Motivating Employees _ Bringing Out the Best in Your People - Barry Silverstein [31]
Don’t put individual employee issues on hold when dealing with company challenges.
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New Demands
Growth might bring with it the need for employees to work harder to keep up with new business. It might mean employees need to learn new skills on the job. It might lead to some employees shifting to new responsibilities or new groups, or being assigned to new managers.
The result of growth could make it difficult to maintain the quality of service, or could even mean a loss of service quality, as the organization attempts to meet customer demands. It might take longer to get things done because of new staff and more people involved in the process.
It is not unusual for an organization in the midst of such growth to find employees frustrated, angry, burning out, or losing their motivation. When employees are overworked or in a constant state of upheaval, they wear out. Even material rewards will do little to motivate them.
What You Can Do
It is crucial for a leader to balance his or her personal exhilaration with growth and success with empathy for the challenges facing the organization’s workforce.
Good motivational leaders show compassion for their employees during growth periods. They urge the group to keep going and not give up. They try to institute improvements in working conditions to ease the stress.
In addition, they find ways to help employees lighten up and have fun. They remind employees that their efforts will be rewarded, and they help employees see that there is an end in sight.
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Dos & Don’ts
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CHANGE AGENT
There are ways to make the process of change go more smoothly.
Do enlist a group of individuals as change supporters.
Do put extra effort into creating and communicating your new vision.
Don’t assume everyone will embrace and understand the need for change.
Don’t try to implement change without a plan that includes both short-and long-term goals.
Do remain as positive and enthusiastic as you want others to be.
Do demonstrate honesty, openness, and compassion during change, especially if it is painful.
Do create short-term wins so people can continue to support change over the long term.
Don’t forget that change is a continual process that needs to be re-energized over time.
Do bring everyone on board, so that each employee feels invested in a successful outcome.
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A motivational leader is an effective general who leads employees to succeed. However, the leader also makes his or her presence known on the field of battle. Employees like to know that the leader is not just leading, but standing with them—in good times as well as in tough times.
The Greatest Gift
A leader’s greatest gift is a motivated organization—people who are happy working as a coordinated, supportive team toward a common goal.
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Red Flags
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GROWING PAINS
Even when growth is your goal, achieving it can be disruptive and can hurt employees’ motivation in the short term. Watch out for:
Overburdened employees
Employee burnout
A decline in staff morale
Apprehensiveness on the part of employees
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If you visit a motivated organization, you immediately sense the difference. There is a vibrant energy and a buzz of excitement. People seem to move as if they can’t get where they are going fast enough. Positive enthusiasm pervades the atmosphere and there is laughter in the hallways.
These are the types of organizations that survive and thrive in the most challenging business environments. These are the organizations that succeed even in the face of adversity. Such motivated organizations do exist—but only when the leaders themselves are just as motivated.
It is the organization’s leaders, from the supervisor to the department head to the division head to the CEO, who must inspire the company's employees and kindle their spirit.
It is great leaders who motivate employees to be great.
LEADING DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
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“If a manager wants to make the transition from manager to leader, he or she must actively seek