Disconnected and Disengaged? Reconnect Your Employees to Exceptional Performance
July 1, 2008
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By Jay Forte
In a world of powerful social networks and immediate communication methods, today's workers know what it means to be connected. When connected, they share, create, challenge and perform. So if today's worker is so good at connecting, why is today's worker so disconnected from the workplace?
Review these "disconnected" statistics: More than half of all employees do just enough at work not to be fired. Employees change roles every 18 - 36 months. At any point in time 48% of workers are actively job hunting. In the next 5 years, 20% of the country's largest companies will lose 40% of their top level talent to retirement. Many of these companies have no succession plan to prepare younger workers to be ready to step up and stop the outflow of significant company information (brain drain). Employees are truly disconnected from their workplace. So what is the real issue?
Today's disconnected workplace is more about management than employees; employees want to be connected and to do a great job; they are just uninspired. Today's employees find little connection to their roles, their management or their workplace. It happens because management continues to use outdated and ineffective methods to activate employees and drive performance. These misguided methods unintentionally disconnect our employees from the workplace.
We are now in an intellectual workplace; we have moved from manufacturing to service, from industrial to intellectual, from brawn to brain. As author Seth Godin states, "we used to make food (agrarian society), then we made things (industrial age), now we make ideas" (service economy). Our days are no longer involved doing the same repetitive process that was a significant part of manufacturing or the industrial age. Much of manufacturing moved offshore and left us with a service economy. Service is an intellectual and thinking environment.
The workplace in the industrial age focused on producing each day. Being connected to the workplace was not as important because employees just needed to show up to keep production and machinery running. Whether an employee felt connected or disconnected, the results did not vary much.
Now, look at today's intellectual or service age. Every service event now creates an impression in the mind of a customer - some advance customer loyalty, others destroy it. The employee is now center stage and is creating the service brand on a daily basis by what she does, says, feels, invents and thinks. This employee must now be (emotionally) connected to her work, her manager, her organization and to the world to perform at levels that drive customer loyalty and organizational success. If any of these areas are disconnected, performance suffers, customers are affected and the organization feels the impact. In spite of knowing this, most organizations have workforces who remain disconnected, doing as little as possible, hoping not to get fired. So what is the process to move the disconnected employee to a "connected"? We start with management.
Managing employees in an intellectual age requires an understanding that the most important asset of the organization is the "humanity" of the employee - her brain and heart, her thinking and passion. When employees connect to a workplace, they activate their thinking and their passions. That means that the best way to connect employees is to understand the value each one brings and work to maximize it to connect the employee emotionally to the work.
In the recent book "HumanSigma," authors and Gallup Organization researchers Dr. John Fleming and Jim Asplund present that satisfied and dissatisfied customers buy similar volumes; loyal customers, however, buy significantly more and actively support the business. The primary difference that inspired loyalty (and therefore increased purchases) was the presence of an emotional connection by the customer to the product, brand or organization. The same concept exists with employees. The greatest performance happens from loyal employees who have an emotional connection (relationship) with their manager, their workplace and their role.
We are in the age of "soft skills" - those dreaded human emotions and feelings that industrial age managers banished from the workplace. Today, relationships are critical to engagement and connection. Strong relationships attract and keep the best employees. Strong relationships attract and keep the best customers. The starting point for all employee connection to performance is a strong relationship the employee has with her manager.
It has been repeatedly said that "people quit people before they quit companies." This means that employees disconnect from managers (the person) before they disconnect from companies. The reverse is also true. Employees who connect (have strong relationships) with managers perform and remain loyal. This is the key to millennial management - a strong and successful relationship with each employee to each them well enough to know what will connect each to her work, the company and to her objectives. When in place, this drives all other levels of employee connection.
The way to start reconnecting employees to performance is to understand the immense value of the manager/employee relationship. Gone are the command-and-control days of the industrial age; today, managers must inspire and engage. Today's managers drive performance by knowing employees, dealing with them as people, maximizing their strengths and offering opportunities that match their personal and professional plans. Today's manager must be available, open, good at communication and caring. This evokes the same back from the employee. And in a service economy, it matters how employees feel at work because the present these feelings and emotions to customers. How an employee felt when her only company was a machine was not as important as the face to face contact employees have with customers. The focal point of connection and therefore performance is the manager/employee relationship.
