Browse Author: Kerrie

Workplace Motivation for Leaders

I recently heard a story about a certain manager who argued that his role had nothing to do with motivating people.  Workplace motivation, he said, was the job of the Human Resources department!  

I know you won’t be surprised to hear that I disagree.  What’s more, workplace motivation is one of the significant issues raised by many good managers, business owners and team leaders today. 

Leading a motivated team is not only more productive, you will find it much more enjoyable and rewarding too.  Poorly motivated employees rarely function well as a team, and typically generate more stress for you than they do results.  So good leaders consider the impact of their actions on workplace motivation carefully. No one wants a demotivated workplace producing barely adequate outcomes and a stressful situation.  

Here are three simple yet effective ways you can boost workplace motivation and morale: 

1. Offer a Reward

Rewards are motivating.  And although money is one type of reward, it is far from the only reward you can use. Frequently it’s not even the best reward to offer.  Exactly what rewards are most appropriate will vary from person to person and according your particular situation, but here are some ideas to consider.  

For many people coaching them to develop new and better skills is a powerful and motivating reward. Encouragement, recognition, more trust or a promotion or new work title may be motivating to some of your people.  Likewise, for some more overtime, less travel, a special project or development opportunity or flexible work hours may help boost workplace motivation.  Once you start to think about it, and get to know your people well enough to know what they would appreciate, you will be able to think of a whole range of motivating rewards that are appropriate in your situation.  

2. Listen to People

Everyone likes to feel that their input and opinion is valued, respected and considered.  It takes only a moment – and an open attitude – to welcome input from each individual on your team. 

Ask for their views and input.  Be genuinely willing to listen to people and you will see an amazing response from previously demotivated staff.

3. Lighten up a Little

Motivated employees enjoy their work.  Numerous studies have shown that people work harder, not less, when the workplace is a fun, happy and enjoyable place.  

As leader, you get to set the tone for a happy workplace.  Take a moment to smile at people and ask after their family, hobbies or interests.  Encourage some team social activities.  Take the team out for coffee or bring in a cake to celebrate an achievement.  

We spend many hours each day in the workplace.  Part of your role as the leader is to ensure your team are motivated to actually be there and contribute fully to reaching your team goals.  

Believe me, everything will be easier for you as the leader if people enjoy actually being there, rather than dread coming to work each day.  

Good leaders accept responsibility for workplace motivation and do what they can to foster it. When you apply these three simple concepts in your workplace you will quickly build a motivated, committed and successful workforce – and a pleasant place to work.

For more ways to improve employee performance and boost workplace motivation check out this powerful tool:http://leadershipskillcenter.com/workplace-motivation/ from Kerrie Mullins-Gunst. Kerrie specialises in helping leaders and managers develop all the skills they need to mentor, manage and lead. 

Change by choice, chance or crisis?

As the story goes, some people make things happen, some have things happen to them and others just say ‘What happened?’.

But when things happen, changes follow. There are probably three main drivers behind most of the changes we face in business, and in much of life: Choice, Chance and Crisis.

Choice: Some people and organisations choose to change in a way and at a time of their own making. These people or organisations have prepared for the change, explored all their options and probably even created the climate in which their intended change is most likely to be successful. They choose to change.

Chance: For others, luck has more to do with their decision to change something. Perhaps an unusual event, a chance meeting, or a decision by someone else, created the circumstances which encouraged a change. An opportunity has fallen in their lap, but at least they recognised it and capitalised on it.

Crisis: For a third group, impending crisis is the only thing which will cause any change. Their experience of change is rarely good because of their reluctance to recognise risks or opportunities early enough to prepare and make the best of a situation. By the time this group considers change, they have little choice and few options.

Think about whether you tend to change through choice, chance or crisis. Are you waiting for a crisis before you make inevitable changes? Are you actively looking for opportunities? Are you exploring all your options, and planning and preparing to change by choice?

As Louise L Hay said: “Change is usually what we want the other person to do.”

Change Quick Tips

Practise ‘change by choice’ on some of the small things in your life. Choose something different for breakfast, travel to work a different way, or listen to another style of music for a week.

Think about how you felt when you chose to change. Were you more willing to experiment? Did you put some effort into making the right choice? Did it help to know you could always choose to change again?

Make some serious changes. Think about what you are just tolerating in your life. What planning and preparation can you make to help you change successfully?

Growing Great New Managers – and Successful Consultants!

This month you helped me reach another important milestone that I almost overlooked… Thanks to your enthusiasm and support I have now been consulting, coaching and presenting for 16 years. So, to celebrate I have a special gift that will help you ‘Grow Great New Managers’.  You’ll find it at the end of this message.  

Over my years as a consultant some of you have entrusted me with your whole business development strategy or leadership development programs.  

Some of you have bought programs or courses from me or attended my seminars or conference presentations.

Some of you have asked me to build your websites, online strategy or membership programs.  

Many of you refer other people who can benefit from my services or coaching and all of you read my newsletter.  

However we have connected, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you.  Your support – and your referrals – are very important to me and I appreciate them.  

One of the questions I have often been asked over the past 16 years is about how to set up a successful consulting business.  

