfect balance. That there is also a skill because not so many have the ability to find that balance. We send them for industry boot camps for example our developers always go for those word-press boot camps, our admins always go for those management trainings like Imagine Me by Joan Mugenzi, Our accounts attend their CPA training and seminars all this paid for by the company. Why!? Because we know that the company can only grow as big as the people within it grow.

Tow days ago I asked my business partner to go for a TV interview I had been called for. It was his first but a good start and I told him to get ready because I’ll be sending him to more of those radio and TV invites I get to speak on investment, business, finance and economy. I have encouraged him to start writing and slowly he is getting better and I’ll be giving him some of my writing spaces on the platforms I write for.I do this knowing that when our staff grow as individuals this growth is transfered to the business.People say, you’ll train people and they leave something am not scared of. You will also not train them and they stay, so look at the time they’re with you.

Do you want to work with average people or you want to work with the best!?

People give what they have, so help them get what you want them to give.
So as you go about growing your business remember the growth of the business is parallel to the growth of those who work within it. So make their growth your priority. Like Richard Branson says, take care of your staff and they’ll take care of the rest..
Jaluum Herberts Luwizza is a Speaker,Writer, Columnist with the C.E.O Magazine and Contributor with the Nile Post.He is also a Business Consultant with YOUNG TREP East Africa’s No.1 Business Management and Consultancy firm that helps people start and grow profitable businesses.
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