When the lines of communication are open (and a connection exists) between the manager and the employee, the following things can happen:
• The manager can assess the employee's talents (natural thinking) and use the information to place the employee in a role that matches the way she thinks. The closer these are matched, the more capable and confident and employee feels. This connects the employee to the manager and to her role.
• The manager can work with each employee to set performance expectations for each role that tells an employee what is expected but lets the employee develop the methods to achieve the expectations. This connects the employee to the manager by the supportive approach and trust, and connects the employee to performance because the employee owns the process to implement and achieve the expectations.
• The manager can provide regular performance feedback to help employees develop skills, master projects and perform in a more significant way. This connects the employee to the manager for the support, coaching, education and trust. This connects the employee to performance because she is continually improving and can see the difference she makes with customers and in results.
• The manager can provide a fair career development discussion about the future roles of the employee. This connects the employee to the manager for the time, effort, personal attention and care to discuss the employee's future and to allow the employee to have a voice in the process. This connects the employee to the workplace as she develops and works a plan that advances her in areas that make sense for her talents, her objectives and the needs of the business.
Millennial managers are successful when they care about their people - as thinking, feeling, and emotional people. They are genuinely interested in their values, interests and goals. They know them personally and professionally. They ask great questions and listen for answers that will help customize the perfect job, match them to the right tasks, inspire them to reach and grow, know the best ways to help them learn, and celebrate their achievements. This manager/employee relationship is the key to success and performance. Done well, it connects the employee to the manager - the single greatest way of inspiring employee loyalty.
So, managers, it is time to Fire Up! your employees by connecting to them to know them well. Build this connection; ask great questions and really listen. Care about your employees. Spend time with them by placing them in the right jobs; develop plans to achieve their performance expectations. Be prepared to coach, counsel and mentor to improve their performance and discuss their future with them. If you want employees to make a difference with customers, then you must make a difference with employees. If you want employees to get to know customers to know how to maximize the service event, then you must get to know your employees to maximize the employee event.
Humanity and connections now rule performance. Successful millennial managers are aware of how the world has changed and how they must now adapt. The good news is that what works at home to create powerful relationships with family, spouses, children and friends also works in the workplace. Employees need managers to watch and remember the details, to get to know what each employee is good at, to care enough to do the right thing for each one and above all, to communicate. Dictating and demanding alienates employees and inhibits performance. Today we must inspire, engage, ask and define. Help employees connect with you and to their work; they will then connect to the rest of the world with the great stories about you and your workplace. News of good things travels fast in our connected world. Your reputation as a capable millennial manager will invite other great employees, drive great performance and attain great results.
Jay Forte is a powerful performance speaker, consultant, author and founder of Humanetrics, LLC. He works with managers who want to be more successful in activating and inspiring exceptional employee performance, to significantly drive customer loyalty and improve company profitability. Jay, a CPA/financial executive turned educator, turned consultant, is renowned for producing significant results. He is a highly engaging speaker and is working on an upcoming book "Sparks! Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition; How to Invite, Incite and Ignite Performance" For information on keynotes, seminars and consulting, or to see the daily "BLOGucation," visit: http://www.humanetricsllc.com or call: 401-338-3505.
Different Ways To Motivate Your Team
June 15, 2008
By: Bertil Hjert
An enthusiastic team is the backbone of success to any organization. The biggest challenge is to motivate a team. Unless the team is motivated, you cannot expect success or profits. The team should be constantly forced by the leaders rather then being given autonomy or power to perform its own actions.
Remember that success in business is associated with motivation. Technical skills and knowledge may play a great role but without motivation, everything will fail to work. If you want to get the maximum from your team, you need to ignite or fuel it with the right kind of motivation. This will also provide them the zest to unleash their creativity and bring out their best.
There is a lot that takes to motivate your team. First, you need to want the best for your people. You need to find their need and ambitions in order to know about what motivates them. Once you start motivating them with the right force, you will see them performing their best.