It’s a question that seems to be even more pressing for many in this economic climate.  If consulting is something that might interest you, you should check out a new training program I can highly recommend.  

Even after all these years consulting I have learnt a lot from it.  It’s something I wish I had when I first started out as a consultant.  You can find the details at http://kerriemg.com/likes/consulting  (That’s a private invitation I have arranged for you.  It’s not generally available at the moment.)  

And finally, to show my appreciation of your support over the years please accept a copy of ‘Growing Great New Managers’ which I have left for you at:  

http://leadershipskillcenter.com/thankyou/ 

Watch out for another message soon. 

I look forward to continuing to help you with your leadership, business and website needs for many years to come.  

Kind regards, Kerrie

PS.  That link again for ‘Growing Great New Managers’ is:  

http://leadershipskillcenter.com/thankyou/  

Successful leaders are persistent

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  

I’ve lost almost 300 games.

26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  

I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan

How to get maximum results with minimum effort

Maximum Results with Minimum Effort

I guess that’s everyone’s dream. As a leader or manager your responsibility and role is to deliver set outcomes through the efforts of others – those people on your team. 

Your role is not to do the tasks, but to make sure they get done.

And that all sounds fine … until you are faced with an employee whose performance is not up to scratch.

Now you are confronted with the challenge of bringing their performance up to the required standard. And I’ve never met a leader who doesn’t experience at least a little sinking feeling at the
prospect of working through all the difficult issues that can be associated with changing the attitudes and skills of an employee who needs to do better.

If even one member of your team isn’t performing well, your whole team will suffer.

Not only will your team’s results be effected, other team members who are doing their best will become disheartened by the impact of any inadequate contributions and the whole team culture and morale will suffer.

Poor performance by any team member presents a situation you just can’t afford to ignore. It demands your urgent attention – and you had better get whatever you decide to do right, or the problems can just escalate.

So what should you do?

Faced with a poorly performing employee your options are basically to move them on or help them get better.

As the first option is an option of last resort (and one that is not always available anyway) I will focus on how you can help a poorly performing employee get better. When you do this properly, you in effect gain a whole new team member for minimum effort so this is a very powerful option.

You have three primary options available for helping a poorly performing employee reach your required standard of performance:

1. Coaching
2. Training
3. Performance Management

All are valid, but each is best used in somewhat different circumstances.

* Performance Management (or Disciplinary Counselling)

This should be reserved for repeated instances of poor performance and matters of a very serious nature.

If Performance Management fails to produce satisfactory and sustained improvements in performance, the employee needs to understand they will no longer have a role to play in your team.

When you initiate a formal Performance Management process, you should ensure you have the authority and support required to enforce this, should it be required. A discussion with your supervisor and with your Human Resources department will help protect you, should you need to remove someone if their performance doesn’t improve.

* Training is an often overlooked means of improving performance.

Many people who learn skills and tasks on the job could do things better with even a day or two of formal training.

This is even more so with ‘soft’ skills like leadership, communication and management. So watch out for courses and opportunities to expand the skills of all the people on your team.

Two disadvantages with training are that it is often necessary to wait for an appropriate course to become available and courses can be expensive.

* Coaching, on the other hand, is one of your most valuable  leadership tools.

You can use it every day, with good people who could be even better – AND with poor performers who need to improve their skills or attitude. Done well, it needn’t take very long, and it can show huge returns on the little time you invest.

Coaching doesn’t need any formal approval or additional funding and, by it’s very nature, when it is done well it builds team moral and makes employees feel valued and supported.

Of all your three options for performance improvement, coaching has huge potential to deliver maximum results for you with minimum effort. But it has to be done properly.

Once you have developed your own coaching skills you will have a powerful tool in your leadership toolkit. A tool you can apply not only to improve performance in poorly performing employees, but also to boost the performance of your best employees to exceptional results. All with minimum effort for maximum results – and who wouldn’t want that?

For more great ideas on how to improve employee performance through coaching visit: http://kmgsupport.com/PerformanceCoaching

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QUOTE OF NOTE

“Leadership, many have said, is different from management. Management is mostly about ‘to do’ lists – can’t live without them! Leadership is about tapping the wellsprings of human motivation – and about fundamental relations with one’s fellows.”

Tom Peters (American academic)

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How to Improve Employee Performance through Coaching:

Coaching is such a powerful leadership tool for improving employee performance – when it is done well – that I have written a new ‘Just the Gist’ Short Report on exactly how to do it to ensure you get effective results every time.

You will find all the details at:
http://kmgsupport.com/PerformanceCoaching

*** Remember if you are already a member of the Leadership Coaching Club you will get a copy of this, plus a huge range of information, leadership courses, audio programs, ebooks and other resources when you login. (If you aren’t a member yet, you’ll find all the details at: http://leadershipcoachingclub.com/ )

On the other hand if what you want to do is discover how to improve employee performance and boost team morale through effective coaching check out our new Short Report at:

http://kmgsupport.com/PerformanceCoaching

Kind regards

Kerrie

PS. We have a whole lot of things lined up to share with you this year. We hope you will be as excited about them as we are. Watch out for more details soon…

But for now check out How to Improve Employee Performance through Coaching and let us know what you think. That link again:
http://kmgsupport.com/PerformanceCoaching