Motivate Staff to be Better than “Good Enough”

When you think about motivating staff, don’t just thinking about how you are going to get them to do their job.  Consider how you will motivate them to be better than “good enough” – motivate them to be excellent.  When staff members are encouraged to reach beyond the scope of just getting the job done they will not only be bigger assets to the company but they will feel better about their position in the company.

Maslow identified a hierarchy of 5 needs.

1. Psychological  – the basic expectations of a job like money and acceptable hours
2. Safety – they want to feel that their job is secure
3. Social – they want to feel like they belong
4. Esteem – they want to be recognized
5. Self-actualization – they want to be challenged and work to their full potential

When the first two needs are fulfilled – they have a decent pay and hours they like and they feel secure in their job – the job gets done.  But if you want employees to reach beyond that and discover excellence you need to satisfy their social needs, their need to be recognized, and their desire to be challenged.  Only then will they stop focusing on being “good enough” and reach for something more.

One of the ways you can motivate staff towards excellence is by giving them autonomy.  When employees have the opportunity to decide what they want to do and how they want to do it they work harder.  They will challenge themselves when they find the opportunity to do so.  This may not be logical to give them all the time but staff that has the ability to choose projects or to choose who they will work with they often will give more effort and the results can be outstanding.

You can also motivate staff to go above and beyond their jobs by giving them the chance to become experts in their field.  When they have the chance to learn something they enjoy and to work on it on a regular basis they become masters at their craft or their skill and people will come to them for help.  This builds on self-esteem.

Finally, let them have a purpose.  When there is a purpose to their work, when they can see how they fit into the company, and when they are motivated from within they will challenge themselves on a daily basis.  When staff do not feel that they have purpose in the company get their jobs done – but that is about it.

Motivate your staff with purpose, the ability to become experts, and some ability to be in charge of their own choice and you will find that the last three needs are fulfilled.  They will feel like they are truly a part of the company, they will feel that the work they do is putting their skills to use in the most efficient way, and they will feel that what they do is recognized.  Only then can excellence be obtained, as individuals and as a company.

Is the Recession Really Over? Your Employees Don’t Think So!

On the news they have been telling us that the recession is over since the end of last year but do our employees believe that?  Should we care if they think it is over?

No, I don’t believe that our employees think the recession is over and yes, we should care.  People are worried about the economy and their jobs.  They are not seeing the differences in their own companies most of the time because the companies are still struggling to recover.  There may even still be some lay-offs in some companies so employees are feeling insecure and stressed.  Some are even suffering from depression because of the lack of security that they feel about their jobs.

This is something that employers need to care about because when employees are feeling insecure they are not able to do their jobs as well.  Stress and depression may lead to employees requesting time off.  Employees get distracted when they worry and their jobs are not at the forefront of their minds except to worry about whether or not they will have jobs next week.  We need to put their minds at ease.

The only way to put their minds at ease is by sharing information with them that will show them that the company is not closing its doors.  We need to share our plans for growing the company and let them know how they can be a part of getting the company to the next level.  By diversifying and showing our employees where are new areas of growth can take the company we can make them feel like there is a future with our business.  Raises are good, too, but most companies do not have that within their means since the economy is only at the beginning phase of starting to improve.

In my opinion, it is going to take at least another one to two years before our employees start to feel like they are safe from the repercussions of the recession.  If we work as a team though, our employees can feel more secure in working towards the common goal of bringing our business to the next level.

Get Results with More Compliments and Less Criticisms

There are two kinds of motivators that get results from employees: internal motivators and external motivators.  External motivators are things like raises while internal motivators are things like job satisfaction.  Do you know which one gets the best results?  Employees have said that the thing they want most from their jobs is recognition for the things they do well.  It is no wonder that compliments will get better results than criticisms!

When we recognize people for what they do right, instead of what they do wrong, it builds self-esteem.  When people are confident they are more likely to take on new challenges and give a job their full effort.  Use compliments as one of your daily strategies for improving staff job performance and you will see more results.

There are several strategies that you can implement when using compliments:

1. Use a compliment to encourage improvement in other areas.  For example, if a staff member has utilized her organizational skills to get a project completely efficiently you could say, “Great job on organizing this project.  I love how you ________!  Could you use those same skills to help us on the XYZ project?” This will show the employee that they are good at something and point out a place where they could use those skills to improve in another area.
2. Reinforce past positive behavior.  Reinforcement goes a long way because it lets employees know that you have not forgotten about their past successes.  If you were to tell an employee, “Thanks for getting this completed before the deadline.  I really appreciated how in the past several projects you have worked on you have put forth the extra effort to have tasks completed ahead of time,” they will feel that you have not only noticed their current behavior but their past efforts as well.  This will encourage them to continue with the behavior that you have recognized.
3. Show employees how their efforts are contributing to company goals.  Employees like to know that they are a part of the bigger picture and that their efforts are making a difference in the business.  Instead of just saying, “Thanks,” trying saying, “Thanks for the extra hours you put into this task.  Because of you we may have gained a new client!”