Here are some of the best tips to keep motivating your team:
Motivate yourself
Let the team know that you are full of energy and enthusiasm to fulfill the task. Show your zest and faith in a project you want your team to accomplish. This will motivate your team to work better and feel good about the whole thing.
Goal
Your motivation should be purely based on the goal you have decided to attain. Let your team gets clear about the specific goals you want it to achieve. Be specific crystal clear and realistic about the goal you want your team to achieve.
Talk to your people
Remember, that people have different goals and the motivational factors vary from one person to other. You need to know who all are there in your team. Talk to them differently about their aspirations, dreams, expectations, fears etc. This will make it easy for you to know what they need from you to get motivated.
Make your team believe that their involvement in the project matters. Let them know how valuable their services are.
Appreciate the efforts made by your team. This will make wonders for your team’s motivation spirit. You can show your aspiration in the form of money, bonus, assigning designation etc.
Let your team have a sense of belonging. Once sense of belonging is formed, the team will get stronger in sense of loyalty effort and motivation.
Challenges
Some people are motivated by the challenges they face. Let your team know that accomplishing a project is not a cake walk but together, they can make it.
Don’t belittle your team’s performance. Let them know that they tried really hard. Once they get appreciated for their efforts, they will surely make more efforts to achieve success next time.
Let your team know the fruits of success. This will prove to be a great motivation force. Let them know about the celebration and rewards the team will get once the task is accomplished successfully.
For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about Motivation and Self Help please visit GET AND STAY MOTIVATED and MOTIVATION TIPS and MEDITATION ADVICE
Stress: It's The Little Things That Get You
June 1, 2008
Leadership in business management is not of epic proportions most of the time. Movies would have us think of business leaders doing heroic and super-human feats of courage. In fact, the very best of business leaders grow right out of the ranks of management, tending to the everyday humdrum gnitty-gritties that make up the bulk of most business days.
Good leaders are almost always aware of the stresses being experienced by the people they lead and whose work they manage. What are those stresses these days? How can the business leader be helpful without compromising productivity and profit? Here are a few items to consider. There are many more.
The stress of schedule. Consider: workers today have children to be picked up or taken to school and everywhere else. Workers also have spouses, parents, relatives and friends who sometimes need looking after, who sometimes throw parties and do celebrations, who often enough engage in shared projects such as building, painting or remodeling and who sometimes provide after-hours part time employment for your workers.
You can help reduce the stress of schedule by encouraging a flexible approach. When workers need to be late, miss half a day because of a school event, or leave early they should know in advance that they have your blessing.
The stress of money woes. Very few workers have too much money! Most can barely make ends meet. With gasoline prices inching towards $4 per gallon half of our country is approaching nervous breakdowns. Anger is rising. People feel helpless and angry as they get ripped off. Yes, it is only a few dollars. But yes, it is the little things that make for stress. The little things hit so close to home.
You can help by encouraging your workers to talk it over. Who could share rides? Who could pick up a needed item for a co worker on the way to or from school or the store? How could the miles travelled collectively be pared down by teaming up and thinking strategically?
The stress of credit. Without credit ANY minor emergency becomes major. It might be a medication, a dental emergency, a minor traffic accident, a broken window, a tax bill. It might be any unexpected expense, any necessary purchase, any financial surprise. Credit at this point in time is tightening. Money is not so easy to come by. Credit cards are expensive. Even a small financial worry constitutes a large stress because it never goes away. Some of your employees might also have large financial worries such as foreclosure, divorce or bankruptcy staring at them.
You can help. Help your employees get credit. Encourage and provide for financial management discussions that focus on where employees are, be that a need for understanding, a need for skills, a need for encouragement or a need to say out loud what is stressful, just to get the feedback and relief of knowing they are not the only ones. More significantly, never miss a chance to develop savings, bonus incentives, profit sharing, 401-K plans and any other type of financial advancement that would benefit your workers.
Medicine, gasoline, utility bills, house payments and mortgages, health care, insurance, credit, food and the future: it is a fairly safe bet that many if not all of the people in your company are VERY stressed about these things. There may be some who have lost loved ones in the ongoing military actions, others whose loved one is serving overseas.
