More and more people feel stuck at work and are looking for validation. Not only do they want to be heard, but more importantly they want to know that their contributions are being noticed and not taken for granted. Not for the sake of attention, but more so because they want to know that their skill sets are still relevant and useful and that they are making a difference to advance the organizations they serve. With professional development budget cut-backs in recent years, employees have had to start investing in themselves as concerns grow about where their capabilities best fit in their organizations and what their futures hold.<\/p>\n
At the same time, leaders are trying to make their employees feel more secure in order to keep the ship afloat, aware that if too much disruption leaks out into the workplace, there is risk of losing top-talent which is difficult and costly to replace. In this ever changing workplace terrain, leaders need to think differently about how to keep their teams on track. They must become more intuitive; diverting from the traditional ways of leading that have become too predictable and uninspiring.<\/p>\n
Many leaders<\/strong> are out of touch and disconnected from their employees, focusing solely on their own\u00a0personal agendas. This is most evident in leaders that still try to use a \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d approach to earn trust, build loyalty and stimulate team and individual performance.<\/p>\n Leaders must understand that in today\u2019s new workplace, there does not exist a single recipe to encourage employees to perform better. Rather, it\u2019s about how to maximize the ingredients in order to create hundreds of recipes that are customized and authentic; that provide long-term continuity and impact. To get you started, here are ten ways to inspire teams to optimally perform.<\/p>\n Stop selling your employees<\/strong> about why they need to perform better. Explain why their contributions help solve problems and contribute to the company\u2019s advancement.\u00a0 Employees are more inclined to step up their game when they know their work can add-value to the healthier whole.<\/p>\n For example, I would always show my team the outcome of their collected efforts. We would go to the manufacturing plant and watch a new product on the production line or to the stores to see new label designs on the shelves.\u00a0\u00a0 Inspire performance by connecting the dots of your employees\u2019 efforts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not only about what you are trying to sell, but also what the team is able to solve along the way.<\/p>\n Employees are inspired by knowing that their hard work\u00a0makes a difference beyond profitability. Employees want leaders<\/strong> who see beyond the obvious and look to create wider reaching impact that extends into the community and influences social causes.<\/p>\n Look what IKEA did in 1995, after they discovered that some of the factories that manufactured and sold carpets to IKEA were exploiting child labor.\u00a0 Founder Ingvar Kamprad and his IKEA executives immediately took action, addressing the problem from within and taking all steps necessary to ensure that an\u00a0IKEA product\u00a0never again would be created by manufacturers that exploited children. IKEA then solidified its commitment to eradicate the problem at its root. The company partnered with\u00a0UNICEF\u00a0to create a program to help prevent child labor by changing the conditions that lead to child labor in the first place, namely: poverty, hunger, and illiteracy. Today, this same program serves more than five hundred villages in India\u2019s Carpet Belt, an area with a population in excess of 1.3 million.<\/p>\n The secret recipe to inspiring employees is to know the \u201cingredients\u201d of the people you are inspiring. People want to know that their leaders understand their tendencies, aptitudes and behaviors well-enough to best work with and motivate them.\u00a0\u00a0 The best leaders and coaches always do.<\/p>\n When you spend time with your employees, make it matter.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t just expect your time and title to inspire them.\u00a0Employees want a leader that pays attention and genuinely cares about them.<\/p>\n Great leaders take the time to know the ingredients before they can create the best recipe for success.\u00a0Employees are most inspired when a leader takes the time to know them and show that they have their best interests at heart.<\/p>\n Leaders that know how to prepare thousands of recipes are those who continually make the ingredients better \u2013 and keep them from spoiling.<\/p>\n Employees are tired of being told what to do.\u00a0They are eager to learn and remain relevant.\u00a0\u00a0 But they find it difficult to be inspired by leaders who only inflict fear.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In today\u2019s fast-paced world, people don\u2019t have time for lectures; they want continuous coaching and leaders that are paying attention.\u00a0 Eager to grow, they want objective feedback.<\/p>\n Simplify the process.\u00a0 Don\u2019t exhaust your employees through complexity and buzz-words.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 People seek direction that is too the point.\u00a0 Remember,\u00a0most people have mastered the art of execution. Let your employee do their jobs well by providing the right tools and support to make them better at carrying out their roles & responsibilities.\u00a0 Be a great teacher, but quickly shift into facilitator mode.\u00a0\u00a0 People are inspired when given the opportunity to learn how to do new things. Stop lecturing and start teaching.<\/p>\n Employees want to create impact. Allow them to be part of the innovation-based projects in your company by\u00a0letting them get their hands dirty. Ideation is important, but\u00a0being part of implementing the ideas that come to life can be a more exciting and meaningful growth opportunity for your employees that will inspire them to perform.<\/p>\n Additionally, provide your employees the resources to be innovative in their work. Stay close enough to your employees\u2019 activities to know the 2 or 3 tools\u00a0and\/or resources that\u00a0 each would require to take their performance to the next level.<\/p>\n When given the right tools and resources, the best employees will instinctively challenge themselves to be more innovative in their work \u2013 and will perform better. That is why incentives inspire performance \u2013 but remember that money alone is not the sustainable answer. Focus on giving your employees the opportunities to\u00a0elevate their individual value\u00a0while serving the needs of the company.<\/p>\n Allow innovation to inspire performance.