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| A Publication of JWillin Consulting, Ltd | July 2010 | |||
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In this Issue
Three Actions Leaders Can Take To Retain and Motivate Employees The media keeps telling us the economy is on the mend. It’s a “jobless recovery”, they say, but the indicators pointing up. In the meantime thousands are still under-employed or out of work altogether. Those fortunate enough to have jobs are working 24/7 to make sure things don’t fall through the cracks, and that business and profits continue “as usual” for the stockholders. There is an atmosphere of fear at all levels. What can you do, as a manager or business owner, to prep for the better times and keep your valued employees when the recovery takes hold? How can you shore up motivation/loyalty /customer service in employees who may feel, as one client said to me last week, “unwilling to go the extra mile for them right now”? Here are three simple yet solid ideas to help you bring a more motivating atmosphere back to your workplace: Acknowledge the losses due to lay-offs: Laid off employees are often given support through coaching or outplacement services. But what happens to the employees who are not let go? Most times they are given additional assignments (only people forces are reduced, assignments rarely are) and are expected to go back to business as usual surrounded by empty cubicles and no guarantees of their own future. Are their losses acknowledged? Are they allowed to vent in other than whispers? Change management work with retained employees can be invaluable. Letting employees vent their concerns about work load and flow, share their sadness at the loss of co-workers and work together to develop ways to effectively manage their new situation can be productive and motivating. Not all concerns will have answers, but being able to voice them, and have the new normal be acknowledged can go far in getting past the fear and loss of morale after a downsizing. Call me for more information: 630-924-8565 Reward and recognize: Positive recognition is the least expensive and most effective motivator out there. In these times of 24/7 expectations, a specific “thank you” for a job well done can go a long way. And yes, it is OK to thank employees for things they are supposed to be doing. Think of them as customers. Customers are expected to pay us, right? And yet, when they do, we always say thank you. Employees do small things every day that keep business moving. As Ken Blanchard said years ago, “Catch them doing something right.” Learn employee motivators: Conventional wisdom says money is a motivator, and for those of us who have been in business for any length of time we know that money IS a motivator…one of many. What motivates the people who work for you? What motivates your customers? You only know for sure if you ask them. Ask an employee, “What makes a great day for you at work?” If the answer is “payday” don’t stop there, find out why. Get to the value statement. Numerous things motivate people. Be sure you are putting your efforts in the right place. Letting an hourly employee go home early is a motivator only if they value time off. If they are working to reduce a debt, losing the hour of pay is more punishing than motivating. Personalize your motivation efforts and you will get more bang for your efforts. A Coach’s (re)View
The Little Book of Business Secrets That Work: The Little Book is just that, a little book of 210 4.5x8 pages. Small enough to fit inside a bag or briefcase without adding weight. But this little gem does have weight…the weight of simple business wisdom we should all know but too often forget in the surging tide of daily work life. Author Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz brings the reader 199 business tips divided into five sections:
The 30+ tips under Start-up provide good information for people considering the step to business ownership. (Click here to read the entire review.) Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still Goes International Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still has now shipped to four continents! Wendy and I were looking at sales figures the other day and realized that people in Germany, England and Switzerland (Europe) and New Zealand (Australia), as well as the USA are using and reading Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still. Intrigued, we went online and found that D3 is also available in India (Asia) for 833 rupees! Do you have your copy? Visit the book’s website at deepdeeperdeeperstill.intuitwebsites.com or become a fan on Facebook. Shameless Plug I’m giving two open presentations in August. I’d love to see some familiar faces: August 10, 7 pm August 21, 11:00 am It’s almost time to schedule my pre-holiday program: Surrounded by Santas: Taking Back Your Holidays. Check out the blurb on my website. |
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