Nobody expects you to solve their problems. But you can make it easier or more difficult for those you lead. Make it easier by thinking up ways to support and encourage your people as they search for solutions. No acting or pretending: be genuine, use some imagination and encourage others to do the same. And keep your word. There is more to business than production and maximum profit. Remember, you are a leader, not a slave driver.
Losoncy is a licensed therapist, an executive coach and president of three corporations. To learn more about his availability for trainings and for a schedule of his open seminars go to http://www.mvpseminars.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Losoncy
Live for Today, Play for Today
May 28, 2008
The Power of Play to Exploit the Present
Constant worry about what’s around the corner is a waste of energy and can cause stress and anxiety. Your quality of life will improve a great deal when you take time to live in the present moment. You do that best when you play.
Recently I walked into a meeting of
Imagine you got up right now and played a game for the next 30 minutes with your colleagues. You laughed joked, poked fun at each other and were really engaged in the activity- what would be the result?
Decreased Tension
Expressed Emotion
Increased “feel good” endorphins
Increased Oxygen (increasing energy and focus)
Increased rapport and comrade
Have better social skills to relate to others
Elevated trust
Increased creativity…. Just to name a few benefits.
The sum result of all of this is when you go back to work you would have more energy, better teamwork and be more productive. No I’m not kidding.
This is not a program but a philosophy. Fun is spontaneous- it doesn’t necessarily happen on schedule; it grows in a culture that fosters its existence. You can’t plan to have fun you just have it.
The definition of play is, ‘a physical or mental leisure activity that is undertaken purely for enjoyment or amusement and has no other objective’. (Play Therapy International)
The use of play engages people in the moment. Time flies when you’re having fun because fun is in the present moment. It is positive, healthy, and vibrant and it is right here right now. When you play you usually laugh -Laughing heightens the experience of being in the present moment because it involves the emotions, the body, and the intellect, all at the same time.
The Power of Now.
When you are in the moment you have an infinite source of energy, it’s a state of flow where things are easy. You are in the present, and it’s the most dynamic, fluid awareness.
Play is a fun, enjoyable activity that elevates our spirits and brightens our outlook on life. Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, connects us to people in a positive way, stimulates creative thinking and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our ego (Landreth, 2002). In addition, play allows us to practice skills and roles needed for survival. Learning and development are best fostered through play (Russ, 2004)
More Fun = More Energy
Think of fun as something like electricity that can be accessed in different wattages. When you play more you learn to use higher energy levels for a sustained time. You can learn to plug into more power and use it without burning yourself out. Some people can use only very small amounts of power and some have developed and earned the ability to use very large amounts of it.
Manage your Time and your Energy
Managing time often involves setting goals to be reached within a set timeframe. Goals that won’t be accomplished immediately but hours, a month or a year down the road. To be most productive we have to also manage our energy. It’s our energy that we give to the present moment where we actually get the work done. There are numerous ways to increase energy like exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc and they all involve leaving the activity (the work that achieves the goal), get energized and come back to the work.
Fun also increases energy and it’s in the moment, so it doesn’t require time away from your present activity. If you can have fun while working, by experiencing the work you are doing as playful, light hearted and fun than you increase energy, accomplish goals, and stay in the moment. In essence with fun we can manage our energy and our time.
Play Therapy
So often in modern life we never seem to have enough time to spend with our children - just playing, just being there for them.
Play is now widely recognized as being beneficial in the emotional development of children. It has a therapeutic value. Play therapists are licensed professionals who use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development. (Association for Play Therapy)
Techniques used by play therapists range from Therapeutic Story Telling, Drama and Role Playing, Puppets and Masks.
Some studies indicate that 70% of children who have psychological problems are helped through the use of psychological based therapies such as play and creative arts.
Nuero science research confirms the importance of play for infants in developing children’s brains and minds. It has also been shown that exposure to metaphor and symbols, as used in play, has a beneficial effect upon the development of the brain.
