Just 'Talking'

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Martin Haworth
Building relationships with your people is the most valuable action you can take.

This week, make the time to get to know your people better. Create spaces in your diary to have some conversations with them which will build rapport.

This makes a big difference if you are to build together as a team.

All business is built on relationships - even virtual ones where the only connection between a vendor and customer is virtual.

For most of us, face to face relationships are the order of the day, yet we find it hard to spend enough time getting to know the people we work with and who are so valuable to the overall performance of the business.

Here are six things you can do to start this off, to great effect:-

1. Plan time in your diary to just 'hang out' with your people. Let conversations go their way, not yours - yet be relaxed about it.
2. Find something that interests each and every one of your people personally, and listen hard to what they say.
3. Ask more open questions (what, how, where, who, when, why etc.) about their interest - especially about what they have told you.
4. Hold off talking too much yourself - especially your own agenda.
5. Don't be too preoccupied with 'business only'. If you build a relationship about their interests first, the opportunity to make business discussions stick will be all the more easy.
6. It's all about 'Just Talking' - remembering that the talking is not mostly done by you - but by them. And your job is to facilitate them.

Relationships are built to last this way - and from these relationships your opportunities to develop and grow comes.

Enjoy!

Copyright 2006 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com 
 "Used by permission of www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com"

5 Ways To Improve Workplace Morale

By Gabriel J. Adams

Increased turnovers, costly decreases in productivity and overall employee dissatisfaction are all ramifications of low morale in the workplace. Moral is a vital component of any organization or business for it to thrive and achieve success.

Here are five ways to improve workplace morale easily and inexpensively that will boost your team's performance and lower levels of tension and stress.

Install a Humor Board
Most every office has several memo boards for important work-related information, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Install a memo board in a neutral location that is specifically for people to post jokes, cartoons, funny pictures or amusing anecdotes. This way everyone can get a little laugh after arriving for work on a dreary Monday morning.

Adopt Flextime Schedules
If possible, work out a way for employees to have more flexibility in their schedules. You may be surprised at the amount of stress that can be alleviated by this one thing. With daycares and households with two working parents, and possibly only one vehicle, this small move can be monumental to some people. Work out a schedule or system for employees to leave an hour early or come in an hour late on certain days. Alternate days and times so that everyone gets an opportunity to benefit if needed.

Get Away From It All
Hold meetings and conferences at a location away from the office if at all possible. A restaurant or local park would be a welcome alternative to a stuffy boardroom on a clear, spring day. People may be more alert and more receptive to the specifics of the meeting in another less stifling environment.

Share the Wealth
Offer employees incentives to "coach" their co-workers on their lunch or break times. Incentives could come in the form of paid time off, gift certificates to stores or restaurants, movie tickets or even small, simple mementos to show appreciation. This is a morale booster in a few ways; firstly, new or confused employees can glean valuable information from their more experienced colleagues and secondly, it may make the "coach" feel better about their job, themselves and their performance.

Offer Contests and Awards
Special days such as "Ugliest Outfit Day" or "Best Disguise Day" or "Funniest Story Day" can be a way to lighten the mood for a bit and encourage communication between employees. Offer "awards" which can be simple prizes and certificates given to the winners to display.

Boosting employee morale doesn't have to be expensive or involved. Even contagious cheerfulness on a regular basis can mean the difference between a dour workplace and a welcoming, productive one. Ask the employees for their ideas and listen to their thoughts. Work out a viable plan that will motivate them and make them more productive and happier at the same time.

Written for National Web Design Website information services on behalf of Kaleidoscope Corporate Activity Days.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabriel_J._Adams