Employees should not let their anxieties or fears distract them from the ultimate goal: leveling up as individuals so that they can contribute to the company’s continued growth and success, thereby contributing to their own success.
When a company begins to rapidly scale in an effort to build something big, it can sometimes be difficult for employees to handle the changing dynamics that inherently come with that growth.
At Honey, for example, we just onboarded our largest class of new hires to date; and I’m sure we have some longer-tenured employees who are nervous or worried that that means we’re hiring too quickly. Big changes like this can be unsettling, and it’s human nature to want to protect yourself and your company.
But the truth is, companies that are thoughtful about culture and growth are usually the ones taking extra precautions to ensure they don’t lose sight of their original mission or ethos, even as they scale.
At Honey specifically, we do this in a few different ways:
- Effectively onboarding new hires while still protecting and prioritizing everyone’s time and autonomy.
- Training managers and other people leaders to be able to address employee questions and fears head-on, which also allows feedback to be free-flowing in every direction within the company.
- Promoting open lines of communication across the company, but especially between the executive team and managers so that everyone knows how decisions are being made.
But all this said, employees should not let their anxieties or fears distract them from the ultimate goal: leveling up as individuals so that they can contribute to the company’s continued growth and success, thereby contributing to their own success. Throughout my time at Honey, this is what I’ve seen the best, highest-performing employees always do.
Here’s how.
The best employees perform amid changing dynamics by thinking big-picture.
Ultimately, the best way to push your personal fears aside is to adopt responsibility for the company’s growth and success. When you do this, it allows you to think more clearly of the organization as a whole––of what’s best for it––and to understand why things are changing the way they are. Having this understanding, in turn, allows you to better accept change and to remain laser-focused even when things are changing around you constantly.
That mindset will also open your eyes to the fact that, at any given moment, there’s a ton of work to be done—both in improving the company as a whole, but also in very specific areas. That’s the reason, for example, that the executive team may hire more people at your same level before hiring people who will report to you.
Furthermore, pushing yourself to think constantly of the bigger picture inspires you to want to be better in ways that benefit both you and the entire company, as well––to prioritize, in other words, strategies and focus areas that are the most needed.
People who understand and appreciate the ever-expanding list of new needs and priorities are more likely to not only move into management, but to also identify opportunities outside of management that they might be interested in––to stretch and pursue things they maybe hadn’t tested before. For example, if you were a writer working on creative copy for ads who wanted to try writing more technical product copy, we’ll help you find a path to do that.
One key here is endeavoring to connect your personal goals with the broader goals of the company. When your ambitions serve to further company and progress and evolution, leadership is more likely to want to help you realize them. Moreover, thinking in this manner––ever in the context of the company’s core mission––helps you avoid getting caught up in things like office politics, which are often born from competing personal interests.
Employees—especially those at Honey—should know this: you’re an asset to the company, and the company wants you to succeed.
And the best way for employees to succeed, ultimately, is to continue contributing to the company’s overall success––and to see big change as a big opportunity for you individually.
We believe in a virtuous cycle that when an employee puts their best effort into their work, it will naturally lead to company success.
This will always be true. What matters most is that everyone aboard the ship is invested in furthering it towards its ultimate goals. Trust is a critical component of that. Employees must trust that leadership has their back, as leadership must trust that employees are invested in the mission.
The highest-performing employees embrace that and, in turn, they stretch themselves to face the continued challenge of growing both themselves and their company into something great. When you do that, success follows.
Honey is currently hiring! If this article resonates with you, we’re certainly looking to talk. Go to joinhoney.com/careers to learn more.
Here are other related articles you might find helpful:
Why Our Company Decided To Take A Different Approach To Goal Setting—And How It’s Paid Off
Why Offering New Employees An Onboarding Refresher Course Will Have Stronger Results Than Day-One Onboarding
Why It’s Worth Investing In Employees Like They’re The LeBron James Of Your Company
