When I was asked to provide five tips to help businesses thrive, I instantly thought of one key theme: how to build and nurture a successful team. I’m going to share five tips to help your greatest asset, your people, thrive, and the business results will follow! Having co-founded and run MyEyeDr. for the last 20 years, I’ve learned firsthand just how vital investing in and developing our teammates (and ourselves) is when it comes to achieving great things in business.

1. Be Determined, Not Stubborn.

These concepts are two sides of the same coin, but the distinction is important.

If there’s one consistent truth in business, it’s that circumstances are always in a state of change. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable because change is the only constant. You must be dogged in your determination to succeed, but not so stubborn about your approach that you miss out on promising opportunities. You have to be open to new ideas, new approaches and new insights. Work to identify what isn’t performing and pivot. This begins with the leader encouraging and nurturing feedback from the team. While your goals may never change, your path might need periodic refinement.

2. Never Settle When Choosing Talent.

Be confident in your abilities and don’t shy away from recognizing your weaknesses. Nobody can do it all. I’ve always looked to hire people that have a skill set or a level of expertise that I don’t have. Confucius is credited with having said, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” I believe that, and I’ve found that to be true in business. I know that my job is to challenge, inspire and drive the team, and by surrounding myself with like-minded individuals who also teach me new skills, that becomes easier and more rewarding. Spend time building the right team, whose qualities and knowledge complement each other.

3. Stay One Step Ahead.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a popular commonsense quote, but if you apply that philosophy to your business, you’ll fail as a leader. Your job as a leader is to look ahead and anticipate future trends and changes, and use them to prepare your team and business to evolve now before a crisis. I’ve found that by the time I’ve recognized a trend, it’s sometimes too late. The real key that helps my business thrive is being ahead of the curve, anticipating and setting trends, and building a team mentality to do the same.

4. Embrace Your Differences.

A successful business is nothing without the strength of the team behind it. It’s our job as leaders to foster a safe environment where our employees can thrive. Our colleagues come from different generations, cultures and experiences, and they bring unique viewpoints to the table that can strengthen the team and business. An inclusive workplace is essential to promoting engagement, strengthening self-worth, and enhancing innovation. Nourish your team’s passion for the work by giving them the environment to be themselves and be truly valued for their contributions.

5. Strengthen the Strengths.

Areas of opportunity within a team can often jump out at you, begging to be addressed. Performance shortcomings are likely to occupy the majority of your attention when seeking improvement. But what happens if you devote that same level of energy to positive reinforcement? What about building upon and highlighting the strengths of your team? I’m a firm believer that you should focus on and invest time in strengthening the strengths of your team to increase productivity.