Starting a business might just be the most challenging thing you’ll ever take on. The responsibilities are too many to count, and things tend to get quite overwhelming at times. While finance and marketing are complicated angles you will have to deal with, sooner or later, it is actually dealing with people that presents the biggest challenge of running a business.

You might think you have some people skills, but being in charge of others means making tough decisions at times, and you will not always be popular for it. The trickiest part, though, is getting the best out of your people. So, how exactly can you ensure that your employees are productive?

Be genuine  

There’s nothing quite as annoying as a manager who seems to be forcing positivity or any other feeling on everyone. Forget what you might have read in a self-development book. Your best approach to dealing with people is being yourself. People can spot a fake attitude miles away, and it won’t do you any good. You are a human being, so act as such and convey your true emotions. It will help employees feel more relaxed around you and they will want to do their best.

Display empathy 

If there’s one thing people really care about their bosses, it’s the ability to be empathetic. And when they find one that has that, they would go above and beyond to do their jobs as efficiently as possible. If one of your people is feeling sick and couldn’t make it, you shouldn’t force them to come or ask them to provide medical proof. If one of your people is feeling tired on a certain day, ask them to go home. If they make a mistake, don’t lose your cool and snap in front of everyone; let them know that mistakes can happen to anyone. It’s these details that really counts at the end of the day, and doing things like that will make people want to do things for the job, and you.

Respond to their requests 

Employees come to the office because they have to, and you need to make that daily journey a little bit easier for them. If they ask you for something to make their jobs a little easier and to get more productivity out of them, do it. Some people suffer from back pain, and as you can see on these reviews from Chair Institute, there are chairs that could help with that.

Just imagine how productive a person would be if you helped relieve some of their back pain. If they need air conditioning because it gets really hot, invests in getting it. Those employees are your most important asset, and if you give them what they need to be productive, the outcome will blow your mind.

Provide constructive feedback

One of the most important approaches to make your employees more productive is to provide them with constructive feedback. This is how they learn from their mistakes and improve as professionals. It is imperative, though, that you be very delicate with how you approach giving feedback. You need to choose your words carefully, and make sure to also point out the good things they did, next to the ones that need improvement.

Train and develop 


Those are the key to getting a much-improved productivity out of your people. Provide them with the necessary training programs and workshops they need to grow, and they will never forget it. People want to improve and become better versions of themselves, and if you help them do that, they will go the extra mile and do their jobs more efficiently.

Show appreciation 

An employee that feels appreciated is one that will do anything for their job. You can’t ask your people to stay overtime if you don’t pay them. You shouldn’t expect to improve them if you won’t even commend their previous efforts. Showing appreciation makes the employee feel special, and when that happens, their productivity automatically improves.

While it is definitely better to actually present them with awards or give them a raise as a display of appreciation, even a thank you note in front of their peers would do wonders. This also helps create a healthy competitive environment, because what employee doesn’t want to get publicly commended by their boss?

Getting more productivity out of your people isn’t hard, but it also isn’t easy. You will need to deal with your own shortcomings and learn how to control your emotions, even when you are extremely frustrated. A good leader knows how to inspire their people, and when that happens, the outcome will be much better than you could have ever expected.