January 27th, 2012

The work environment has changed. Change has becomethe norm. Also the truth level of employees has decreased.This can lead to increased dissatisfaction and decreasedproductivity.

Here are ten techniques for motivating your employees tosucceed during chaos:

1. Take Care of the Little Things

Doing the little things well will show that your respect youremployees. Making sure you are on time for meetings,saying “good morning” and “thank-you,” and returningphone calls and e-mails in a timely manner goes a long wayto showing your employees that you care during chaotictimes.

2. Be an Active Listener

Recent research stated that the average supervisor ormanager only invests two hours per year applying “purelistening” skills. Pure listening is when you are listening toyour employee you are not:

* Multitasking

* Ordering your lunch

* Watching people walk by your office.

* Answering telephone calls

* Setting up appointments

To be a pure listener you must be an active listener. Goodmanagers do more than pay attention. They genuinely careabout people and never talk down to them. They ask theiremployees about their goals and dreams, their pastachievement, their concerns and challenges during thischaotic time. They listen with their hearts and minds. Theyrespect the employee’s thoughts and opinions. They realizethat the employees sometimes have the best answer forachieving more through chaos.

3. Walk your Talk

If you expect your employees to arrive early, then you arriveearly. If you expect your employees to keep their promises,you keep your promises. If you want your employees tokeep to high standards, you keep to high standards.Your employees are watching you even when you don’tthink they are watching you. So set the tone. Once youwalk through the doors of your organization make sure youare positive and upbeat if you expect your employees to bepositive and upbeat.

4. Let People Know They Make a Difference

At the top of many lists of what motivates employees, morethan money, is knowing that they make a difference at work.One of the most powerful methods of letting your employeesknow they make is difference is…praise (Go to articleAppreciate to Motivate to learn how). The praise shouldrelate to how the employee helps achieve the overall missionof the organization.

5. Communicate Clearly

Communicate so that others understand what you want toachieve. Adapt your communication to the audience you arespeaking. Constantly communicate your vision and goals sothat there are no misunderstandings. The clearer

the vision,the clearer the communication, the clearer the opportunity forsuccess.

6. Help Employees Succeed

People go to work to succeed, not fail. It is your job tounderstand your employee’s strengths and weaknesses sothat you can put them in the best position to succeed. If, forexample, you find out that an employee is lacking in a certainskill set to succeed during a change then provide thecoaching and training to make them and your organizationsuccessful. The best managers minimize or eliminate theiremployees weaknesses and while building on theirstrengths. Remove any and all barriers to success.

7. Focus Your Team on the Goal.

Focus your employees on the end result, the overall teamgoal. Once you successful communicate this your team willband together to defeat any obstacles that get in the way.

8. Create High Standards

High-performance organizations set high standards for theirpeople. Employees want to know what is expected of them,how their performance is measured, and what rewards theycan expect when they exceed the standard. Make sure thestandards are consistently applied to each employee. Makesure each employee understands how the standards aremeasured so that they know how to reach it. As eachplateau is reached, set new goals.

9. Help Your Employees Compete and Win

Develop goals that help all your employees excel. Makeyour goals inclusive not exclusive. This means thateverybody is working together and wins together. Have youremployees complete against the goal, not each other.

10. Reward Outstanding Achievement

Find ways to recognize your achievers in a public way. Themore you reward employees for excellent achievement, themore you receive more of the same behavior. Make sure youare consistent with the way you contribute rewards to youremployees. Very important, make use you communicateexactly why the employee is being rewarded. And last,reward as soon as possible to the action.

Some of the ways you can show recognition are:

* Idea board

* Initiative Board

* Star Spotlight

* Certificates

* Gift cards

* Say thank-you

* Lunch

Apply these techniques and you will achieve your goalsduring the most challenging of times.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and successcoach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stressmanagement, customer service, and team building. You cane-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at(757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter,OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, “Empowerment andStress Secrets for the Busy Professional.”

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