|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
The New Five Truths of Employee Motivation
Motivation is a term that is so widely used, yet many managers know little about how it really works. But it doesn't have to be confusing-in fact, it's quite simple. Treat your employees as valuable assets and you will reap the rewards. Here are five truths to pay attention to in motivating your workforce.
Sure compensation is important, but most employees consider it a right-an exchange for the work they do. Rather, they want is to be valued for a job well done by those they hold in high esteem. They want to feel what they do make a difference. Money does not do this; personal recognition does.
How many managers consider 'appreciating others' to be part of their job responsibility? Not many. They tend to be too busy and too removed from their employees to notice when they have done exceptional work-and to thank them for it. Limited appreciation leads to limited motivation.
For example, recognize a high performer in the company newsletter or website. Have her manager's manager call to thank her for a job well done. Leave a voice mail praising. Distribute a praising e-mail to everyone.
When workers and supervisors were asked to rank a list of motivators from 1 to 10 in order of importance to workers, workers rated 'appreciation for a job well done" as their top motivator; supervisors ranked it eighth. Employees ranked 'feeling in on things' as being #2 in importance; their managers ranked it last at #10. What is one person's carrot is another's 'yucky' orange vegetable.
They are often too busy focusing on what's urgent and forget about regularly motivating and recognizing employees. They forget about it until morale sinks, employees quit and then management must scramble to figure out what's going on. At this point, responding to poor morale is much more difficult than doing little things along the way to keep it high.
When economic conditions turn tough or when the heavy work load seems never-ending, leaders tend to forget the "basics"?building commitment and loyalty beyond the paycheck. It's the small things everyday that can bring down morale and it's the small things everyday that can raise performance. A holiday party or picnic once or twice a year probably won't do it. Rather, it's a leader's sincere recognition that employees are assets to be valued, not tools to be used up and discarded.
Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ? to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ? resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ? fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
MarketWatch - 45 minutes ago
This report is an essential source for in-depth information and data relating to South Africa wound care management market. It also offers detailed and ...
An Essential Guide to the Vietnamese Oil and Gas Markets: Discover ... MarketWatch
all 35 news articles
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
Protera has earned this coveted certification after meeting rigorous requirements of their ability to deliver application management services with quality ...
Wipro Among the First SAP Partners to Adopt Run SAP(R) Methodology MarketWatch
all 31 news articles
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
Advoco is a leading management and consulting services company headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in Greenville, SC and London, England. ...
Advoco Attracts Top Talent with Addition of Marty Osborn and ... MarketWatch
all 19 news articles
WELT ONLINE, Germany - 5 hours ago
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced a reorganization of the company’s product development management team in support of THQ’s continued focus on ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
BOSTON, Oct 06, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- MFS Investment Management(R) (MFS) today announced the availability of information on the results of the weekly ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
Ms. Clark remains Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Reit Management & Research LLC (RMR), HRP's manager, and will continue to supervise legal ...
HRPT Properties elects Lepore as COO CNNMoney.com
all 13 news articles
FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - 4 hours ago
Shrewd management, however, is the biggest reason the Rays are in baseball's final four, and shame on any low-revenue team that fails to heed their example. ...
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
"Card" is defined as the services related to Issuing, Management and Servicing of Credit, Debit, Prepaid and Private Label cards. ...
International Business Times, NY - 11 hours ago
"The management changes were both a practical and strategic result of theCompany's agreement with Mayan Gold, Inc.," stated Charles Brown, ViceChairman. ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
John brings 25 years experience in software, Internet and mobile technologies, along with senior management experience leading entrepreneurial companies. ...
Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants
With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (all habits that will make us better consultants!), here are eight skills that all of us as consultants... Read More
Appraisal Interviews: What To Say & How To Say It
STEPS TOWARDS A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW:Don't say: "You just don't seem to care about doing a good job." "You seem to be more interested in scoring points against Charlie than in working with... Read More
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure the Right Things.
Measure the right things. It's not enough just to measure-you have to measure the right things.A common measurement trap is to measure something because it's "interesting." If knowing a measurement won't change anything... Read More
Is Your Business Ethical?
Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that branch of philosophy which studies the principles of right and wrong in human conduct.Is your business ethical?What I mean is "Does your business... Read More
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Use Your Time for Problems that are Truly Important
Use your time for problems that are truly important.Hard as it may be to walk away once you're aware of it, just because a problem is there doesn't mean you have to solve... Read More
Difficult Employees-Poor Performance - 10 Tips for Dealing with it in the Workplace
I personally struggle with the term 'managing people' - because I firmly believe that people cannot be managed ? only processes and systems can. How many times have you heard it said ?... Read More
Develop Your Managers and Keep Your Staff
Following on from the last edition of The Organised Times where we spoke about developing the people in your business, this week we're focussing on the importance of the continual development of your... Read More
Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!