Jody Urquhart is a professional speaker who compels stressed-out and fed-up professionals to rediscover their passion, purpose & sense of play. To discuss having Jody speak at your next meeting please call us at 1(877)
Get More Business Results By Having A Little Fun!
May 24, 2008
Do you think it's appropriate or professional to have fun in the workplace?
Research has shown that fun at work generally results in an increase of productivity, creativity, loyalty, and morale. Appropriate workplace fun is a key method for energizing workers and putting some life back into their routines.
Here are some additional benefits of having fun at work:
Fun fulfills the basic human need to be social
Fun can instill a sense of teamwork
Fun usually improves communication
Fun breaks up boredom that comes from doing repetitive work
Fun can dissolve conflict and tension
Fun can foster a positive company culture
Fun creates an opportunity for networking
The best type of workplace fun creates congratulations and "high fives" among coworkers. It might be a non-competitive ice breaker event scheduled in the office before a company meeting. Or it could be a sporting event that takes place after work with departmental teams that compete at the bowling alley or on the ball field. Lots of different activities can teach employees how working as a team can be fun as well as productive.
Social interaction among coworkers allows for an opportunity to improve one's "Soft Skills", or people skills. Soft skills are the compliment to Hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job.
When having fun, we get to see our coworkers and managers in a more casual light. This glimpse into their non-business personality may make them seem more human and foster an improved, genuine relationship.
Matt Weinstein, author of the book, Managing to Have Fun, says that many bosses and entrepreneurs find it difficult to have fun at work. He feels they need to learn how to build more fun into the workday and to celebrate successes. If that doesn't happen, Weinstein warns that bosses can drive away the top employees who are responsible for those company successes.
But management can't just mandate that everyone else celebrate and enjoy themselves. The boss must participate, especially in smaller companies. Top management always sets the tone for the entire company, so if their fun isn't genuine or sincere it'll be obvious to everyone else.
Let's be clear that the following behavior should not be considered fun:
Telling inappropriate jokes
Being deceptive or playing pranks
Making fun of or teasing coworkers
Mocking or mimicking management
Play that intentionally excludes someone
Having fun at work should result in a renewed feeling of cooperation and a shared mission. If it doesn't accomplish this goal, in my opinion it's not a good use of company time and resources.
"A smile is the shortest distance between people." – Victor Borge (1909-2000)
Laura Adams is the host of the popular MBA Working Girl Podcast.The content combines brainy business school theory with real-world business practice from her career as a business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. Subscribe for FREE to this top-rated show and get the useful MBA Essential Tip athttp://www.mbaworkinggirl.com
How Showing a Little Appreciation Motivates Employees
May 18, 2008
Martin Haworth
There are a whole load of resources you can find on 'motivation'. Books, tapes, internet etc. Yet it need not be so complicated…
Recently, I had the opportunity to show appreciation to someone. I was really surprised to hear back from her the following, "Are you being sarcastic?" It turned out that she had never been appreciated. No one had ever said a simple "Thank you" to her.
That's it this week, notice good work and say thank you.
When?
When can you apply this? Well, it's easy to apply it to everything you see good in people and their performance. But, if it's been something you haven't made a habit of in the past, you need to be a bit smarter than that, to avoid your people wondering what's going on - even worse, they might end up being rather suspicious of what's going on.
So in this case, try and pick out special efforts of each of your people at least once a week to start with. Be fair and consistent with everyone. When that embeds, try it twice a week. Be real though, saying thank-you and giving greater appreciation when it doesn't really mean anything, will end up with a response like I heard above.
Where?
Where can you use this simple encouragement? It's easy. Find the moment when you experience something good from your team members and share your appreciation in the moment if you can. It is so powerful to say it as it happens. And again, even if you forget at the time, don't give up on it, being able to say, "I meant to tell you earlier, but I missed the opportunity, thank you for the way you…", still works.
In fact this can be even more powerful - that you meant to say something, forgot, yet still found the time not to miss the opportunity show how much you really care. Strong relationship building stuff!
Back to the point - where? Anywhere that you notice.
Keep praise informal and frequent so that your people come to appreciate it when it's due (them appreciating you eh?). So not just in an office, but out in the workplace - in the moment.
