One Thing You Cant Hide

One of the most important of all motivators at work is consideration. Employees report that the best managers they ever had were people who cared about them as people and as friends. These managers took the time to ask them questions about their lives, and to listen patiently while they talked about the dilemmas and problems and situations in their families. The more that the employees felt that the boss liked them and respected them, the more empowered and motivated they felt.

Caring Is The Key

The flip side of this motivator is the de-motivating feeling that the boss doesn't care. This is almost invariably expressed in a lack of recognition, a lack of approval, a lack of appreciation and a general failure to pay attention to the employee over time.

Spend Time Listening

Remember the amount of time that you spend talking to and listening to an employee is a signal to that employee that he or she is important to you and to the company. This is why the very best bosses spend a lot of time walking around and chatting with their employees. They sit with them for lunch and coffee. They invite their comments and encourage open discussion and disagreements about work. They create an environment where people feel that the work belongs to them as well as to the company. In that environment, employees feel good about themselves and more fully committed to doing the job and doing it well.

Emotions Determine Everything

Remember that everyone is primarily emotional. Everything that people does, or refrains from doing, is triggered by their deeper emotions. Your job is to connect with their higher and more positive emotions so they feel so good about you they want to help you and please you in some way.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, get out of your office and go among your friends and coworkers. Ask them about their personal lives and concerns, and then listen carefully to the answer.

Second, resolve to be a genuinely positive person under all circumstances. Be the kind of person people feel happy being around and working for.

Gordon Goh is author of the free, informative website Simply Motivation offering quality useful tips for Motivation

---

Outsourcing NOT Just for Big Business

Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic... Read More

Its a Training Issue!

There's a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human... Read More

He Hate Me: Turning Their Bad Attitude Into Your Great Results

"He Hate Me" was the nickname of Rod Smart, a... Read More

What Makes a Crisis a Crisis?

If you're old enough and were living in America about... Read More

Developing Your Management Style

One thing a lot of us don't do in sales... Read More

5 Steps to Identify Core Processes

Part Two of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesNext Week: ImplementationLast week,... Read More

Get Out Of The Stone Age: Give Leadership Talks

160 years ago, the newly invented electric telegraph carried the... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Work Processes

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Money Doesnt Do It

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

A Corporate Facelift With Sound Bytes

If Baby Boomers can get botox and tummy tucks, then... Read More

Managing Rebellious Employees

Surveys of executives reveal that many companies fall short of... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First

Define the Problem First. It seems obvious, but how many... Read More

Whadda Jerk!

If one does not understand a person, one tends to... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: An Unexpected Benefit

This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly... Read More

What Makes A Good Media Story?

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the... Read More

Change Management: Getting Everyone on Board the Change Train

How do you get everyone on board the change train... Read More

Accountability Equals Meeting Success

Leslie was the new manager of the group. She was... Read More

The Paradox of Job Enrichment

Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company.... Read More

The Idol-Makers

The end of the television season in May included the... Read More

Managing People - Why Is It So Difficult?

Managing, supervising, being a team leader is the hardest job... Read More

Your Blueprint For Business Success

Before you start your own business one of the first... Read More

Intercultural Management

The role of a manager is evolving in response to... Read More

How to Dodge Distribution Difficulties

It happened again. I ran into an old friend while... Read More

Attract and Retain Positively Great Employees - An Action Plan for Employee Training

Everyday a business owner, CEO, or manager somewhere is complaining... Read More

Agendas Make Meetings Productive

Having an agenda template that works well for you, week... Read More

Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda?

It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More

Business Innovation ? Ignoring Content

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and... Read More

Must Project Managers Be Technically Savvy?

"Must Project Managers be technically savvy?" This topic always seems... Read More

Keeping Meetings On Track

We all have been in meetings with certain people who... Read More

Whatever it Takes!

I have a sign on my office door. It pretty... Read More

Jack Welch--Success Is Getting Back Up on the Horse

A few months ago I had the opportunity to spend... Read More

Why Soft Skills?

The industrial age is over. Organizations still stuck in the... Read More