"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him." - Aldous HuxleyEver have one of those supervisors that just didn't quite get it?Perhaps... Read More
Spinning Gold from Straw: Low-Cost Employee Retention and Motivation Tools in a Changing Economy
New York, NY, February 25, 2005 ? Employee retention and motivation?why should employers care? A storm is brewing. National productivity was up 3.9% in the second quarter and 1.9% in the third quarter... Read More
The Survey Feedback Process for Organizational Development and Change
THE PURPOSE OF SURVEY FEEDBACK:In globally competitive environments, organizations are seeking information about obstacles to productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. Survey feedback is a tool that can provide this type of honest... Read More
Corporate Governance for Business Owners
It is clear that good Corporate Governance is in the best interests of shareholders of public companies, but how can it benefit shareholders of private companies and other business owners?Will a good system... Read More
Managing Employees Is A Little Like Herding Cats
Q: I started my small business about a year ago and it's grown steadily. I like having my own business, but I'm having a tough time managing people. I have 5 employees now... Read More
Critical Success Factors - Next
The Critical Success Factors Focusing on the things that make the biggest difference to your future prosperity. (Note, although this article was written in early 2002, it is totally... Read More
How to Prepare for Your Companys Financial Future
Sooner or later, most business owners need to look for outside financing. Whether it's a line of credit with a bank to handle predictable cash crunches or a significant capital investment to improve... Read More
Ten Business Reasons Why Asking for Help Works
In fact, bringing your people - any of them - into your confidence and asking for help, is a very powerful tool indeed. The form of words' "I need your help", works best.... Read More
Leadership Skills Means Turnover is Not a Problem
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven't worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company." Well, let me assure you.... Read More
Why Good Enough... Isnt
About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a... Read More
Getting to Consensus
The need to get people in an organization to pull together comes out often in discussions about communication.Let's think of it as getting to consensus, to roll a bunch of similar issues into... Read More
The Diamond Cutter
Geshe Michael Roach is a Princeton graduate and a Buddhist monk. After graduation, he spent seven years studying the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism. At the suggestion of his teacher, he joined a fledgling... Read More
Year 2010: Permanent Employees No Longer Required
Jack Welch joined a conference that was held in Duke Fuquay Business School where he was invited to promote his new book called "Winning". He told audience about how culture is important in... Read More
Hire People For What They Do Best
I recently flew from Seattle to Atlanta, I realized, just as we began our taxi, that it takes hundreds of support personnel to maintain a flight. I saw the woman at the check-in... Read More
What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate
Today's successful organizations are the ones which carry on open and honest communications with their employees. If employees know and understand the mission, they will help communicate it to customers.Here are some employee... Read More
Delegation Obstructions
OBSTRUCTIONS: 1. Staff deficiencies. Lack of confidence in employees quite understandably leads to a reluctance to delegate. When deficiencies exist, action must be taken to restructure jobs and/or retrain, reassign, or as a... Read More
Dont Get Side-Tracked By The Nay-Sayers
You, the Entrepreneur, are 'normally' a type-A individual. One who has little patience with the establishment ~ he or she likes to do it 'his/her way' and that's OK if you know the... Read More
Driving of work trucks
Each time you or one of your work crews cruises down the road, people see the vehicle. It is logo'ed and that advertising is there to be noticed. If you cut some one... Read More
Hire The Person, Not The Resume
"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats (and the wrong people off the bus) and then [figure] out where to drive it." - Jim Collins... Read More
Getting the Most from Appraisals
Does your organisation have one of those annual 'occasions' that few look forward to: the annual appraisal or performance review? How do you look forward to it? I wonder how people talk about... Read More
Keys to Feeling Powerfull In An Uncertain World
Life has always been full of uncertainties. Over the last several years with downsizing, bankruptcies, scandals, crime, the economic environment, and the threat of war, people are feeling power-less, fearful, and stressed about... Read More
Avoiding The Sheep Dip
It is a sad fact that many employees are still being subjected to the age old training ritual of "sheep dipping". This is a process by which employees are "refreshed", "cleansed" and "re-invigorated"... Read More
11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment
Many work environments now are open plan, with only a few senior managers having offices of their own. This style of work can have great benefits for team building ? fostering cooperation and... Read More
Understanding Every Aspect of Your Organization
GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION: If you don't understand an aspect of the organization or a procedure within it, ask. If you still don't understand, ask again. Question until you are sure you... Read More
Selective Job Cuts Often Benefits Firm More Than Broad Layoffs Over Long Term
It is difficult to pick up a newspaper or listen to a business news broadcast without being greeted with the announcement of another massive corporate layoff or cutback. The economy catches a chill... Read More
The Red Phone - Management Consulting in 30 Seconds or Less
Modern business faces complex problems; management often calls upon highly-specialized consultants to help them address these difficult problems. If you're ever called to help identify these most pressing issues, one of the easiest... Read More
CEOs Role in Family Business
I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972. He was a high school student working a summer job in his father's business."We're teaching him the business from the ground up," his... Read More
6 Steps to Effective Communication
Effective leaders are known for being excellent communicators. Here's what to do.1) Avoid "Not." Negative talk encourages arguments, counter attacks, and attempts to solve your problems. It also creates a negative impression. For... Read More
Create Your Methodology Based on a Standard Framework - Part One
OK. So you have decided that your organization has to improve the way in which it works. You have chosen to implement a methodology as the best way to achieve this goal. And... Read More
You Didnt Use Brainstorming to Select Your Measures, Did You?
