4 Ways to Create Accountability in Your Wedding Business
Building a great team in your wedding business is about more than just hiring the right people. Instead, searching for the best candidate is only the beginning of an ongoing exercise in leadership and delegation. A team’s performance is defined by an organization’s culture and its leader’s ability to drive the company toward its goals while valuing the strengths of its employees.
Whether you’re considering your first hire or you’re a seasoned manager looking to optimize your team, all leaders should aim to cultivate an environment that prioritizes honesty and accountability.
But “accountability” can go wrong — particularly if you aren’t speaking to your team members’ strengths and weaknesses. Great leaders know that accountability isn’t about pointing fingers but rather owning one’s actions and always striving for improvement.
As you grow your wedding business, use these four strategies to develop a team that is engaged and ready to show up for your clients without fail.
Set expectations from the start.
The best time to talk about accountability is before an employment contract is signed! Discuss team expectations throughout the hiring process, outlining responsibilities for the position and providing a clear picture of what success means for their potential role.
Explain the communication hierarchy in your company, who they can look to for direct support, and how to solve problems on their own. Then, after finalizing the hire, continue the conversation into the onboarding process and confirm that you’ve answered all lingering questions before letting them step fully into their role.
Keep communication lines open.
Annual reviews are an excellent way to provide feedback, but most people need progress check-ins more than once a year. Otherwise, they may feel uncertain about their performance and hesitant to ask for help.
By scheduling regular check-ins with employees, you leave a space open for them to bring questions and concerns to the forefront and a chance to evaluate progress, making suggestions they can implement right away. In addition, an open-door policy facilitates a more effective feedback loop, ensuring your team is constantly improving rather than waiting for an annual meeting to know how they’re doing.
Avoid micromanaging.
Nobody likes to be micromanaged, as it removes an employee’s sense of ownership in their job and ends up wasting time for everyone. Nitpicking at someone’s work also prevents them from being accountable for their performance, as the onus ultimately lands on you when you’re controlling every little detail.
Let your team members make mistakes — it’s how they will learn and grow as valuable assets in your business. Think about it: When you mess up in your company, you commit to being better because you know it’s your responsibility to show up for your customers. So allow your employees to overcome the same challenges and accept those hard lessons! It may be hard to sit back and watch, but they will be better for it in the long run.
Celebrate staff wins.
Accountability isn’t just about owning up to one’s slip-ups; leaders must also hold them responsible for their successes! Don’t let anyone’s excellent performance go under the radar — and that goes for personal and professional achievements. Show them how proud you are of their life wins, just as you would commend them for their sales numbers.
It’s worth noting that there are many ways to recognize someone’s accomplishments, and you may need a different approach throughout your team. For example, one person may appreciate an afternoon off as a reward for reaching a big goal, while another prefers a gift card as a “thank you” bonus. Spend some time learning your employees’ love languages and how they accept praise best, so you can show them how much you appreciate their contributions to your business!
A successful team is one made up of individuals who recognize the value they offer to the business while addressing mistakes quickly and without conflict. But in order for employees to feel comfortable taking ownership of their actions, they need a leader to show them the way!
Nora Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. She is also the founder and lead wedding planner of award-winning firm Bridal Bliss. In addition to recognition by Portland Business Journal in its 40 Under 40 series, she also earned a spot in The BizBash 500 for 2021.
