I was walking the winding looping steep trail at my local park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The trail is about a half of a mile and very steep in some portions. A great workout. So here I was walking at a very fast pace. A stranger in workout gear was running the opposite direction. He was very fit and looked like he was having a good run. As he passed me he yelled out "way to go!" He was looking directly at me. I was somewhat shocked at being addressed by a stranger. Who was he anyway? On the second lap I earned a smile and a " keep going!" On the third lap a big wave. So here I was starting to feel good about the encouragement of a stranger! This was an amazing experience and really got me thinking. I wanted to do well for my new "coach". I actually ran the last lap to please him.
Stop what you are doing and think about this for one moment. In your organization who should be the one who provides the most encouragement and motivation? You. Consider the power encouragement can have. So before you stop reading this, here is a compelling reason : results. So lets put the PMA stuff aside for a minute and understand that as a leader your job is to get results. That can't be through you it has to be through your people. So as the leader you have to give them encouragement, high energy and make them feel appreciated. They want their work to be recognized. The issue is that most leaders dont do this at all. So your job is to be the CEO- cheif encouragement officer.
O.K., so how do you do that? It is actually quite simple. It's the small stuff. Here are some specific ideas for providing encouragement that are fast and very effective.
Mix it up- Do you talk to people? When you are visiting or working daily in one of your offices, do you make the effort to say " Hi" to people as you pass them? If you don't do you at least give them positive non verbal signals, like a nod or a smile? I have attended meetings several times in my career and have seen a company V.I.P. walk into the room, pass by everyone and go across the entire room to speak to other V.I.P's. It was clear that the "small people" weren't worth talking to or addressing. Imagine how they felt and the huge negative impact they created.
Take note of their efforts- Lower level employees often tell me they never ever get any credit for their work. So when employees work really hard do something "over and above" the call of duty, make sure to notice and say something about it. When people do wonderful work let them know! It's important to publically and privately (one on one) acknowledge people when they do great work. I was once a Vice President at a big company that had 80,000 employees. At times when I saw something I felt was great, I would find out who did it and I would write them a short handwritten note of appreciation, thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. When I traveled I would go in someone's office (or cube) and well look at that- I woulde see the card I wrote pinned up on their wall. This taught me an important life lesson- that everyone wants to be appreciated.
Balance criticism- It is really incredibly easy to criticize other people's work. Mistakes are part of the human condition. As a trainer I often ask people to critique their role-play in class starting with "what went well?" In variably they always start with the negative feedback. Maybe it is human nature. I want you as a leader to find a balance between positive and negative feedback. Too many managers just pound away at a team member and eventually morale goes way down. I am not suggesting by the way, not providing critical feedback I am saying you are already throwing the salt; mix in a little sugar.
Give surprise rewards- Give people rewards when they least expect it. Find small ways to reward them. This can be a gift card, a few extra hours off, taking someone to lunch, or even buying the team a box of donuts in the morning. Just make sure it is when they least expect it and it is positioned as a reward. Say "well I just want you to know that I know how hard you have been working on the project. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Thanks." Done properly it will be the discussion at dinner at home that night. "Hey guess what my boss did at work today? You will never believe it."
So how do you get people motivated and fired up? The solution is really simple. Provide encouragement and make people feel appreciated.
So start today. - 31963
Stop what you are doing and think about this for one moment. In your organization who should be the one who provides the most encouragement and motivation? You. Consider the power encouragement can have. So before you stop reading this, here is a compelling reason : results. So lets put the PMA stuff aside for a minute and understand that as a leader your job is to get results. That can't be through you it has to be through your people. So as the leader you have to give them encouragement, high energy and make them feel appreciated. They want their work to be recognized. The issue is that most leaders dont do this at all. So your job is to be the CEO- cheif encouragement officer.
O.K., so how do you do that? It is actually quite simple. It's the small stuff. Here are some specific ideas for providing encouragement that are fast and very effective.
Mix it up- Do you talk to people? When you are visiting or working daily in one of your offices, do you make the effort to say " Hi" to people as you pass them? If you don't do you at least give them positive non verbal signals, like a nod or a smile? I have attended meetings several times in my career and have seen a company V.I.P. walk into the room, pass by everyone and go across the entire room to speak to other V.I.P's. It was clear that the "small people" weren't worth talking to or addressing. Imagine how they felt and the huge negative impact they created.
Take note of their efforts- Lower level employees often tell me they never ever get any credit for their work. So when employees work really hard do something "over and above" the call of duty, make sure to notice and say something about it. When people do wonderful work let them know! It's important to publically and privately (one on one) acknowledge people when they do great work. I was once a Vice President at a big company that had 80,000 employees. At times when I saw something I felt was great, I would find out who did it and I would write them a short handwritten note of appreciation, thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. When I traveled I would go in someone's office (or cube) and well look at that- I woulde see the card I wrote pinned up on their wall. This taught me an important life lesson- that everyone wants to be appreciated.
Balance criticism- It is really incredibly easy to criticize other people's work. Mistakes are part of the human condition. As a trainer I often ask people to critique their role-play in class starting with "what went well?" In variably they always start with the negative feedback. Maybe it is human nature. I want you as a leader to find a balance between positive and negative feedback. Too many managers just pound away at a team member and eventually morale goes way down. I am not suggesting by the way, not providing critical feedback I am saying you are already throwing the salt; mix in a little sugar.
Give surprise rewards- Give people rewards when they least expect it. Find small ways to reward them. This can be a gift card, a few extra hours off, taking someone to lunch, or even buying the team a box of donuts in the morning. Just make sure it is when they least expect it and it is positioned as a reward. Say "well I just want you to know that I know how hard you have been working on the project. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Thanks." Done properly it will be the discussion at dinner at home that night. "Hey guess what my boss did at work today? You will never believe it."
So how do you get people motivated and fired up? The solution is really simple. Provide encouragement and make people feel appreciated.
So start today. - 31963
About the Author:
Shawn Doyle is the sort of Motivational Speaker that people book over and over, and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn's book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.
