| Successful employee motivation comes about when | | | | get back to you Tuesday at 9.00" means exactly that. |
| you engage and inspire your team. Put each of these | | | | No broken promises or excuses. Your team needs to |
| principles into practice and your team will buzz! | | | | know that come what may your word is good - no |
| 1. Respect & Consideration For Others | | | | matter how small the promise. Then when the time |
| 2. Loyalty To People Who Are Absent | | | | comes for you to be extended trust over a larger |
| 3. Visibility With On-going and Open Communication | | | | issue you will have built your 'trust bank balance' to |
| 4. Kept Promises | | | | such an extent that people are motivated to. |
| 5. Agreed Norms/Guidelines | | | | Agreed Norms/Guidelines: |
| 6. Unswerving Consistency in Behavior | | | | Work with your team to set down a series of norms |
| 7. Sense of Aligned Purpose | | | | guidelines that you will each follow. These guidelines, |
| 8. Ensure Competence | | | | when applied, will ensure the consistency of behavior |
| Respect & Consideration for Others: | | | | that leads to an environment of high-trust and |
| Know about your team. What are their problems? | | | | therefore high-performance. Ensure that violation of |
| What are they concerned about? What are their | | | | these guidelines, by anyone, is never stepped over. |
| personal goals? Be there to support them when they | | | | Unswerving Consistency: |
| need it. Show gratitude for their efforts. Be sensitive to | | | | Each and every one of us look for consistency in |
| the needs of others: when making decisions, whatever | | | | behavior from the people around us. As a Leader it is |
| the circumstance, consider all parties | | | | imperative that you are consistent and that you |
| Loyalty To People Who Are Absent: | | | | role-model the behaviors you would like see in others. |
| Do not allow yourself to be party to any conversations | | | | All energy starts with you - you set the example. |
| in which other people are complained about and talked | | | | Most people want their leader to be a positive role |
| about. Always act as if the other person/department | | | | model... consistently. If you are having a bad day, talk to |
| was standing right there with you listening to every | | | | somebody about, turn it in to a bad half-hour and get |
| word that is said. Ask the person/(s) who is doing the | | | | over it. Do not weigh down the people working with |
| complaining what action they are going to take to | | | | you - they have enough to deal with day-to-day |
| remedy the situation - generally this will either shut the | | | | without having to cope with inconsistent leadership. |
| conversation down in its tracks or move it to a | | | | People don't care what their leaders say, they care |
| solutions focus. If you are consistent at doing this it will | | | | about what they do. |
| reassure people that you do not embroil yourself in idle | | | | Sense Of Aligned Purpose: |
| gossip or complaining sessions. | | | | Your team develops their purpose in response to |
| Visibility And On-going and Open Communication: | | | | direction from the Leadership Team. As the Leader |
| People are inspired to give of their best when they | | | | you are responsible for broadly framing the |
| feel involved and trust the people around them. Studies | | | | performance requirements of your business. Bob |
| have shown that trust is built by frequent (meaningful) | | | | Waterman and Tom Peters call this "solution space; i.e. |
| contact. Regularly sharing your vision and asking for | | | | defining the boundaries and scope of authority clearly |
| ideas on how it can be achieved opens the doors of | | | | enough to indicate direction, but flexibly enough to allow |
| motivation. | | | | the modification required for commitment to develop." |
| Alexander the Great is said to have won the | | | | Goals become shared when all members have |
| commitment of his soldiers by risking his own life along | | | | participated in a process that clarifies the team's |
| side them. He plunged so often into the thickest of | | | | collective purpose. Pride and responsibility are inspired |
| battle that his soldiers begged him to go to the rear. | | | | when members believe that the goals they have set |
| As a Leader, you too at times must be prepared to | | | | are both achievable and important. As individuals |
| enter the 'fray'. | | | | personally and collectively commit to their Purpose, |
| "Closed doors" and withholding information can only | | | | everyone on the team feels responsible for achieving |
| lead to suspicion and a lack of motivation from your | | | | the Unit's Goals. |
| team. | | | | Ensure Competence: |
| Touch base as frequently as you can - daily/weekly, | | | | Utilize systems so that both you and your team have |
| so that you are aware of the issues which are | | | | the competency required for the roles in which you |
| uppermost in the minds of your team members - they | | | | currently perform and for the future. |
| will come to believe that you truly understand their | | | | You have probably noticed that in in this article on |
| needs. | | | | successful employee motivation there is no mention of |
| Kept Promises: | | | | rewards. If you are taking these actions and you are |
| It takes just one broken promise to lose the trust of a | | | | paying people fairly then the need for artificially |
| team member. Build the bank of 'reliability' through | | | | motivating people to turn up to work probably won't be |
| keeping your word on all small agreements e.g. "I will | | | | a high priority. |