| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Motivating Employees - Ten Ways to Start You Off
Yet there is a place for those external 'raft-build's', 'away days' and 'paintballing'! Just get them in context; there is work to do up front to leverage those experiences and get the best value from them. Just build great relationships in your business or organisation, one-to-one - then have the fun day out and grow even more! You can't motivate people to get excited if the core basics aren't right. So you have to get the financial reward appropriate. Then you have to ensure that working conditions are right. How? Ask your people if they are! Example? Folks don't feel motivated if they are cold. Apart from the basics, there is another level you have to get just right. How they are feeling. This is where it gets a bit more challenging. You have to ask them about this too. By creating the right sort of trusting and encouraging open relationships with them that they feel comfortable to tell you. This is about how you go about it. Big, important actions for you. To motivate your people the 'hygiene factors' have to be sorted out first. That's your job and you can't afford to miss anything. Nor can you start doing the smart stuff till you get this lot right. You can't super-enthuse your team if you are not personally connecting with them at a high level. Get all the basics sorted out, create feedback loops to ensure that you find out those little irritations for them early, and create the ongoing and open atmosphere. You can't rush this stuff though - if you do, it won't work. Now you can get to the individual. Right now you have 'comfortable' people in a trusting and helpful workplace. Here's where you have to build your personal relationships with individuals. There no quick way around this. Get to know what turns them on, one by one. Understand their strengths and preferences - and the bits they love about their work. Give them more of it! By giving them more of what they want to do, they will be ready for more. And you can create that for them. Stretch and challenge them - build their confidence. People get motivated when they are excited. They get excited by being confident and looking forward to their work. Now we are on a new level. So here's the thing - to find out what your people need more of in their working life, you need to ask them. 'What else do you need to get more from your work?' Find out how you can help them. This is a bit trickier. You can't ask them this. Observe what it is that you do, in your interactions with them, that gives them a buzz. Because it will be different for everyone, you will have to use a bit of trial and error here. You need to work this out for yourself. Saying 'Thank you'; encouragement; personal coaching; laughter; resources; physical help; conversation; touching base; actions; celebration; rewards; praise; acknowledgement; (private and public); standing up for them. There are lots more and to be honest, everyone is different. That's why Motivation is so challenging. But it's also why you are the boss - because it's your job to deliver this. The raft building/paintballing/away day? Well, Motivation kicks in here at the very highest level. You can really motivate your people with these exercises. Use them before you've got the basics right and you won't get a return. This is where it often goes wrong. And when it does, it's like pouring petrol on a fire to put it out - it makes things a whole lot worse. Don't chose this wrong level as an 'easy' option too soon. And a motivated workforce has an energy all of it's own. By making the effort to play your part, you can unleash serious potential - and it is so, so worth it! Copyright 2005 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,
http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.
(Note to editors. Use this article with our compliments, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The 10 Realities of Change I've seen several articles that begin with lines like "the only constant today is change." I assert that change that is constant can't really be called change. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Workplace Ethics: Reaching the Highest Standard This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency, commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how employees and customers consider ethical behavior and sound values an integral part of your organization. Group Meeting Disrupters MEETING DISRUPTERS: If two participants are carrying on a personal discussion that interferes with a meeting, direct a clear and simple question to one of them. In order to avoid embarrassing them, address them by name before asking the question. Sarbanes-Oxley and Section 404: Old Dog, New Teeth The failures we have seen in the quality and integrity of financial reporting in corporate America are clear evidence that something was awry. It is the responsibility of corporate boards, managements, public accounting firms and regulatory agencies to put confidence back into the financial statements issued by our society's most significant entities. Smart Staffing Practices: Don't Confuse Activity with Results Does your hiring process consist of proven practices or just a hodgepodge of activities that get into gear when someone says, "I need more people" or "Sally has left and we need someone to take her place NOW?"Smart hiring is more than running ads, screening, interviewing and checking references. It is a series of specific procedures that can work well or create bottlenecks and inefficiencies. The Measurement of Manager Training THE MEASUREMENT OF TRAINING: Evaluation is one of the most valuable - and challenging - aspects of a training manager's job. A well-planned and on-target evaluation process can be the tool which separates a superlative training department from a merely satisfactory one. How to Enhance Quality in Your Business Every business must strive to provide quality products and services to customers. To achieve that objective the company must draw well thought out policies and procedures to ensure 100% achievement of the targets. CEOs Are Great, Top CEOs Are Greater People in leading positions are often in a dilemma: on one hand they are supposed to give great performances, make the right decisions and so forth; on the other hand, they have to fill the role of a very confident and self-assured manager. This may be considered a dilemma because CEOs are expected to be almost supernatural, and asking for assistance in what is supposed to be their core competence (leadership!) simply does not fit the picture, no matter how necessary it may be. Basic Management Skills Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60 % of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this and at such little costManager in contextMost of my adult life has been spent working as a supervisor or manager on industrial projects throughout the world. Competion or Cooperation? It has been said, there is no better way to hone your skills and improve your performance, than competition. Competing with others, or even with your self, fosters continued improvement, striving for even higher goals, and an ongoing sense of achievement. Why I always Keep my Promises Integrity is very important to me, and I try hard to 'do unto others as I would wish them do unto me'. It hasn't always worked that way for me though. Safety Policy Sample Outline Writing a safety manual is a tough job and most larger corporations outsource such jobs or they have someone on staff with the proper credentials in risk management. Imagine writing the safety manuals for NASA? I had the opportunity to be in the unique position of being able to imagine just such a thing when writing our company safety manuals. Focus on Outcomes to Keep Your Business On-Course Did you know that an airplane in flight is off course nearly 98% of the time? No flight is completed in a straight line from Point A to Point B. Gravity, side winds, updrafts, and downdrafts are continually moving the plane off course. Are You in AWE of Your Employees? Employers have become so concerned about seeming "unfair" or worse becoming the victims of lawsuits by unhappy ex-employees that they've stopped requiring minimum standards of employees. This can only lead to poor individual and eventually poor company performance. Diversity Training: The Worst Possible Reasons to Request Executive Funding You're on your organization's diversity committee. You have the best of intentions. Performance Appraisals: Questions for Smarties and Dummies In numerous programs I've conducted on performance appraisals, with Human Resource people (who are responsible for developing and implementing programs) and with line managers (who actually conduct the reviews) are often foggy about performance appraisal procedures. Here are some frequently asked questions. Managing YOUR Expectations I sit on the board of an organization and at the last meeting found myself speaking with another board member named Standolyn Robertson. Standolyn is also a business owner and our conversation was about managing expectations ? both ours and our clients. Downsizing in Organisations - The Real Truth I've met and worked with many people in all sectors of the business world and found that the majority of managers and team leaders are spending too much of their time on basic administrative tasks. Tasks for which they have had no training in. Customer Focus - Just 5 SimpleThings You Need to Think About You can boil down the difference between successful businesses and the rest in how they work with their customers, in just five areas.So, what does this mean? What They WantSelling what your customers really want is just critical. Meetings: Don't Just Show Up, Stand Out and Shine Meetings, whether they're regularly scheduled routines in your company or now-and-then get-togethers, can be a place for you to gain positive visibility and to showcase your capabilities. Here are three strategies that will help you stand out and shine.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
