I was recently asked the question in an interview, “How do you inspire your employees?” To me, the question is not only about how I personally inspire, but also how I help cultivate employees who inspire each other. After all, most employees interact with their colleagues more than they do with me, so ensuring they’re surrounded by inspiration is equally important.

Personally, I like to inspire through fostering personal growth and overall happiness — and by being involved in the day-to-day. I seek to identify and build upon the greatest technical skills and personality characteristics of each team member. I used to refer to our employees as a family, until recently, when my partner and our chairman, Chad Roffers, challenged me. In his words, “Families are forced to put up with each other. We don’t have to put up with our underperformers.” So true! A “Team” it is.

Just like in sports, the point of a business team is to work together — to showcase each person’s strengths and downplay their weaknesses. One of our company values is to “Make History,” which is not only intended for the company as a whole, but also for each team member to strive towards MVP. We specifically hone each individual through funding continuing education and conferences, team building events, and celebrations of achievements.

The happiness of our team members is top-thought as we continue to grow our firm. I feel strongly about fostering a happy, healthy, collaborative work environment, so that work is an enhancement to everyone’s life, not a detriment. A few of our key tenants:

(1) Fight for employees we know are good for us. We never (ever) want to lose a valued employee. If someone isn’t happy with their role, we’ll adjust their tasks to be more fulfilling. If they’re recruited by another firm, we’ll fight for them — hard. Ultimately, if an employee leaves our company, my goal is that they left better than they were when they arrived — with better skills, teamwork experience, and business acumen to make them a rock star in their next career.

(2) Let employees go who we wouldn’t fight for. On the flipside of #1 above, if we wouldn’t fight for an employee, then they shouldn’t be around. We try hard to groom those who are lacking in technical or relational skills, but there are times when we have to cut losses and contribute those efforts elsewhere. And, when that time comes, the benefit of replacing their role and lifting the spirits of those who were affected by working alongside that employee are worth the hard call.

(3) Be involved. It’s important for our managers/leaders (myself included) to be involved in the day-to-day of the business. We can’t pursue our goals of a happier workplace without knowing what’s going on. Our office is an open concept and our desks are in the middle of our teams. Personally, I make a point to talk with everyone about their weekends (not just small talk; I’m genuinely interested); to randomly join small team meetings; and to eat in our office bistro area during lunch. When employees voice their opinions about misgivings in the workplace, I try to see where they’re coming from and to help improve the situation.

One hard learning of leadership is that you won’t always have a perfect approval rating. Not everyone will be happy in the workplace every day. A new (and more pricey) healthcare program might improve the position of 90% of our employees and not affect the other 10%. A charity team building event might rub someone the wrong way. (Why did we choose that non-profit vs. another?) And, some employees might prefer a bonus versus an added benefit. My initial thought in these situations is often, “Geesh, why can’t they just be thankful?” But, I have to consider time and again that each person has an individual situation. We can’t please everyone all the time.

At the end of the day, it’s about doing the best that we can do with the knowledge we have to work with. It’s about inspiring through actions. It’s about surrounding our team with great talent, so we raise each other collectively. And, it’s about making the best decisions for the group as a whole.

It’s about each individual working towards MVP and in turn having an All-Star, winning team.