Category Archives: Management

Employee Engagement, Employee Morale, Leadership, Management, Motivation

Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money-Guest Post by Fretty Francis

A bigger motivation than money is hard to believe, but it does exist. The kick that we get from being applauded is priceless. Only a person with true leadership qualities can create an engaged workforce. Offering rewards and opportunities before it’s too late is really important. Nurturing your employees with the skills that they require to attain future challenges is where the success of your company lies. If your business is facing failures consistently, then it is partially your fault. In such situations the bosses certainly lack the required skills and should consider working on their own skill development before blaming the employees. After all, a true leader is the one who is humble enough to admit their mistakes. Makes sense, right?

Yelling at your staffs can never improve the situation; rather it will worsen your bond with them. Once they build a negative perception about you, it will probably never change, and this will affect their performance.

Here are 12 effective ways to bridge the gap between bosses and the employees:

  1. Honest and generous with praise works in your favor- Be specific while you praise your employee and let them know you notice their efforts in details. You should always try your best to match the praise to their efforts. This may sound like a very simple concept, but embracing their potential should be your goal, rather than just expecting positive results. Try giving regular praise to your employees based on their valuable traits and soon you will see them praising each other, which is a good sign for a happy work culture.
  2. Get rid of managers for a change- Project managers maybe too good at handling their responsibilities but sometimes it is good consider their team handling responsibilities without a leader. Empowering your staff can give you surprisingly exceptional results. Without a leader they become more responsible and will work together on an equal level.
  3. Share your ideas with them- Nobody likes to be told what to do and what not to do, and therefore it is always advisable to share your ideas and make them theirs. This is quite simple because all you need to do is ask them their views about your ideas. This will boost their confidence to approach you with new ideas without hesitation.
  4. Give equal priority to each employee- A project becomes a success when each member of the team does their bit irrespective of the hindrances. Everyone should get equal credit for their contribution and feel proud for the team as a whole. This will make them realize that everyone is important and will never let success get to their head.
  5. A surprise lunch from the boss- Simply walk up to them and invites them for lunch and surprises them. Let them know you appreciate their work and they did impress you with their dedication. If you just hired new employees then, a surprise lunch is a great icebreaker for new team members. This is an awesome way to build trust and to establish a great rapport.
  6. Criticism will kill the enthusiasm- Never judge your employees based on something that is least important. Criticism is never fun on the receiving end, especially when you do it in front of others. An underperformer needs motivation, not a mulish boss who sabotages their confidence at every level. The more you support the less they focus on clock watching and become more productive.
  7. Share rewards first and then expect- Rewards can be in any form apart from increment and this is the time you make use of your creativity. Gift them free movie tickets, free gym membership, dinner reservations, salon or spa coupons, trophies and plaques. There are so many things that you can give them and let them know that you appreciate their efforts. This will motivate them to work harder on their future projects even before you asking them to do so.
  8. Comfort matters- Does comfort matters to you? Same is the case with your employees and bunch of little things can make a big difference. A fully stocked fridge, a comfortable couch (for a short nap occasionally) or allowing them to work from home if possible are all necessary perks. Comfort at workplace is the cornerstone of productivity.
  9. Flexible working hours- Everyone has a different “productive time of the day” and expecting employees to be actively working for the entire day is unreasonable. This can only waste time, so allow them to set their working hours (with valid reason). This will definitely elevate their performance and they won’t let you down.
  10. Throw a killer company party- Show interest in celebrations, just like you are enthusiastic about starting a new project. Celebrate when your employees perform well, organize birthday parties or raise a toast if you got a big client as your big breakthrough. Never underestimate the power of celebrations, as it brings positivity.
  11. Performer of the month- Although this is a very classic method of recognition, but it is still one of the favorites among the employees. Choose some star performers as nominees in different departments (categories). Pick all the outstanding employees and reward them for their magic behind the scenes.

Final thoughts: – Great things come to those who wait, and keeping patience with your employees can be a game changer. Be a generous boss by giving your attention to employees and you can learn from them. Review and analyze your employee performance through Performance Management System and give rewards to employees who have given sweat and blood to your business.

 

Author Bio:

Fretty Francis is currently a Software Analyst at SoftwareSuggest. She is passionate about HR, performance management, asset management, CRM among other things. In her free time you can find her either reading about tech stuff or listening to music.

Culture, Employee Engagement, Empowerment, Engage Now, Great Organizations, Leadership, Leadership Behaviors, Leadership Development, Management, Micromanagement, Teamwork, Trust

Improving Management Team Performance

“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” —Chris Hadfield

The key to improving management team performance is summarized quite nicely in the Chris Hadfield quote above. When your management team can lay the groundwork for their employees to succeed and then stand back and let them shine, the whole organization performs better. So, what should you be looking at to improve the performance of your management team?

What is their focus?

