Best Strength

I decided to take a walk at my local park. It’s a great workout about a half mile loop around a paved path that has steep hills. I wasn’t running but I was walking at a very brisk pace. A man who I did not know was running the path in the opposite direction. On the first lap passing me he said to me “good job!” I wondered to myself why is this man talking to me? I don’t know him. On the second lap he gave me a thumbs up signal and a smile. This was really something I thought- I guy who is a complete stranger is encouraging me on my walk! On the next lap he clapped for me. On the last lap I was so inspired I started running. I wanted to please my coach!

Think about it. All people need to feel good; to get and give energy, to have encouragement, appreciation and acknowledgement. So here is the big issue; many leaders don’t take the energy and time to provide any form of encouragement at all. None! Encouragemant as a tool can have great power. I want you to think about being the Head Motivator. Now you are saying to yourself- “here goes the motivational seminar stuff.” Nope. I am just saying that in a leadership role, your job is to get results. That is it. Results. So how do you get these great results?- through people.

So do you want to be effective as the Chief Encouragement Officer? Here are tips and techniques that can work really well in order to help you fullfill your new role.

Talk to people- I have been at company meetings several times and have watched a key executive walk into the room, walk by everyone and go across the room to speak to other executives. It was as if the “small people” weren’t worth addressing or acknowledging. Shocking and foolish. In my opinion this is a big strategic error and can and will create resentment. So when you are working daily or in one of your offices, do you take the time to say hello to people as you pass them? If not do you at least nod at them giving positive non verbal signals?

Applaud their work- I was once up upon a time an execuitve with a big company. If I saw someone performaing at a high level I would hand write a card (embossed with my name at the top) and would thank them for their great work. I would be on the road and visit an office and find that card that I wrote proudly displayed. So the lesson was that everyone wants some credit for their work, a thank you, or a pat on the back. Front line people often tell me they never get a compliment. So when people work really hard to do something ” over and above” the call of duty, make sure to notice and acknowledge it. When people do great work let them know!

Bees and honey- There is an old saying in the south “you attract bees with honey not vinegar.” It’s not a comment about bees it’s a comment about humans. It is easy to be critical really easy. Most people screw up alot. But the problem is these people already beat up on themselves on a regular basis. Why do we need to keep adding on to that? It is the big morale killer. It’s probably just being human but its not helping at all. As a leadership expert I encourage leaders to try and find a balance between the honey and the vinegar. In many cases there is no honey at all. So some balance- please!.

Give surprise rewards- Give people rewards when they least expect it. Find small ways to reward them. This can be a gift card, a few extra hours off, taking someone to lunch, or even buying the team a box of donuts in the morning. Just make sure it is when they least expect it and it is positioned as a reward. Say “well I just want you to know that I know how hard you have been working on the project. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Thanks.” Done properly it will be the discussion at dinner at home that night. “Hey guess what my boss did at work today? You will never believe it.”

The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.

So start this week- or even today. Why not?

Shawn Doyle is the kind of Motivational Speaker that people book over and over, and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn’s book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.

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