Manage My Employees

Archive for the ‘Motivating and Inspiring Employees’ Category

People make improvements for their own reasons and that includes making efforts to increase job performance. You can certainly influence this transformation and have astounding results, if you understand the intrinsic (natural, innate) motivations you need to meet.

One well-researched study (Deci & Ryan, 1985; 2000) maintained that people have three innate needs: the need for competence (ability to attain desired results), the need for autonomy (work independence) as well as the need for

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The reader comment by RStone below, referencing a quote-gem by Mother Theresa (see post 10 Inspiring Quotes On Leadership | Manage My Employees) provides an apt reminder that our ‘words etch in the minds’ of our employees.

 RStone:

January 9, 2010 at 9:00 am (Edit)

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
- Mother Theresa

I’ve led a number of seminars on “Giving Praise” and I’m struck by how many managers, can recall years later, the words spoken to them by a former supervisor, military commander or other authority figure. Those words, as Mother Theresa put it, still ‘echoed’ in their minds and more often than not, merely recalling those words stimulated

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Everyone knows times are tough, but what will your organization do exactly to keep employee morale and performance high?

I’ve provided a link (Engaging Employees Tops Leadership Priorities in Tough Economic Times) to a nice article on what leaders can do to rev up workplace attitudes. In addition, I’ve added a few tips you might want to comment on…

Definitely, be a straight shooter on what these tough times mean to your company, and the department. Don’t spin the truth one iota.

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Saying ‘Thanks’ and/or giving praise doesn’t come as naturally to some managers as it does for others. I started out thirty years ago in my career being one of those managers who found giving ‘praise’ harder than giving correction.

I’m better at it today, and yet, I’m certainly not perfect. The results of improvement have been remarkable—especially in how it helped me create a more positive tone and relationship with others at work, or in my personal life.

It helps to have a few reminders of how easy praise (saying ‘Good Job’ or ‘Thanks’) can be when we pause to look for it, then share it with our associates.

Here are ten more examples of how you could say Good Job!…

• Thank you for backing my leadership on this project, I really appreciate it.
• You project enthusiasm to our customers for their business… and I really appreciate that.
• You have a lot of qualities we admire around here, like…
• You did a great job on that project, you got it complete under an intense deadline!
• Let me compliment you on how well you calmed that customers down, you did it with professionalism and a whole lot of tact.
• You do a great job on follow-up, I never hear a complaint from anyone in the company about the communications coming from your area.

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A recent question from a journalist interviewing me on ‘praising employees’ brought an interesting point to mind: what if you know you ought to thank or praise your employee, but you’re not exactly sure how to say it?

In a four-part series my posts will cover: Part (1) 10 Activities That Merit Thanks or Praise?  Parts (2) through (4) will have 30 Phrases of Praise or Thanks, plus some best practices.

What Activities Merit Thanks or Praise? Here are ten possibilities (of course there are a lot more instances which are deserving)…

• Going beyond what you asked
• Hitting a deadline or exceeding a goal
• A consistently positive attitude

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I’ve selected some quotes on leadership I consider inspiring and thought-filled. If you have a favorite leadership quote please pass it along, I may use it on a future post. I welcome your comments on:

• “When you blend the old with the new, you get new again.” Walt Disney
• “It’s not the length of life but the depth of life.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance a lot less.” Tom Feltenstein
• “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Albert Einstein
• “There are many angles at which you can fall, only one on which you can stand.” Unknown
• “Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.” Christian Larson Read more »

Most managers think they provide crystal clear standards to their employees, when they haven’t.

Ask an employee what his/her job is and chances are they can tell you. Ask them to define the standards or values at their workplace and chances are you’ll get varied answers across the department.

Implicit standards don’t cut it either. Saying “I expect you to do what’s right” or “We expect you to give good service” or “You need to reply promptly” fails to be clear enough.

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Inspiration defined:  Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. Source: www.dictionary.com

Inspiration is beneficial as well as vital. It may even run a close second to oxygen! Quotes regularly stimulate my thinking, and too, my feelings.

The effects of inspirational quotes can stir thoughts or spur new actions. Here are a few quotes that may help a team think differently about its challenges, consider more fully its opportunities, set aside its conflict, and work together to achieve the organization’s goals.

1. None of us is as smart as all of us.

–Ken Blanchard

2. TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More.

–Unknown

3. The strength of the team is each individual member… the strength of each member is the team.

–Coach Phil Jackson

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Pointless or boring staff meetings are a colossal waste of everyone’s time. Fortunately however, that doesn’t have to be the case. To make staff meetings relevant and highly productive you can try a few road-tested tips:

• Begin by asking for good news. What has happened in your area that’s positive? This sets a proper tone for your meeting and encouraging news helps keep attitudes positive.

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Have you ever played the arcade game that gives you a mallet and the goal is to punch down the mole when he raises up from one of a dozen places, then quickly retreats? I have, but I’ve never been any good at it! The mole is fast and unpredictable, I’m slow and linear.

Dealing with a difficult employee can be like that game. Why? Because they’re the ones who stir up conflict with teammates, consistently arrive late or leave early, constantly text on their phone, make endless excuses for missing deadlines or poor work. Just when you think you’ve got them straightened out, another problem (mole) surfaces which you must address (punch down).

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