You in fact can control the weather.
You, as a leader, are responsible for the micro climate in your own environment. There may be smog and air pollution in other areas around you, but you can still make sure that your area of responsibility has the perfect climate so that your fellow employees can develop and perform at the highest level possible.
Don’t blame your leader or anyone else for your own environment. Each one of us has the ability and responsibility to inspire and motivate our fellow employees.
Some of the best ways to do that are as follows:
- Give recognition to those employees who do great things for the business.Give that recognition publicly when you can.
- Know what kind of recognition most inspires your fellow employees, and give it to them.
- Listen and involve your fellow employees in running the business. This will keep you from making mistakes, and it will inspire them to support you. We all want to be heard.
- Make sure that you are setting a great example by demanding excellence . . . and then performing in an excellent way yourself. Setting the example gives you more credibility than anything else in life. It is one of the great teachers.
- Don’t ask your employees to do things that you are not willing to do. When they see that you are willing to do the little things and the not so pleasant things, they will have a much higher respect for you.
- Give credit instead of taking credit . . . and in the long run, you will quietly get the credit for having a healthy environment. No one likes someone else’s hogging the credit.
- Make sure that you are crystal clear about what your expectations are for behavior and for performance . . . and then enforce those things.
- Make the workplace fun and exciting so that people wake up in the morning and look forward to coming to work, even if the work itself is difficult.
- When new employees are joining your team from outside of your organization or are coming from another part of your organization, make sure you are crystal clear about your expectations before they come on board.
- Try to find ways to give each employee more and more responsibility and authority . . . so that he or she can act on the spot for your customers.
- Give your fellow employees steady feedback on how they are doing. When they are doing great, tell them . . . and when they need to improve, tell them that too. Feedback is the fuel that drives improvement for all of us.
- Make sure that you have people in the right jobs that match their ability and competency.
- Ask your fellow Cast Members every day what barriers are standing in their way to achieve great performance . . . and then work with your team to remove those barriers, which might be processes, operating guidelines, equipment needs, or training.
If you find it hard to motivate your team, find someone in your organization who has a great reputation for being able to do this . . . and go and watch him or her in action for a few shifts or partial shifts. Watch carefully what and how those leaders interact with their teams. Ask their teams why they love working with those leaders.
There are many ways to inspire and motivate your teams, and it is your responsibility to do this if you are in a leadership position. There is training and resources out there to help you do just that, including this blog.
One main thing to keep in mind as you lead is: Are you committed to leading by understanding and following the Four Employee Expectations:
- Make me feel special.
- Treat me as an individual.
- Respect me.
- Make me knowledgeable, develop me, and know my role.
Make sure to ensure that the environment in your area is one with a nice blue sky, sunshine, and 72 degrees . . . and you will see your results grow and prosper in Employee Excellence, Customer Satisfaction, and Business Results. YOU, the leader, provide the clean air! Now you understand that the weather can be controlled….Lee
thanks Lee, I shared this with our Team, we have a few new players on board and the message is very timely and appropriate. Have a SUNNY day.