Okay, Boss…where

do you rate yourself?

     Where do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest) in motivational skills?

     You’re a business owner or manager. When’s the last time you put your brain in a blender and flipped it on “Puree”? (Er, never, I hope, but then you wouldn’t likely be reading this, right?) Well, here’s the point: what methods do you use to get people to sit up and pay attention? To jump? To dive in? To follow? 

     How aware are you of the fact that if your associates and employees have the same “take” on your business that you have from the control tower, they wouldn’t be associates and employees. They’d be running their own businesses, and maybe even competing. Sooooo, maybe it’s a good time to consider some new approaches.

     Let’s start by trying something you’re probably afraid to do (most entrepreneurs are): Tune in to other people’s sensitivities, and show them that you are aware of their feelings by directly or indirectly addressing them in the meetings you run, the directions you give, the requests you make, the emails you send, the phone discussions you have.

“I realize and appreciate that some of you may feel uncomfortable about having to share the burdens of this benefit plan reduction we’re making. I know because I am experiencing this cutback as well, but for now we all need to pull together in order to survive and grow. I fully understand the added stress this decision may put on you and your family and can assure you we will make some mid-air corrections at the first possible opportunity” is better than an announcement slip in the pay envelope!

     This is not to suggest you mollycoddle (I do love that word!) every employee sensitivity or cave in to every wimpy request. But it does mean that it’s important to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health of your organization to recognize and appreciate that leadership is often defined by one’s ability to relate to and mobilize others. The “relate to” part has to do with sensitivity.

     True leaders know their followers. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they play to the strengths. They know how and when to challenge, and how to get the most productive efforts from each because they start with sensitivity…and then apply detective skills.

     You cannot motivate others for maximum effectiveness without knowing what makes them “tick” and without knowing what their current needs are. A trophy or plaque means nothing to someone struggling to afford new tires. A cash bonus is meaningless to someone who’s just inherited a big bank account.

     It doesn’t take as much effort as you might think to stay in touch with what your peoples’ lives are all about, and you need not step off the deep end of socializing to know how to reward and challenge appropriately and productively. 

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      . . . I’m open to your input anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thank you for visiting. Good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

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