Ideas for Motivating Employees

--> Motivation is the driving force that causes the flux from desire to will in life. For example: a flower with no water still desires for water to sustain life; however, due to its incapability to move and get water, the flower cannot will for water, hence, suffering from a break in the driving force of motivation; it is not to say, however, that, necessarily, the flower lacks the driving force; therefore, all life can said to have, at its very minimal, the igniting spark of motivation. It can be considered a psychological state that compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal.For example, hunger is a motivation that elicits a desire to eat.      Wikipedia

Managing a group of people with different personalities is never easy.   But if you're managing or leading a team, it's essential to know what motivates your people, how they respond to feedback and praise, and what tasks fit them well. What you are doing is FUTURISTIC ARCHITECTURE.

Unhappy employees are likely to be unproductive employees so the mental well being and happiness of your staff is crucial for your business’ success. Not addressing this now could be expensive for your company later – either through an inefficient workforce or high staff turnover. 

In six stages of motivating techniques, measure the motivation, accelerate the motivation constantly, and identify de-motivated employee and take corrective measures and much more. 

Giving people responsibility caused them to rise to the challenge. Unleashing their imagination, ingenuity and creativity resulted in their contributions to the organization being multiplied many times over.

 
Look for the next part soon.

How to Engage Employees-1

It is a common phrase that Rome wasn't built in a day. But what’s more important is the fact that it wasn't built by just one person, and the same goes for any major corporation.

From my experience, people tend to fail when they aren't inspired. Jack Welch, 
former CEO of General Electric, said, “No company, large or small, can succeed over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”

To your employees, you represent the company. The more you prove your worth to your employees, the more they will respect you and that is a major step towards building loyalty.

Yet, all too often business leaders and managers spend an inordinate amount of time addressing performance issues with “high maintenance, low producing” employees. These individuals can be toxic to a company’s culture. However, we continue to spend time, money and energy trying to spur a course correction by someone who either isn't a good fit for the role / organization, or is unwilling to embrace real change and growth. The consequence is that the organization hobbles forward with an ailment that isn't properly addressed, and overall health and capacity suffer.

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A caveat here: My intent is not for you to label a difficult employee as high maintenance and therefore un-coachable. Sometimes, an employee is a bit of a “diamond in the rough;” someone who has hidden exceptional characteristics and/or future potential, but lacks the final touches that would make him/her truly stand out.

Be honest with yourself here: It’s not about having a charity project because you have a big heart. In the end, enabling or pitying someone neither demonstrates true respect nor aids in the individual’s or company’s growth. When in a situation with someone who has a history of being challenging, choose to interact differently with the person – break the pattern and form a new contract with new expectations.

Have a plan. This may sounds rudimentary, but more often than not, good employees are left to their own devices. Track and communicate tangible progress. Connect the organization’s goals directly to the employees’ work so they can see how their actions produce results. People like to contribute and be a part of something bigger. Progress begets more progress.

When you give attention to an employee with potential, you set the tone that at the company, personal and professional growth is expected and performance is rewarded.

The Trouble Tree

All need one trouble tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old house, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

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When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.

THIS ONE IS WORTH SENDING ON.  AS
We all need a Tree!.

(read this story somewhere, thought of sharing with you)

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Cherish It

WHERE YOUR LIFE STAND HERE ON EARTH

(Translated from the Chinese).

Because none of us have many years to live, and we can’t take along anything when we go, so we don’t have to be too thrifty…

FUTURISTIC-ARCHITECTURE 

Spend the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed, donate what you are able to donate, but don’t leave all to your children or grandchildren, for you don’t want them to become parasites who are waiting for the day you will die!!

Don’t worry about what will happen after we are gone, because when we return to dust, we will feel nothing about praises or criticisms. The time to enjoy the worldly life and your hard earned wealth will be over!

Don’t worry too much about your children, for children will have their own destiny and should find their own way. Don’t be your children’s slave. Care for them, love them, give them gifts but also enjoy your money while you can. Life should have more to it than working from the cradle to the grave!!

Don’t expect too much from your children. Caring children, though caring, would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render much help.

Uncaring children may fight over your assets even when you are still alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your properties and wealth.

Your children take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth; but that you have no claims to their money.

50-year old like you, don’t trade in your health for wealth by working yourself to an early grave anymore… Because your money may not be able to buy your health…

When to stop making money, and how much is enough ( hundred thousands, million, ten million )?

Out of thousand hectares of good farm land, you can consume only three quarts (of rice) daily; out of a thousand mansions, you only need eight square meters of space to rest at night.

So, as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is good enough. You should live happily. Every family has its own problems. Just do not compare with others for fame and social status and see whose children are doing better, etc., but challenge others for happiness, health, enjoyment, quality of life and longevity…

Don’t worry about things that you can’t change because it doesn’t help and it may spoil your health.

You have to create your own well-being and find your own place of happiness. As long as you are in good mood and good health, think about happy things, do happy things daily and have fun in doing, then you will pass your time happily every day.

One day passes without happiness, you will lose one day.
One day passes with happiness, and then you gain one day.

In good spirit, sickness will cure; in a happy spirit, sickness will cure faster; in high and happy spirits; sickness will never come.

With good mood, suitable amount of exercise, always in the sun, variety of foods, reasonable amount of vitamin and mineral intake, hopefully you will live another 20 or 30 years of healthy life of pleasure.

Above all, learn to cherish the goodness around… and FRIENDS… They all make you feel young and “wanted”… without them you are surely to feel lost!!

