Motivating People

I have found in my experience it is better to manage staff with a carrot than a stick. When people operate out of fear or a lack of security then they are not in the best mind space to give their best.

Here are a few tips for creating a work environment that will enable workers to give their best -

1. Talk about the situation using positivity.  This is not a call to ignore the truth but rather be careful and smart about the way you present the facts and express the situation. 
2. Reverse the negative to create positive results.  If the business or organisation is in trouble financially there are two ways to inform employees of how they can contribute to change.  The first os to tell them redundancies are coming and the doors will soon be closing.  The second way is to get the employees to start making positive changes in their areas to lift production and end results.
3. Reinforce changes and positive results using tangible rewards.  When staff start to contribute and make changes to their work make sure they and thanked and when possible rewarded for their efforts.

If you choose to use fear as a self-motivator that is your choice.  If you choose to use fear as a motivator for others - I would ask that you reconsider.

You can also check out this article by the Credit Union Times that speaks about the negative effects of using fear as a motivator.

Taking A Break

The Everyday Manager is taking a quick break while I attend the Magma Short Film Festival.

(Image: The Six Dollar Fifty Man)

I will start posting again shortly.  Catch you again Friday 30th April (blogspot time).

Communication Lessons

When you are trying to explain a situation to a manager or another person who is joining you after the journey has already started, keep these thoughts in mind -

• Assume nothing.  Before you go and speak to the relevant people prepare your presentation and information in such a way that any person could pick up your work and work out what the main points and thrust are without anyone else having to explain it to them.
• Start at the beginning.  I mean right at the beginning.  You might know where you are up to and where things are at but for the new person it is highly likely they will have no idea what you are talking about.  So make sure you start at the beginning.
• Provide an overview. Give some guidance on what the problem/project looks like from a birds eye view.  Take the big picture into account and express the big ideas.
• Lay the groundwork.  Once you communicated the big idea then you can move into the finer details.  Avoid getting into the detail too early and thereby missing the big picture and getting lost in the detail.
• Allow time for feedback or changes.  Try to have as much time as you can so you can go back and edit or redirect your thinking before you hit the deadline or require an extension of time.  Be organised.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2595886084/)

Finding The Right Employee For Your Business

The great people over at Fuel Advertising know how to communicate to people.  They understand what you and I know but most marketers just don't get.

"People are human.  People have a sense of humor.  People are real."

So, Fuel needs a person to help create adverts.  Sounds simple enough?  Sure.  And that is exactly the level of person you would attract should you choose to advertise for someone with those skills.

What does Fuel do right?

1. 
   
   Make the position title legitimate and current.  'Ad Mechanic' now there is a job title that inspires and sets a level of expectation around the persons skills and capabilities.
2. 
   
   Give the applicants and position some respect.  The role is about the ability to use initiative, problem solving skills and mix them together with some creative flair and BOOM there you go - Ad Mechanic. 
3. 
   
   Speak to people in the same way you want them to hear you.  The message is clear and simple.  There is no ambiguity about what is going to be expected of you should you be the chosen one.

The next time you choose to look for people to join your team keep these ideas in mind.  I'm picking that the team at Fuel will have received a whole bunch of applications and there will be some great applicants too! 

So when we take the time to respect people, their skills and give them opportunities to develop there will be no shortage of people lining up to join your team.

People Count

No matter what industry you work in, what sports team you play for or what religous group you belong to - they all centre around one thing.  People.

You have a choice on how you want to interact and engage with those people.  I recommend that you seek to get the most out of every conversation and every interaction that you can.  I'm not condoning being intenselly wired every time but rather that you seek out an opportunity, a new fact or a new friendship every time to speak to someone.

One important relationship I really cherish is the one I have with the Librarians at my work.  It has now gotten to the point where when periodicals that I like come in each month - I get to read them before they hit the shelves.  Why is this and how did I get to this point?

• Time.  I spend time going and talking to the people whom I think are of value to meor can offer some service or opportunity that is a good one.   
• Sharing.  I let people know what I am interested in and they keep an eye out for me.  The same is in reverse.  In this case the librarians don't always know what texts are appropriate for our students and the need/want guidance.  I am more than happy to help.
• Two way relationships.  Making sure others fel appreciated and a part of the relationship is more important than me trying to squeeze out every last drop of juice that will be self-beneficial.
• Mutual interests.  Find a talking point or conversation starter that you can use the next time you meet the person so you have a launch pad for your conversation to start off on.  This will help you save a lot of time and be able to cut to the chase.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."  John Donne

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/enigmatic/2626947313/)

Management Brands

Whats your brand?  And how do you define one?  HBR has a great post on this exact subject matter.

Quote of the Week

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”  Albert Einstein.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imran/103740700)

Communication Lessons - Change

Change is never easy and it takes alot of talk and discussion to get it right.

So whats the best process?  My personal feeling is that you should follow a similar communication plan lke this -

The managers top priority is to figure out -

• Who will be affected?
• How much affect will the change have?
• How long will the change take before it impacts on each group of people?

I recommend working with a ranking system.

• So those who are affected the most will rate a 10 c.f. the people who will be affected the least will rate a 1. 
• Try and figure out how localised or widespread the impact may be on the different persons and departments in the organisation.
• Then create more ratings for the amount of time it will take for the changes to start affecting people.  Again apply a scale of 1 to 10.

Now you, the manager, will have a score card that will be beginning to tell you - who, how and when.

My next recommendation is that you now start devising a communications plan for ensuring the right message gets through to all the right people at the right time.

 

I realise this is a very simple plan and method but I also subscribe to the philosophy of "Keep It Short and Simple".

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sookie/31219031/)

Characters in the Office

In case you hadn't noticed I enjoy reading Dilbert cartoons.  They're great.  They are great from the perspective that they capture what people in offices really think and the games that they play with each other.

Take todays cartoon as an example -




Sure - on it's surface it is funny.  But I'm guessing that you could probably say from the story above who the people are that you work with that would try the same thing or might fit those character types.

I can.

Making The Right Choice

What is the right choice to make in any given situation?  How do you know if the choice you are making is right or wrong?

I have been working through exactly this kind of situation.  It is a 'what should I do' situation.  So where should we start when it comes to making choices?

I go back to my annual resolutions, goals and objectives that I set for myself in December of last year.  Those goals are - 1.  Compliance, 2. Excellence and 3.  Teamwork.

So the situation arose where I had to pick between a good option that was mainly for my benefit or an option whereby I would forfeit personal gain in order to be involved with and develop my team.

Okay - so it doesn't sound that bad - but - giving up a financial reward for little effort isn't as easy as it may sound.  I was pretty keen on ensuring I got the best personal reward.  Until I started reflecting on where I am at and what is important to me in 2010.

So I chose to go with the team option.  Giving up a bit of money in the short term I decided was a poor way to get ahead when compared to the benefits and rewards of working with the team to grow the financial benefits and rewards for everyone.

Guess what - after I made the decision to stay true to my goals I had a pair of breakthrough moments.  One - the conflicting appointment was shifted so I can still make a personal gain, and two - I may have a chance to do something I have always dreamed of and may now be able to do.

Moral of the story - stay true to yourself, act and think with integrity and the rewards will come your way.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/3122985108/)