|
|
|
A LEADERS OR A JERK?
Some years ago, five other instructor candidates and I were being trained to teach a course on public speaking and human relations. As the grueling hours in the lab classes began to take a toll, one candidate summed up the session on leadership...
Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Burned
I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy it whenever the opportunity comes my way. I have some friends who are fanatics and occasionally I will go out with one of them. They have nice boats and it makes for an enjoyable day. I like fishing from...
Examining the Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction
Numerous studies have been done to look at the connection between customer and employee satisfaction. A majority of these studies were able to uncover a correlation between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and profitability. In a...
Resume Success Factors--What Exactly is a Resume Anyway?
You know you're good...real good. The problem, though, is that you are struggling to demonstrate just how good you are on paper. Ah...the resume. If you've ever written one you know what a challenging task it can be. The Gregg Reference Manual...
Retail Operations - Effective Branch Manager Support And Guidance
Performance and behaviour management is by far the most difficult aspect of any manager’s job and the reluctance to ‘grasp the nettle’ when performance or behaviour issues emerge is certainly a concern in many organisations. But at the end of the...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
"The Little Corporation Who Cried Wolf" Part 3
Okay guys, it's time for part three of our plan. Are you ready? Have you made the commitment to re-energizing your staff? Have you followed the action steps and started to create your "dream department."
Well, just in case there is a small handful of you who aren't quite up to speed yet, let's do a short review...
We started this whole thing with a discussion of how very important your own motivation level is to the success of your department. Unless you are personally upbeat and positive, you cannot expect your staff to be. Your "action steps for success" suggested that you look at working through any issues that are keeping you from being super-motivated. Then it was time for you to make an official commitment to yourself that you were willing to do whatever it takes to get moving on your re-energization plan.
Next we looked at the first three components to the plan:
1. Communicating your plans to your employees
2. Be involved, be visible and be around
and 3. Clarifying expectations.
Did you complete the action steps directed towards achievement of these steps? I hope so 'cause it's time for steps 4 - 6.
Component #4
Show 'em you care!!
Does this sound like a greeting card company slogan? Probably, but that's okay - I'm really not talking about showing 'em you care in a warm, fuzzy kind of way. There are ways you can do this without making them think you are losing your mind. Like listening to them. Think about it - doesn't it carry a ton of weight with you when your boss listens to you without doing fifteen other things at the same time? And what about when he listens and actually uses some of your ideas. Pretty cool, huh? Well, it's the same way for your employees. They want to be heard and understood. And it's up to you to find a way to make the time for this to happen.
Another way you can show 'em you care is to be around to help them out when they need it. As we discussed last time, you'll now be spending lots of time in your department which is where you need to be if you are going to be helpful to your employees. Now I'm not saying that you should put on the baby-sitting hat but do offer to pitch in and help when your employees need it. After they recover from the shock, they'll really think it's great.
The next way to show them you care is to show them that you are working just as hard, if not harder, than they are. Your employees cannot stand figure-heads, and neither can we, right? So make it obvious to them that you are busting your butt to make things happen. But please try not to be too annoying about it. There is a fine line between letting employees know that you are working really hard and complaining/bragging. You don't want to sound like some kind of whiner,
right? So watch it.
Component #5
Foster a team atmosphere
Man, this is a hard one. Employees these days just don't seem to want to join in on the old "team spirit" bandwagon. But if there is some way, any way, that you can enlist your troops, do it. You can start by talking about this concept. In your department meetings tell them that you really want everyone to come together and create a team. Tell them that you expect them to work together and help each other. They'll secretly snicker at first, but after a while they'll start to think about it.
And what's the
alternative for them? They get on the bandwagon or they get left behind. When you talk about creating an awesome work environment you can tell them how much you want your department to be the best one to work for in the company. Refer to your "team" often.
Be sincere and let them know that you mean it and that you're not just blowing smoke. This will give them a bit of a team feeling right there. Then, as you start to implement all of the components, a bit more of a team spirit will start to emerge. For example using some of their ideas will make them feel part of the solution and part of the team. It shows them that you do listen and are capable of being "big" enough to use something that you didn't think of.
And try to create some kind of way for them to recognize each other for their good work. For example, you could create some kind of program where they can fill out pre-printed cards to give to each other as recognition for a job well done. The cards would have info such as:
Employee Name:
Description of Accomplishment:
Date:
Submitted by:
Then, as they fill these out and start giving to them to each other, more of a team spirit will start to emerge. Everyone likes to be told "Good Job." Even when it comes from a co-worker. Have all employees submit their received cards to you and then do a drawing once a month for a day off or a nice prize. This is a cool program and people LOVE it.
And certainly give credit where credit is due. Share credit for the accomplishments made by your department. In a big way - in a really vocal way. Let there be no question that you directly attribute the success of your department to them!!
Component #6
Make it a constant process!