Why?
Why bother? Well now, let's see. When was the last time someone thanked you for a great piece of work? When was the last time someone thanked you for your help today?
If you haven't been on the receiving end, then I'm sorry. But when you have been, it's a great warm feeling when you are recognised for the efforts you've made. Going home at the end of the day feeling that your contribution is valuable and valued is a very strong motivator.
Your people will feel much more inclined to come back the next day, to a job they do well and feel appreciated for.
So if you have had that experience - share it with your people and if you haven't, try it out on others and see the benefit it creates.
Being appreciated is one of the strongest motivators I know for people - give it a go - and there's no time like the present!
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"
Give Your Quality Team a Kick Start
May 12, 2008
By Gail Yahner
Do you feel like you should start naming the days of the week after their behaviors?
- Maudlin Mondays – where they "can't get motivated" for the week?
- Tired Tuesdays- two days into the work week and you can see the productivity lessening?
- Where did they go Wednesdays- did they disappear or are they avoiding the boss?
- That isn't for me anymore Thursdays- are they looking for other jobs or career opportunities?
- Funday Friday isn’t fun any more
- Show no enthusiasm Saturdays- as the saying goes… I am up, dressed and at work; what more do you want?
Does this sound like your quality team? While we can hope for a motivated, happy team at all times, we know that won’t always be the case.
Since you can't just dump them, hire new QA's and start over again. You may privately dream that dream but that probably isn’t really an option.
Teams go through cycles and phases. Even the strongest teams have cases of the doldrums once in a while.
Once you determine that there are no underlying issues that need to be dealt with (or you have dealt with the issues) and it's just a case of the blahs taking over the team…. it is time to get that team Kick Started!
Show your appreciation: at least once a month come into work on a Sunday evening and leave little thank you bags on their stations! What a nice thing for them to see when they come in to start their new work week! You can purchase small plastic party bags at the Dollar Tree (or make your own), toss in a note pad, a colored gel pen or an unusual pencil, a stress ball and a few pieces of candy. It is like getting a Christmas stocking with stocking stuffers- fun!
Have your QA Team meeting outside- the weather is getting nice, so take that meeting outside and enjoy the change of scenery
Have a Trading Spaces for their work stations: team everyone up and have them do a work station redo. Limit the time to 45 min for each team and watch to see how many Hildi's or Doug's come crawling out of the carpet.
Hold a monthly productivity party: If the monthly required number of coaching/monitoring for the site is 98% or above, then the team has a Potluck Party to celebrate. With each team member bringing a dish to share and the site or the manager provides the main course. This doesn't need to be costly, think Italian theme ie spaghetti or a Mexican Fiesta ie tacos.
Create a trophy or award: let the team decide upon a weekly/monthly traveling trophy given to the QA that has the most monitors completed or has the highest quality ranking teams. Have fun with the presentation: make some well deserved noise, send out a "congrats" email to the center recognizing the honored QA. Once the trophy has been presented, it should reside at the workstation of the deserving QA until the next person pries it from their fingers.
Have fun and enjoy!
Gail is a contributing writer for Call Center Cafe, the Community for Call Center Professionals. As the self professed Call Center Quality Queen, Gail shares her experiences in Quality and Training with readers. If you are would like to read more of Gail’s articles please visit: http://www.callcentercafe.com While you are on the site, sign up for the free e newsletter: The Call Center Café Newsletter at http://www.callcentercafe.com/call-center-newsletter/
Ten Top Ways for Managers to Motivate Their People
May 6, 2008
Martin Haworth
Motivating people is a sure way to get the best from them - yet it is not something for a to-do list. Motivation comes from consistent cultural shifts from within.
Managers are the ones who can show behaviors which will make the difference and lead to a team of highly motivated individuals developing your business forward.
So to help start the ball rolling, here are ten top ways to get your people motivated. Ten small steps for you to start with.