What are your managers focusing on? It can be easy for them to get caught up in focusing solely on the bottom line and forget about the employees who are contributing to that bottom line. Or, they can become so concerned with gaining recognition for themselves that they forget about the people who are really doing the work. The best management teams focus on the ‘what’ and the ‘who’. When management spends their energy on supporting their employees in determining the ‘how’ for themselves, performance improves at every level of the organization.

How are their relationships?

What kind of relationships are your managers developing? Relationships are built on mutual trust and respect; they cannot thrive in an us vs. them environment. Without strong relationships managers are ineffective. If you want to improve the performance of your management team, help them build strong, trusting, inclusive relationships.

How do they accomplish objectives?

How do your managers accomplish the objectives that you have set for them? Many managers defer to micromanagement as a means for accomplishing tasks and achieving goals. Micromanagement kills employee engagement and does more harm to productivity than good. When you put an end to micromanagement and empower employees to make decisions and take action on their own you greatly improve performance.

As Your Management Team Performs

As your management team performs, so will their employees. Make sure your managers are focusing on the right things. Help them build the relationships that lead to efficiency and top performance. Teach them to empower and support employees in accomplishing objectives rather than micromanaging them. When your management team provides the foundation employees need to succeed and can then stand back and lets employees shine, everyone’s performance improves.

What action will you take today to start improving the performance of your management team?

 

 

© 2017 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Liz Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the Founder of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations change attitudes, change communication dynamics, improve collaboration and problem-solving, engage employees, and strengthen organizational culture. Liz holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Liz by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Leadership, Leadership Behaviors, Management

Top 3 Mistakes Most Managers Make

heather-guestGuest Post by: Heather R. Younger, J.D. CCXP

 

Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility. Peter F. Drucker

In my role, I often meet with employee focus groups and leaders of organizations. While on one side I am privy to what employees think of their manager’s effectiveness, I also see first-hand some of the key mistakes that block managers’ ability to be their best. Below are the top five mistakes I see managers make in their role as manager.

I have to focus on getting work done.

I do live in the real world where organizations exist to make money and profits. To this extent, I understand that managers have to meet their own deadlines. They have to get work done.

Having said that, most managers focus too much of their effort on tasks and not on the people who help perform the tasks. These are the same people who can make or break the customer experience and the bottom line.

I challenge managers to schedule in a sliver of time every week to sit with each team member. Having meaningful conversations with team members will actually drive improved performance.

We believe in this so much that we created a Meaningful Conversations tip sheet for managers.Click Here if you need direction.

I see what you are doing, but don’t have time to recognize you.

This is a big one!

I don’t think I need to be academic about this concept, because we all crave more consistent recognition. It is such an important driver of employee engagement that Gallup research still lists it as one of the top reasons employees remain with or leave an organization.

If you are a manager, how often do you recognize your team members? Remember, know how your team member likes to receive recognition. Some just don’t like big parties and balloons. Many just prefer a “thank you.”

Be sure to use their name and be as specific as possible about the reason for the recognition. This way, they know what types of behaviors drive positive praise from you.

In order to have long-lasting effects, you want to recognize team members every seven days. I don’t mean you have to give them a party or even give them a ribbon. Keep it simple. If you go too long before praising them, they will forget that positive feeling and that affects performance.

How did you feel the last time your manager recognized you?

Give that same feeling to your team members often!

I need to tell you what you are doing wrong and don’t have time to care about how that sounds.

Ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it?”

Managers are in a unique position to be able to use their authority for the betterment of others, or to use it to make others feel awful for their shortcomings or mistakes.

I would caution managers from jumping too quickly to find their team members’ mistakes. If you notice that any one team member’s performance, behavior or attitude is below your standards, sit with them to find out what might be going on to cause such a change.

Let them know that you are concerned about this decline. Offer to provide clear guidance to help them get back on track. They need to know that you are not always judging them. Choose your words carefully in order to avoid creating this perception.

They need to know that you are on their side and will fight for them if they put in the hard work.

The good news?

Managers can control whether or not they make these mistakes and how often they choose to do so. While the power and authority rests on the manager to drive their team forward, the more important thing to remember is to use that power for the good of the team. I know that these mistakes can create a lot of frustration. What other mistakes do you think many managers make? Ideas on how to stop them?

heatherpic

 

Senior Consultant and Trainer

Heather is a leadership strategist and employee engagement consultant, trainer, coach and speaker with proven expertise in building Voice of the Employee cultures and acting as catalyst for employee-driven cultural & process improvements. Heather is a frequent author on LinkedIn’s Pulse platform, a blog contributor for Huffington Post and a member and Certified Customer Experience Professional with the Customer Experience Professional’s Association.

Heather truly believes that the fastest way to create employee engagement and loyalty is to transform organizational culture into an environment focused on breaking down silos, aligning around a common purpose, empowering employees to do their best work and reinvigorating leaders to take ownership in their role in creating all of it.