You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Motivation’ tag.
Which employees are you putting the most effort into? If you’re like most leaders, you end up putting a great deal of time into fixing problems with your struggling employees. You might be hoping that you can bring them up to a level of performance that is at least average.
This is a good intention, of course. Everybody is worthy of your support and leadership.
The problem is that some very important people are being neglected: Those who don’t create problems for you. These are typically your middle-to-top employees.
Why should you step in if they don’t need your help? I’m glad you asked.
These aren’t the folks who need you to solve problems for them. They’re doing that themselves, which is why you can count on them to deliver what you expect. Read the rest of this entry »
Your team is able to deliver much more than it does today. You yourself also have wonderful potential within you.
You probably see sparks of brilliance that come out now and then. But they seem so random! Making this a regular occurrence — even predictable — seems an insurmountable task.
It turns out that there are a number of useful things that help create the environment of sustainable productivity and creativity. But first you have to admit that everybody is different. What excites you is not the same as others on your team.
Each person has his or her own thinking, his or her own heart, his or her own desires. And don’t think that it’s good to just hire people who do think like you — that’s a recipe for disaster. That’s how you end up with an Enron. Read the rest of this entry »
A fundamental part of the Universal Human Experience is to search for meaning. We all look for significance, a deeper purpose for ourselves and what we love.
But what does that have to do with business?
The traditional view of work is that it’s what you do when you’re not living your life. You get a paycheck, which you can go out and spend on things that are enjoyable and what truly matters.
We’re moving from one year to the next. The counter is ticking over.
Why does it matter?
When I look back at my career and business growth, it’s clear that the most important times are directly linked to when I was intentional. I proposed to my girlfriend. I decided to write a book. I decided to go after the foreign service assignment. I changed my business model and joined up with Small Fish Business Coaching.
The good news? We paid off our mortgage last week!
What are YOU celebrating?
Has your business turned into a slog?
It’s real easy for that to happen, you know. You’re trying to make progress on a bazillion details, and there’s a new challenge every three minutes.
At the end of the day, it feels like you’re just spinning your wheels. Then you get to come back tomorrow and do it again.
And again.
It’s an exciting new year, fresh with possibilities. But if you just do what you did before, you’ll get the same result.
So what are you going to do different this year?
Getting toward the end of the year, it’s valuable to review progress for 2016 and look forward to what challenges we want to take on in 2017!
“You work for the customer. I don’t pay you. They do.”
—Jean-François Zobrist, CEO of FAVI
I came across this thought-provoking quote today, which referenced a 2012 article in Fast Company Magazine.
The article itself is how FAVI has created an extremely flat organization, and it’s well worth reading. But what got me thinking was the concept of: Management doesn’t pay you. Customers do.
I find that to be a startlingly clear way of communicating why we’re in business.
We’ve talked a lot about the mission of your business, and driving employee engagement from that.
It works the other way around, too!
Your employees have a broad range of interests: family, sports, social groups, hobbies, and so on. What do they have to do with job performance? Don’t they actually take time away from work?
Business Coaching Northern Colorado 