- Recognize them
Recognize your people as people, by saying 'Good Morning', checking that they're OK and taking a little time with them. - Challenge them
People need stimulation at work, so to encourage growth, build on their achievement of one skill, with the introduction of another. Instruct, coach and then delegate the new task. - Encourage fun
whilst it is a fine line between having fun and anarchy, it is worthwhile spending the time to understand, define and explore that boundary. Having fun is a great way to build team spirit. Checkout where everyone's 'fun' threshold is, respect it and then have a lot of laughs. - Listen - a LOT!
Listening to your people builds rapport and a bond which in itself is powerfully motivational. - Encourage mistakes
By stretching themselves, people sometimes get it wrong - and sometimes make gloriously powerful 'inventions' to move your business forward. By creating an environment where mistakes are not wrong but encouraged, you will find creativity soars. Even mistakes where things go wrong and cost money should not be wasted. Create value from these by really learning for the future…as Henry Ford once said "Bring me people who make mistakes" Make it a safe place! - Say Thank You
It is surprising how much reward we all get from being recognized. The humble (if rare in some organizations), "Thank You" is a simple, yet very powerful way to recognize the efforts every one of your team puts in every day. Think of the last time someone said thank you to you and how great that made you feel. - Be Understanding
This tip needs careful and skilful management and great managers can do it. Understand that your people are real people with emotions and experiences which impact on them. Being sympathetic to their needs, occasionally and not so often that it impacts your business, will bring great rewards and commitment. Do set ground rules for yourself which allow 'understanding', yet enable you to draw the line clearly and firmly when you need to. Be consistent and fair. - Get Out of Their Way
By allowing your people to carry out 'the boss's work', you strongly build self-belief in your people. Be fair and don't just delegate the 'rubbish' jobs, but some of your fun jobs as well (and remember to choose individuals whose strengths match the task). - Share How You are Feeling
By being a partner with your people and showing that you are a real person too, you will encourage others to take big steps with you. This works because understanding that you share hopes, fears and challenges in common with your people makes them feel a committed part of you, as well as your business - this is a powerful message which they share. - Reward
Last but not least, pay appropriately. Whilst if you pay brilliantly, yet miss out 1-9 you may get short-term gain, it is unlikely to maintain motivation for more than a while. Conversely, if you pay badly, you may lose people because they simply can't afford to stay with you, however great it is. Striking a balance is the ideal. Don't forget to recognize with some fun rewards and as in No. 6, say thank you a lot. It will pay dividends and is free!
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.…helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow…
"Used by permission of www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com"
Fed Up? Lighten Up!
May 3, 2008
Enjoy this Play on Words from Jody Urquhart
Having fun increases energy and enthusiasm for your job
Don’t be grumpy and stressed out or you’ll be the office knob
Roger Von Oech, author of “A Whack On The Side Of the Head”
Presents “being too serious is harmful”, so lighten up instead
It’s easy to get along when people have a good sense of humor
Poke fun at stressful situations, not at people and workplace rumors
Humor builds self confidence; it’s good to laugh at yourself
Take responsibility for your mistakes, not blame somebody else
Don’t be a troublemaker, or a let-down filled with cynicism
As laughter defuses tension, well placed humor softens criticism
You’ll be creative and productive as it ignites whole brain thinking
So tell a joke, do something silly and not just because you’ve been drinking
The average person spends eight hours at the place of their employ
If you are working with difficult people it’s not something to enjoy
Today there’s so much grumbling, that we are doing more with less
It‘s with a negative response that people deal with the stress
Some say “leave me alone, I’m busy”, or “I’ve got too much to do”
It’s that they’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s not to do with you
Everyone finds at least part of their job to be quite irritating
Files, forms and paperwork plus all the government’s dictating
People have different work principles; we can’t all do things the same way
It’s alright if just once in a while, you let your opinion sway
Everyone wants to feel important, significant and unique
Compliment them for a job well done, don’t always be a critique
This might not work for everyone, it’s only a proposal
You can come up with other ideas to use at your disposal
Just don’t wait for service milestones to show appreciation
Do something different each chance you get, be an inspiration
Jody Urquhart helps professionals create meaningful and fun work environments.
For more information call us at (877) 750-1900 or see our website at www.idoinspire.com
