Great leaders give their people an
overview of what the company is trying to achieve and then they work with each person to establish individual goals that will meet or
exceed those company objectives.
Goals should have a good chance of
being achievable while still challenging the individual to push themselves
beyond their existing comfort zone. Each
goal must be relevant to the main objective of the organisation and relevant to
the overall success of the company.
Work with your people to help them
determine the goals that would be most appropriate for their development and
growth and work with them to develop the appropriate action steps to achieve
these goals and you will see a noticeable improvement in their performance.
Communicate
and tell your people what is happening, people are hungry for
information and from my experience can be trusted with company details.
Unfortunately, too many corporations and their middle managers feel that people
should only be given information that is relevant to their specific job.
Communication
must be clear and concise, employees want to know where they
stand and want to do a good job. They want to know how, you, as
their leader, view their performance. That's why it is critical that you give
them direction and feedback on a regular basis.
Experience has taught me that people
will work harder for someone who praises them and recognises the effort they
put into their work. Acknowledge their
energy and performance, their effort and commitment, how hard they worked and
how involved they were with it.
Your people have a lot of knowledge and
information and can often contribute valuable suggestions to improve the
business. If you really want to create a team of highly motivated people take
the time to listen to their comments and ideas.
This last point is the most important. If you want a highly motivated team, then you must lead by setting the example. You must demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, team cooperation, honesty, integrity and commitment.
Set and communicate high standards,
provide positive reinforcement when your people perform and involve them. You
will soon see a motivated team that will do almost anything to help you
succeed.
