Alex Hemani, CEO of Ninety9 Capital, is a visionary real estate entrepreneur and a pioneer in the single-family rental (SFR) market.
Because your people are your strongest commodity, companies that plan to exceed expectations in a time of highly advanced technological breakthroughs need to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
And this challenge begins right at home as we lead organizations into a new era of rapidly evolving market demands, shifting demographics and a highly competitive battle for top talent. In this environment, I encourage executive leaders to thoroughly assess their current programs for continuous learning and professional development and consider new ones to implement in 2025.
I believe there are four key things to understand and work on when looking to foster a culture of innovation and dedication within your organization:
1. Today’s Workforce Has Evolved
What we see today, across a wide spectrum of industries, is that many companies have invested the appropriate amount of time, capital and resources to build the right culture, yet they fail to see any noticeable results.
That’s because today’s workforce is evolving and is much different than 10, 20 or 30 years ago. I’ve found that this next generation of employees requires much more in the way of structure, culture and teamwork to thrive.
Many need to accept that they can’t simply become a CEO in six months, especially if they’re not willing to put in the necessary commitment to advance in the first place. I think the majority of people who job hop from one company to another, looking for a nominal bump in salary, don’t realize they’re ultimately putting themselves at a severe disadvantage.
As leaders, we can help instill patience and set reasonable expectations. If you’ve already built trust among your workforce, the battle is halfway over.
2. Recruit (And Retain) Top Talent
Not every CEO is in a position to review resumes and participate in the full hiring process. But I do. If you want performance and the ability to build a real culture of continuous learning and improvement, you have to look for the A players.
Strong leadership begins at the top, but it definitely doesn’t end there. If you’re looking for A-performance players who don’t need to be micromanaged, you need to attract them by offering programs and initiatives that can give you a competitive edge.
Set your goalposts and make sure the playing field is level for the entire workforce. Do what it takes to get buy-in on your 3-, 5- and 10-year plans. When you do, you’ll easily spot who’s on board and who isn’t.
3. Incentivize Progress For Your Workforce
I’m learning more and more that this new generation of workers thrives on incentivization. It’s one of the reasons so many mobile applications have now turned to gamification to enhance participation and buy-in.
If you incentivize your employees to attend the right trade shows, conferences and expos, your employees will return with more industry knowledge, more new ideas and more connections through networking. All ultimately benefit the company.
It’s one of the reasons I’m more than happy to cover the expenses for these opportunities. At the end of the day, I’m investing in my workforce, and they, in turn, are investing in my company’s success.
4. Enhance Internal Communications
Enhancing internal communications does not equate to adding more meaningless meetings to everyone’s schedule. Rather, it’s an intuitive way to make sure that continuous learning and improvement becomes a shared experience.
You’ll quickly discover just how motivating it can be for employees. When a member of your workforce earns another certification or completes another level of education, it should be celebrated across the board. By rewarding people for their individual efforts, you’ll also be promoting the desire for others to follow suit.
Communicate these wins and watch the participation level rise. Your employees should feel welcome to showcase their learning experiences while receiving active feedback from the team. This promotes a growth mindset among your workforce, uniting everyone under one common goal.
Elevating Your Workforce
Investing your time, energy and resources to focus on these four key areas can take your company to new heights in 2025. Understand that today’s workforce is different than when you entered the corporate world and do everything you can to seek out the players who are destined to be performers. Then, continuous learning and improvement initiatives can be fostered by offering incentives and encouraging active participation. Lastly, I believe it’s important to enhance communications across the board to ensure continuous learning and improvement is a shared experience uniting everyone.
Following this advice should help ensure your workforce clearly understands the ways you intend to invest in their growth for both their benefit and that of the company they work for.
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