Wishing you all the best.

Please share this with all your friends who are 50 plus and those who will be 50 plus after some time.
“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away. Goodreads:

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How to Engage Employees

--> One of today's hot topics is employee engagement.  Here are some excellent business reasons to get everyone working to their full potential: 

An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.Bob Nelson 

We were asked in Jan.2012 by one of our client to take in-depth look at employee engagement and to report on its potential benefits for both company and individual employees. The client encouraged us to examine in particular whether a wider take up of engagement approaches could impact positively.

image-optimization-Dilbert

In the course of last 24 months, we have seen where performances and profitability of the company have been transformed by the employee engagement program. We have witnessed in our studies which show a clear correlation between engagement and performance – and most importantly between improving engagement and improving performance. Today we are putting this practice in more than a dozen clients.

Engagement, going to the heart of the workplace relationship between employee and employer, can be a key to unlocking productivity and to transforming the working lives of many people for whom Monday morning is an especially low point of the week. 
Employee Engagement – What, why and how

How employees behave at work can make the crucial difference between business and operational success or failure along with enough cash, clear strategy is vital.

Engaged organisations have strong and authentic values, with clear evidence of trust and fairness based on mutual respect, where two way promises and commitments – between employers and staff – are understood, and are fulfilled.

What we thought simple at first turned out be tough task. There is not a single  agreed definition of employee engagement – during the course of this review we have come across more than many definitions; many of them rejected and some of them agreed. What we have learned there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and no master model for successful.

These four enablers of engagement have proved to be useful lenses which can help organisations assess the effectiveness of their approaches.

Despite there being some debate about the precise meaning of employee engagement there are three things we know about it: it is measurable; it can be correlated with performance; and it varies from poor to great. Most importantly employers can do a great deal to impact on people’s level of engagement. That is what makes it so important, as a tool for business success. 

·     There is employee voice throughout the organisations, for reinforcing and challenging views, between functions and externally, employees are seen as central to the solution.

·     A positive attitude held by the employee towards the organisation and its values. An engaged employee is aware of the business context and works with colleagues to improve performance.

·     There is organisational integrity – the values on the wall are reflected in a day  behaviors. There is no ‘say-do’ gap.

·     In particular, engagement is two way; organisations must work to engage the employee who in turn has a choice about the level of engagement to offer the employer. Each reinforces the other. 

Incorporate-2

As the team begins to work together, they move into the “storming” stage. This sage is not avoidable. Storming often starts where there is conflict between team members’ natural working styles. It is for sure, especially a new team who has never worked together before.

Storming can also happen in other situations. Where a team member may challenge your authority or there is no definite clarity about the way team will work or couple of team members compete with each for status and acceptance.

The team leader needs to be adept at facilitating the team through this state- ensuring the team members learn to listen to each other and respect their difference and ideas. The leaders have to guide them to learn two important things. As the team start moving the leader has to guide them to work together, and function both independently and together as a team.

courtesy:Dilbert corporate cartoons

Some teams sometimes do not move beyond this sage and entire project is spent in conflict and low morale and motivation, making it difficult to get the project completed. The cause of the problem is professionally immature team member of members.

You can read the first part over here. Forming

Employee Retention Plans

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As a manager or leader, do you let your people assume more responsibility when they are able? Do you know when that is, or do you keep telling yourself that they aren’t ready yet? Don't put yourself life Asbestos Lawyers, roofing for your employees.

Employee empowerment has been defined in many ways but generally means the process of allowing employees to have input and control over their work, and the ability to openly share suggestions and ideas about their work and the organization as a whole. Empowered employees are committed, loyal and conscientious. They are eager to share ideas and can serve as strong ambassadors for their organizations.

Often the leadership has not done their part to empower the employees or, worse, has gotten in the way through micro-management.  Not all Managers/Leaders have selfish intentions or poor skills; many simply haven't had the training, time or focus to create an environment of empowerment.

Employee empowerment is allowing individuals, or groups of employees, to make their own decisions on daily job functions without needing approval from upper management. Supervisors that run small work groups and make their own operational decisions are an example of employee empowerment. Before implementing an empowerment program, you should understand the positive and negative consequences of employee empowerment.

Consequences of Employee Empowerment:

 

Employees that are allowed to make their own daily operating decisions can alter the way their jobs are performed to create a more efficient workplace.

 

Work groups that are empowered to reach their performance goals without having to report to management on a regular basis learn to benefit from each others' skill sets.

One of the negative consequences Empowered employees and work groups can feel as though they no longer need to take direction from management. This creates a company consisting of individuals or work groups achieving their own goals without much direction from the company.

Ask others to "drive for a while. 

Following are a few things leaders can do to build an environment that empowers people.

Give power to those who have demonstrated the capacity to handle the responsibility.

Create a favorable environment in which people are encouraged to grow their skills.

Don’t second-guess others’ decisions and ideas unless it’s absolutely necessary. This only undermines their confidence and keeps them from sharing future ideas with you.

Give people discretion and autonomy over their tasks and resources.

  

Successful leaders and managers today are willing to exercise their leadership in such a way that their people are empowered to make decisions, share information, and try new things. Most employees (future leaders) see the value in finding empowerment and are willing to take on the responsibilities that come with it. If future leaders have the wisdom to learn from the experience of present leaders, and if present leaders have the wisdom to build an environment that empowers people, both will share in the benefits. You insurance cover for their upward movement, will benefit them with good compensation. 

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