Compliments motivate employees to improve and to continue their efforts.  When you can catch them in the act and you are genuine, they are even more valuable.  Watch for opportunities to compliment staff on their efforts and make your compliments genuine and you will find that your employee morale will increase and performance records will improve.

7 Ways to Unify Employees

One of the best ways to bring employees together is to make them feel unified in their goals and in their focus.  When employees feel that they are part of the group they make decisions as a group and their work becomes more cohesive.  When you have a team of people that are working towards a common goal they are more likely to achieve the goal, no matter how big or small it is.

There are 7 ways that you can make your team more unified:

1. Host a networking event.  Give employees the opportunity to gather to discuss current projects, team goals, and what they are working on.  When people have the chance to get together to talk about their work they often find others that share similar goals and objectives.  This can give them the chance to talk about similar experiences they have had and how problems were solved.  Conversation between staff should be encouraged because it will enable employees to find better ways to solve problems and learn from others.
2. Do lunch.  Have lunch with your staff. Encourage lunches between employees.  Host lunches with teams that work on similar projects.  A social activity like going for lunch allows employees to get to know each other on a non-work level and that encourages them to feel closer.  When people that work together know each other on a non-work level they are more likely to take each others’ needs into consideration.
3. Company events.  Hold events that promote the employees and celebrate successes.  Recognize people for what they have accomplished.
4. BBQ’s, picnics, and other non-work events.  When staff have the opportunity to gather and be in a more relaxed atmosphere they are more likely to reveal their true personalities.  The ties come off and people can relax more.  Often this gives managers the chance to see skills and talents that they might not have seen otherwise.  More importantly though, staff get to see each other in a new light and build friendships that make their jobs more enjoyable.
5. Involved staff in decisions.  Even though you may have the final say, ask people for their opinions.  When people feel that their opinions are wanted they will feel valued.  Even though you may not be able to implement their thoughts and opinions every time, the very fact that you are willing to take them into considerations will make your employees feel that they are part of the company.
6. Fully support them.  Give them the tools that they need to do their jobs.  Give them resources and information and access to information.
7. Lead by example.  If you want your staff to work extra hours, don’t leave early – be there with them.  Be present around the office.  Use the company staff room and talk to your employees.  Stop by their desk or office to say hello.  Ask how a project is doing.  Go to company events and lunches.  If you want them to be involved – then be involved!

5 Ways Social Media Can Benefit Human Resources Managers

Human resources departments have an excellent tool at their fingertips that they never had before.  This tool can help human resources department build trust, train potential employees, and of course, recruit new employees.

What is it?  Social media, of course.

There are 5 ways that human resources departments can use social media to benefit themselves and to benefit those who work for them:

1. Better communications – The main point behind social media is communicating with others and sharing information.  That builds trust.  When people trust you, what do they do?  They share information with you.  Information can help you get leads for potential new employees and helps you build a better team of employees.  Potential employees need to be aware of your company and need to consider it as a place they would want to work at.  When you communicate effectively people will get to know you, trust you, and want to work for you.
2. Training – Training should be ongoing.  Both you and the team of employees that you build for your company need constant training to upgrade knowledge and stay at the top of your game.   You can encourage training through sharing of information, encouraging conversation, and discussing case studies.  Employees can learn from each other and from you as the sharing of information is made easier than ever through social media forms like blogs, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
3. Sharing information – The basis of social media is the opportunity to share information.  By sharing information with others you become an expert in your field.  As you become recognized as an expert you are exposed to even more information that increases your knowledge.  It is a circle that once you enter can continue without limits.  As you build trust and relationships though social media, individuals and companies that may not have shared with you before are more likely to do so.
4. Retaining talent – Once you have the talent in your team you need to keep them.  To keep your talent you need to challenge them and provide them with information that will allow them to do their jobs in new and creative ways.  Interaction between staff encourages creativity and empowers staff to take incentives with their jobs and their learning.
5. Sharing information about benefits and compensation – A large part of recruiting new talent is making information available about the benefits of working for your company.  If potential candidates are not even aware of the benefit of working for your company they are unlikely to consider approaching you about employment.  By sharing information about benefits and compensation, new employees will come to you and that makes recruiting less of a challenge.