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.
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.
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.
Acknowledge their effort- I was once a Vice President at a Fortune 500 Company. If someone did something I felt was great, I would write them a short note on a note card (with my name at the top) thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. Often as I traveled I would go in someone's office and see the card I wrote taped up on their wall. This taught me an important lesson- that everyone wants to be acknowledged. The biggest complaint I hear from frontline workers is simple lack of acknowledgement. Also acknowledge people when they have worked lots of hours or have put in effort "over and above" the call of duty. Publically and privately acknowledge people when they do great work.
Take the good with the bad- People makes mistakes all the time right? It is part of being a human being on the planet. As a professional facilitator when I ask people to critique their role plays they always start with negative stuff first. So I guess it is a built in part of self esteem- we are often too hard on ourselves. So then as a leader we "pile on" always finding fault. This kills motivation and morale I am looking for balance. When you discuss someone's performance there should always be a mix of positive feedback with the "improve" feedback. The critical doesn't need to be eliminated, just mix it up.
Catch them at their best- Acknowledge efforts and not at time and place it would always be expected. Look, the small things always mean alot. Find small ways to reward your folks. This can be things like a box of danish in the morning, taking someone out for lunch, giving them a few extra perks here and there. Just make sure to let them know it is a reward and what it is a reward for. Tell them " hey- I know you put in countless hours on the Smith Account- thanks for your hard work. Take next friday off." They will appreciate being appreciated. They will go home and tell their familiy about it. They will feel proud.
I have leaders ask me all the time "how do I motivate people?" One of the answers is deceptively simple and that is provide encouragement.
So start this week- or even today. Why not? - 16890
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.
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.
Acknowledge their effort- I was once a Vice President at a Fortune 500 Company. If someone did something I felt was great, I would write them a short note on a note card (with my name at the top) thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. Often as I traveled I would go in someone's office and see the card I wrote taped up on their wall. This taught me an important lesson- that everyone wants to be acknowledged. The biggest complaint I hear from frontline workers is simple lack of acknowledgement. Also acknowledge people when they have worked lots of hours or have put in effort "over and above" the call of duty. Publically and privately acknowledge people when they do great work.
Take the good with the bad- People makes mistakes all the time right? It is part of being a human being on the planet. As a professional facilitator when I ask people to critique their role plays they always start with negative stuff first. So I guess it is a built in part of self esteem- we are often too hard on ourselves. So then as a leader we "pile on" always finding fault. This kills motivation and morale I am looking for balance. When you discuss someone's performance there should always be a mix of positive feedback with the "improve" feedback. The critical doesn't need to be eliminated, just mix it up.
Catch them at their best- Acknowledge efforts and not at time and place it would always be expected. Look, the small things always mean alot. Find small ways to reward your folks. This can be things like a box of danish in the morning, taking someone out for lunch, giving them a few extra perks here and there. Just make sure to let them know it is a reward and what it is a reward for. Tell them " hey- I know you put in countless hours on the Smith Account- thanks for your hard work. Take next friday off." They will appreciate being appreciated. They will go home and tell their familiy about it. They will feel proud.
I have leaders ask me all the time "how do I motivate people?" One of the answers is deceptively simple and that is provide encouragement.
So start this week- or even today. Why not? - 16890
About the Author:
Shawn Doyle is a veteren 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.
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