Effective leaders give their people, an overview of the full picture and what the company is trying to achieve. Then, they work with each person to establish individual goals that will meet or exceed the corporate objectives.
Every goal must be specific and detailed, then, your people can visualise its outcome. Make the goal important to the person who is responsible for achieving it, if not, they may lose interest, particularly if it is a longer term objective.
Goals should have a good chance of being achievable while still challenging the individual to push themselves beyond their existing comfort zone. Each goal must be relevant to the main objective of the organisation and relevant to the overall success of the company.
Set a time frame and deadline for each goal and ensure the deadline is realistic but, at the same time, challenging.
Work with your people to help them determine the goals that would be most appropriate for their development and growth and work with them to develop the appropriate action steps to achieve these goals and you will see a noticeable improvement in their performance.
Communicate and tell your people what is happening, people are hungry for information and from my experience, can be trusted with company details. Unfortunately, too many corporations and their middle managers feel that people should only be given information that is relevant to their specific job.
Keep them aware of the progress you are making in achieving your goals, people are naturally curious and want to know how they are doing. Do not reveal confidential information, but share information about the overall status of the company.
Regular update meetings, email correspondence, broadcast voice mails are just some of the ways you can communicate with your people. Another effective method is through casual discussions.
Communication must be clear and concise, employees want to know where they stand and, all but a few, want to do a good job. They want to know how, you, as their leader, view their performance. That's why it is critical that you give them direction and feedback on a regular basis.
Experience has taught me that people will work harder for someone who praises them and recognises the effort they put into their work. Acknowledge their energy and performance, their effort and commitment, how hard they worked and how involved they were with it.
Your people have a lot of knowledge and information and can often contribute valuable suggestions to improve the business. If you really want to create a team of highly motivated people take the time to listen to their comments and ideas.
Foster an environment that encourages the open sharing of information. Great leaders are always open to new ideas and methods of improving business and some of the best ideas come from the customer facing employees.
This last point is the most important. If you want a highly motivated team, then you must lead by setting the example. You must demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, team cooperation, honesty, integrity and commitment.
Treat people with respect and dignity, give them the tools to excel, grow and develop and encourage them to participate and get involved. Ask them for feedback, listen to their comments, and act on suggestions that will help your business succeed.
Set and communicate high standards, provide positive reinforcement when your people perform and involve them. You will soon see a motivated team that will do almost anything to help you succeed.
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