Employee motivation—again!

Yesterday's paper contained a report on yet another study, this time by Robert Half International, that says people are motivated by recognition. The study polled 972 professionals in the marketing and advertising fields, and 76% said they were motivated to work harder and be more productive because their companies were good at recognizing their achievements. They said they were motivated by public praise and time off for extra effort just as much as by money.

What surprises me is that companies are still surprised by this! The same results come up in study after study, and yet many people still switch companies because they don't feel valued. What does it take to get companies to understand and act on this informaion?

As a manager, you don't need to rely on some official company procedure on this—fortunately! All you have to do is pay attention to your people. When someone makes an extra effort to finish a project against a tight deadline, thank them for a job well done and make sure they get credit for their efforts. Even small things can make operations run more smoothly and productively, so give a word of thanks at every opportunity. It's over twenty years since Ken Blanchard told us in "The One Minute Manager" to catch someone doing something right and thank them—the advice is even more important today.

Try it today!

Meetings, Meetings and More Meetings!

As a manager, you have to hold and conduct meetings. There's no choice, because meetings are necessary under some circumstances. Too often, though, we call a meeting as a kneejerk reaction to something that happens. But sometimes we could deal with the issue without all the disruption caused by bringing people together for a meeting. So Helen's number one rule for meaningful meetings is:

Call only necessary meetings.

Could a series of phone calls, an e-mail or a memo serve the same purpose? Could you just walk down the hall and have a quick chat with someone and solve the problem without a full-blown meeting?

Are you calling a meeting for Monday morning because you always meet on Monday morning? That's a stupid reason for dragging people away from their offices to sit around a table and talk. In later posts I'll give you some tips to eliminate unnecessary regular meetings and, if you must hold them, to make them more effective.

Develop a reputation for calling meetings only when necessary, and people will be more willing to devote their time to them.

For more on "Helen's 9 Rules for Meaningful Meetings", visit http://www.mhwcom.com/pages/messrecundbook.html and read about "Message Received and Understood!"

Do you LOOK like a manager?

Image, appearance, visual presentation—whatever you call is—is important to your management career. Some say we make up our minds about people within six seconds of meeting them. Obviously, these fast impressions are superficial, but if they are having such an immediate impact then surely it is worth managing them.

When you go to work every day, what does your appearance say about you? The gradual loosening of the rules around how we dress for work has been welcomed by most, but many have shown lack of judgement in how they apply the new styles. What is "business casual" anyway? It's openness to interpretation is what causes the problem. A great deal depends on the culture of your organization, what type of business you are in, your geographic location and whether it is a city or small town, and whether or not you meet personally with clients.

Take a look at how the senior executives in your organization present themselves, and consider how you might emulate them. If he always wears a jacket to meetings, don't show up in shirtsleeves; if she wears a smart pantsuit while others show up in jeans, veer towards her style. People relate to others who are like them—and your appearance is an important first step. In response to a survey I did on the subject of business casual dress, one woman said she liked to stay fairly formal because, as she said,"I'm young and pretty. It's hard enough to be taken seriously, and if I show up in jeans and a teeshirt I don't stand a chance." Is your appearance sabotaging your professional presence as a manager?

A word of praise works wonders

A friend was complaining to me about the many troubles in her workplace. She finished by saying, "I could put up with all this other stuff if my boss would only once in a while let me know he appreciates my hard work!"

Don't be one of those managers who comment only when they have a complaint about a worker, and never give a word of thanks for a job well done. It sounds so obvious, and we read this advice everywhere, but it seems too many managers haven't got the message yet.

Try thanking your people often, whether for some special effort they made to get a project finished on time, or just for generally doing a good job for the company. It needn't be flashy, but just a thank-you and a smile. Try it - you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes in everyone's attitude, work habits and the environment around you.