IntroductionWhen Alex Osborn invented the creativity technique called brainstorming, I wonder if he had any idea just how extensively business would apply it. Almost every meeting employs some kind of brainstorming event, but... Read More
Forget The Sandwich Technique
Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:"Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined... Read More
What Every Manager Should Know About How to Enhance the Motivational Climate of the Workplace
It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job quality increase when we are made to feel welcomed at work. In other words, when the motivational climate is enhanced to meet their... Read More
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process focused on satisfying customers by delivering nearly perfect products and services. In today's competitive market, consistently maintaining satisfied customers is essential to growth and success. Major... Read More
Planning For Growth
Are you planning your business or are you planning your growth? If you are like many high-performing business people, you have an annual ritual to set your plans for the... Read More
Parenting Your Employees to Better Performance
Have you ever worked for someone who was such a micro-manager that it drove you crazy? And have you ever worked for someone who was so hands-off that you felt like a lone... Read More
Let the Intern Do It - Affordable Help for Your Business
Do you have more projects than time? Help might be as close as your nearest college. Many have intern programs, where students complete tasks for businesses as part of their studies.Here are a... Read More
Power of Pinpointing Accountability
I have always said that if I were to write a book on effective management principles, the first chapter in that book would be about the importance of pinpointing responsibility among an owner's... Read More
Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing
Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly to her job. After all, she had worked her way up over the years to the supervisory role she was in - and... Read More
Hold Your Applause!
It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit. Harry S Truman President Truman had decided that Secretary of State, General George Marshall's name should be attached to... Read More
The Top Six Reasons to Buy Rather Than Build an Inventory Management Solution
Is building your own inventory management solution really your best bet?The issues that companies face when they decide to build a solution in house are numerous: Scarce development resources, project cost overruns, delivery... Read More
Got A Meeting Planned? Ask This Question
Meetings ? they are a fact of our business lives. And while the number of meetings and the amount of time you spend in them may vary based on your job title, it... Read More
10 Steps Towards A Stress-Free Introduction Into Management
Becoming a manager for the first time can be an unnerving and sometimes stressful experience. In many cases, organisations expect you to immediately jump into the role and begin to perform as if... Read More
Innovation Management ? Producing Great Products, Motivation
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More
Project Management - Are You Done Yet
What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his team members "Are you done yet"?If you're a seasoned project manager, then the following scenario will sound very familiar. If you're new at... Read More
How To Use W Edwards Deming
Human beings and the way they interact are extraordinarily Complex. Deming tried to define that complexity.We have since learned the impossibility of defining natural events in a digital way.When we ignore the complexity... Read More
Toxic Bosses
What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses! You know, the ones who make life in the office unbearable? Here are some of the more common varieties you'll find.1. The Screamer.... Read More
Internal Communication: 12 Essential Elements
There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications strategy:1. Effective employee-directed communications must be led from the top Effective communications require the active commitment and endorsement of senior managers. It... Read More
Executives and Emotional Self Awareness
A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions. An example is the Enron case where... Read More
Hows Your Company RQ (Reputation Quotient)?
In light of recent corporate scandals, from Enron and Global Crossing to those of once trustworthy mutual funds, is it any wonder that more people are asking, "Can I trust this company enough... Read More
Rethinking the CEO-Chairman Split
Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, though this is gradually shifting to the European model. In most European, British, and... Read More
14 Ways to De-Stress Employee Vacations
Employees truly deserve paid vacations. Theystruggle through stressful jobs most of the year,and productivity goes down if they don't get abreak. From a corporate perspective, investment ingood vacation programs reduces workplace stressabsenteeism, health... Read More
| GOOGLE AD |
Business Management Business Management |