I was going for a brisk walk in my neigborhood park. It is a great winding loop- a half mile walking path that is hilly in several places. I was walking and huffing and puffing my way around the track. A short man with black hair was on the trail too, running in the opposite direction. So every loop we passed one another. I didnt know him. The first time he passed me he yelled out " Keep it up!" At first I thought he was talking to someone else but no- he said it to me! Hmm. "I dont know this man from Adam" I said to myself. When we passed for the second time I got a positive "thumbs up" sign. He was smiling at me. This was getting weird. Third lap he clapped for me. So a person I didnt know was coaching me to keep going. The very last lap I worked up my energy and ran that lap and my goal was now to please my new mentor.
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.
So here are some ideas for providing encouragement that are quick and effective. They may seem small but they can be very effective in helping get better results.
Speak to all people- Many times I have seen a "big wig" walk into a room at a big meeting with hundreds of employees, pass by everyone, ignoring them and greeting other " big wigs " on the far side of the room. How silly is that? They were making the small people feel even smaller. This created resentment and people felt slighted. Who would blame them? What a huge error. When you are touring or visiting an office or even in your own offices do you take the time to say "hello" to people? Maybe you are pressed for time. Do you at least give people non verbal positive signals? They need the small gestures of acknowledgement.
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.
Bees and honey- There is an old saying in the south "you attract bees with honey not vinegar." It's not a comment about bees it's a comment about humans. It is easy to be critical really easy. Most people screw up alot. But the problem is these people already beat up on themselves on a regular basis. Why do we need to keep adding on to that? It is the big morale killer. It's probably just being human but its not helping at all. As a leadership expert I encourage leaders to try and find a balance between the honey and the vinegar. In many cases there is no honey at all. So some balance- please!.
Be present with presents- Do you think people love gifts? You bet. Does it have more impact when it is least expected? Even more. Look for little ways to show people appreciation. Bring in bagels in the morning, cater a lunch into the office, give someone a bonus day off, give them a gift card for coffee. These rewards are small but appreciated. One other key point- let them know that it is a reward. Some people get rewards and they dont know it is a reward or what it is for. Sit that person down, and say to them "Look, I know how hard you have been working and I have noticed it. This is a reward for all that you have done.Thank you." They will feel so good about their work, they will tell their family about it when they get home.
The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.
So go ahead -get busy! - 30535
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.
So here are some ideas for providing encouragement that are quick and effective. They may seem small but they can be very effective in helping get better results.
Speak to all people- Many times I have seen a "big wig" walk into a room at a big meeting with hundreds of employees, pass by everyone, ignoring them and greeting other " big wigs " on the far side of the room. How silly is that? They were making the small people feel even smaller. This created resentment and people felt slighted. Who would blame them? What a huge error. When you are touring or visiting an office or even in your own offices do you take the time to say "hello" to people? Maybe you are pressed for time. Do you at least give people non verbal positive signals? They need the small gestures of acknowledgement.
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.
Bees and honey- There is an old saying in the south "you attract bees with honey not vinegar." It's not a comment about bees it's a comment about humans. It is easy to be critical really easy. Most people screw up alot. But the problem is these people already beat up on themselves on a regular basis. Why do we need to keep adding on to that? It is the big morale killer. It's probably just being human but its not helping at all. As a leadership expert I encourage leaders to try and find a balance between the honey and the vinegar. In many cases there is no honey at all. So some balance- please!.
Be present with presents- Do you think people love gifts? You bet. Does it have more impact when it is least expected? Even more. Look for little ways to show people appreciation. Bring in bagels in the morning, cater a lunch into the office, give someone a bonus day off, give them a gift card for coffee. These rewards are small but appreciated. One other key point- let them know that it is a reward. Some people get rewards and they dont know it is a reward or what it is for. Sit that person down, and say to them "Look, I know how hard you have been working and I have noticed it. This is a reward for all that you have done.Thank you." They will feel so good about their work, they will tell their family about it when they get home.
The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.
So go ahead -get busy! - 30535
About the Author:
Shawn Doyle is a funny and energetic Motivational Speaker and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn's book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.
