Motivating Your People

When we think of motivation, we think of praise and awards, but there is a more to ensure that members of your team know their importance.
Recognition won’t work without respectful relationships. There’s no excuse not to know all your employees’ names, what they’re working on and what their aspirations are. Once you solidify a superior relationship with them, it can be as simple as verbally reinforcing positive behavior. With under performers, discover what they do well and recognize them for it and they are more likely to do more things well.
Research has found that the cornerstone of meaningful recognition was actually opportunity. “An award may be a tangible sign of recognition, but employees see an opportunity as a sign that their manager truly values them”
Opportunities don’t have to be expensive. It could be as simple as trusting employees with important customers and/or assignments, introducing them to an instrumental figure within the organization or having a training event.
If you can reaffirm your employees’ value while your organization is having difficulty, you will keep your best people. Some people believe if you praise someone, that person is naturally going to say, “If I’m that good then I should get a raise.” This simply is not the case. They do not go hand in hand because employees can see the economy around them. They know what things are like and they just want to feel valued.
Then again, if a company starts to bring in a ton of money and doesn’t distribute some of it, people will get conflicting messages and think they’re not actually appreciated. How do you know if your “motivation program” is working? Ask your people. If you have built the relationship first, they will let you know.

Hard vs Soft Skills

Technical and job-related skills are a must, but they are NOT sufficient if you want your people to grow. To this, the answer is harsh but real -- a professional who wants to do well does not really have a choice. Soft skills are essential
Initially, technical abilities are important to get good assignments. However, when it comes to growing, it is your personality that matters, especially in large organizations where several people with similar technical expertise compete for a promotion.
The soft skills that are required include:
· Interpersonal skills
· Team spirit
· Business etiquette
· Negotiation skills
· Behavioral traits such as attitude, motivation and time management
“Soft skills training is essential because we do not have it in our academic curricula. Therefore, organizations have to take up the task of grooming employees who are the link between the company and the external world, so that they are able to present themselves better, “says Sumeet Mehta, an equity research analyst with Fortis Securities Ltd.
Do you and your people have great soft skills? If your answer is yes, good for you.
But if your answer is no, then you know it is time to approach either a training organization or a training consultant. Call us today...We can help!