This is a must. Yes, this type of employee motivation plan does take lots of time and energy. And it will continue to. But you must commit that this is a way of life for you as a manager. Once you do implement the components and start to utilize them on a consistent basis, they really will become second nature to you. It just takes a while.
As you implement your tools, pay attention to what is working and what needs tweaking. Ask your employees for feedback. Remember, you should be doing a LOT of listening from now on. Ask them if they like the employee recognition program in your department. Ask them for ways to make it better and more meaningful. Do they feel that the team spirit is building? Why? What things can you be doing to make it better? Many brains are better than one, so make sure to enlist them in the process!!
Never lose sight of your goals for having a super-motivated, productive, happy staff - the envy of the company. Your boss will thank you because of the increased productivity and contribution to the bottom line. And if that weren't enough, your spouse and kids will thank you because running a department like this does wonders to your stress level and quality of your personal life!!!
Now go out there and be a STAR!!
About the Author
Molly Luffy, MBA, owner of Work Ethic Wizard, dedicated to helping managers regain their sanity and employees survive and thrive in today’s corporation.
Author of “Super-Charge Your Promotion Quotient: 225 Success Strategies for the New Professional.”
www.workethicwizard.com/default.cfm molly@workethicwizard.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Motivation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Article giving an overview of the concept. Includes history, information on human psychological drives, and applications in business and education. |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Motivation 123. Motivation Techniques & Tips for Your Happiness ... |
| Free Motivation Kit, techniques, tips, and ideas to help you achieve greater happiness and success. |
| www.motivation123.com |
|
| Motivation - the international disability charity Motivation |
| Motivation and other international organisations convene in Bangalore this ... Motivation is an international disability and development agency working in ... |
| www.motivation.org.uk |
|
| Motivation |
| Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your ... |
| www.d.umn.edu |
|
| Employee motivation. Motivation in the workplace- theory and practice |
| Employee motivation in the workplace article. This article focus on aspects of employee motivation, theory and practice as applied to in the workplace and ... |
| www.accel-team.com |
|
| Motivation |
| Motivation Notecards pad. 6 notecards with envelopes pad ... Motivation Desktopper pad. Black brushed-aluminum frame with glass. (5"x7") pad ... |
| despair.com |
|
| Motivation Point. Motivation Advice for Your Achievement and Success |
| Motivation techniques and advice to help you achieve greater personal success in your life. |
| getmotivation.com |
|
| The Motivation Tool Chest |
| Motivation tips on self-development, workplace, leadership, at-risk youth, education. Example: People who have a vision control their destiny and lifestyle. |
| www.motivation-tools.com |
|
| Seven Rules of Motivation |
| Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that goes in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to ... |
| www.motivation-tools.com |
|
| Motivation |
| MOTIVATION CHECKLIST. The following checklist may prove helpful in getting at the ... If you want to improve your motivation you may want to choose a ... |
| www.ucc.vt.edu |
|
| GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MOTIVATION |
| Basic principles of motivation exist that are applicable to learning in any ... In a general learning situation, self-motivation without rewards will not ... |
| honolulu.hawaii.edu |
|
| TIP: Concepts |
| Weiner (1990) points out that behavioral theories tended to focus on extrinsic motivation (i.e., rewards) while cognitive theories deal with intrinsic ... |
| tip.psychology.org |
|
| Motivational Quotes, Motivational Quotations, motivation quotes ... |
| Motivational Quotes, Motivational Quotations, motivation quotes, inspirational quotations from Motivating Moments. Updated 2 times a week, ... |
| www.motivateus.com |
|
| Motivation - Atom Wiki |
| Motivation. Why are you doing this? RSS is [WWW] over five years old. It was designed for news sites, a way for them to list the stories they had. ... |
| www.intertwingly.net |
|
| Motivation & Inspiration from The Daily Motivator® |
| A brief, daily message of motivation and personal development, with an archive of more than 2000 previous messages. A positive approach to successful ... |
| greatday.com |
|
| Pages tagged with "motivation" on del.icio.us |
| by blowski to folksonomy marketing internet user generated content motivation theory business blog ... saved by 124 other people ... 3 mins ago ... |
| del.icio.us |
|
| Motivational and Inspirational Resources, Quotes, Short Stories ... |
| Free daily motivational & inspirational, quotes, short stories, messages, articles, thoughts, and poems designed to help you lead a happy and healthy life. |
| www.motivational-messages.com |
|
| Mental Help Net - Psychological Self-Tools - Online Self-Help Book ... |
| Methods For Changing Your Identity and Your Motivations ... There are two types of animal motivation: the motivation to approach something, ... |
| www.mentalhelp.net |
|
| Teambuilding Inc. Article - Team Motivation |
| Probably the first question to be answered in a discussion of motivation is ... Motivation in this case was lacking because the team’s purpose was not in ... |
| www.teambuildinginc.com |
|
| Learning Skills Program - Increasing Motivation |
| Motivation is a complex issue, with a number of causes and solutions -- many of which are of interest to university students, who usually know what they ... |
| www.coun.uvic.ca |
|
|