<\/p>\n Helping your employees to be successful is important, but not inspiring enough in itself.\u00a0 People want much more out of their leaders and if you can activate the natural talents of your employees in ways that make them feel more responsible about their jobs, you will be inspiring something that is more significant \u2013 and has longer lasting impact.<\/p>\n The next time you conduct an employee performance review, evaluate each performance in two areas:\u00a0 success and significance. Let\u2019s say that \u201csales\u201d is a performance category \u2013 and your employee has performed at 90% of plan.\u00a0 That\u2019s good.\u00a0\u00a0 After you discuss what is required to reach 100% of plan, measure the significance of the sales generated.\u00a0 For example, perhaps reaching 90% of plan generated enough revenue to hire 5 more people or contributed to a particular community outreach plan as a result of a local market push.\u00a0 You never know the significance of someone\u2019s performance until you measure it; and when you do, it\u2019s an effective way to inspire even greater performance.<\/p>\n Enforcing accountability is a key component to sustaining performance momentum. However, when you can give your employees \u201cownership\u201d in the process of defining how accountability is enforced \u2013 you inspire trust and a desire to go above and beyond the call of duty.<\/p>\n Giving your employees ownership means that you have shared and entrust them with your authority.\u00a0\u00a0 You are now allowing your employees to \u201ccall the shots\u201d based on what they believe is in the best interest of the team and the organization. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For example, create a special project and allow an employee to take ownership of it. Outline your expectations for the end-result, but allow him or her to take charge of the project.\u00a0 Agree to meet once-a-week and observe the change in attitude and desire to perform. Use the results and what you learned along the way about the employee as a means to customize your approach to best inspire that employee\u2019s performance long-term. Again, this is a great way to learn more about \u201cthe ingredients\u201d as noted in point #3.<\/p>\n Beyond appreciation and praise, show your respect and admiration for the work of your employees.\u00a0 While people want to know they are respected, you must establish the ground rules for how respect is earned.<\/p>\n There are\u00a0too many\u00a0recognition addicts<\/em>\u00a0in the workplace.\u00a0 In a world of fierce competition, we have come to believe we are our own best allies. We believe we must rely only on ourselves. We believe we can sell ourselves better than anyone else. \u00a0But this attitude puts our long-term careers in danger.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, too many people want recognition because they forgot the\u00a0significantly greater value of earning respect. Re-train your employees about the importance of respect and lead them in how to earn it.\u00a0 When they see the greater impact respect delivers, they will be inspired by your example.<\/p>\n Historically, leaders have used \u201cincreased responsibility\u201d to inspire performance. While this approach may still have merit, it is when a leader can help foster the professional growth and development of their employees that performance most flourishes.\u00a0Leaders must take more time to mentor and \/ or guide their employee\u2019s development and growth.<\/p>\n Encourage networking opportunities and performance development forums. If the budget gets cut,\u2013 put your money where your mouth is.\u00a0 For example, purchase copies of a book that you believe will help your employees advance and grow in their work.<\/p>\n Phil Jackson, former basketball coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, has won 11 NBA championships \u2013 the most in history.\u00a0Jackson became known for giving each one of his players a specific book\u00a0that would help the player be a better teammate, decision-maker, leader, etc. on the basketball court.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it is a relationship<\/strong> based on trust that inspires employees to perform. When you are mindful of managing and concurrently implementing points #1 \u2013 #9 this will certainly jump-start your ability to earn trust with your employees and inspire their performance.\u00a0 When you trust someone, you believe in them. People are inspired when they know that their leaders believe in their capabilities to deliver.<\/p>\n As a young executive, I had a boss that I trusted, not only because he was transparent with me \u2013 but more importantly because he believed in me. He created an environment that helped me grow and prosper.\u00a0For example, he assigned the most significant corporate growth strategies to my team and me.\u00a0This level of trust inspired us to perform not only for the sake of seizing the unique opportunity that was given to us \u2013 but equally to prove to those above my boss that it was the right decision for the organization.\u00a0\u00a0We wanted our boss to earn respect and recognition for the bold decision he made to place such a significant amount of trust on the youngest leader and team in the organization \u2013 and not to let him down.<\/p>\n Inspiring employees to optimally perform requires a leader who can see beyond the obvious in people.\u00a0 Inspiration comes not from something that you turn on and off, but rather\u00a0\u00a0 from constant behavior \u2013 triggered through multiple ways \u2013 that makes your employees feel that they matter and that you genuinely care.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: Glenn Llopis<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>follow-him on Twitter\u00a0@GlennLlopis<\/a>;<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More and more people feel stuck at work and are looking for validation. 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Solving, Not Just Selling<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Purpose, Not Just Profit<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Know the Ingredients, Not Just the Recipe<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Learning, Not Just Lecturing<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Innovation, Not Just Ideation<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Significance, Not Just Success<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Ownership, Not Just Accountability<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Respect, Not Just Recognition<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Personal Growth, Not Just Responsibility<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Trust, Not Just Transparency<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n