Welcome to issue #19 of Pondering Leadership: A Deliberate and Thoughtful, Yet Informal Look at Leading and Managing. In last week’s issue, I covered volunteer leadership opportunities as a way to add skills to your bag o’ tricks. I hope you get as much out of your volunteer leadership roles as I have. This week, I am writing about motivating staff.
Yes, people are paid to do their jobs, but work should not be drudgery. Hopefully, most people are fine in their jobs and enjoy their work, at least most of the time. But, even those of us who really love what we do need some motivation once in a while. Here are some ways I try to keep my staff motivated.
Happy Staff/Happy Customers
I always say, “Happy staff makes happy customers.” I try to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels heard, everyone is comfortable with their work situation and not uncomfortable in their work situation. If people are comfortable speaking up when they have concerns, we can address them early and try to avoid situations spinning out of control.
Thank You
I am really big on showing my appreciation. I am constantly thanking people for their time, for their ideas, for their contribution, etc. I do not thank people for doing what they are supposed to be doing. That is disingenuous. But I do appreciate an innovative idea or an assist when solving a problem. And, after meetings, I like to thank people for their time. I like to create a culture where people feel appreciated and appreciate each other.
Give Staff a Say
I give my staff an opportunity for input as much as possible. I am certainly more motivated when I have a say in what I am doing. As a manager, I set the direction but often give staff a say in our goals and how we accomplish our goals. As long as we meet our goals, the way we get there is not important. When a person is asked for input, they take ownership of their work, which is extremely motivating. Not gonna lie, I love turning decisions over to my staff when I do not care about the answer. Where should we have our holiday party? Where should we order food from for our all day in service meeting? How should we arrange the items on a shared service desk? Fortunately, these are plans that staff often REALLY care about and are happy to take over.
Stretch Tasks
When I have had strong performers who wanted to learn, grow and advance, I have happily assigned them some items from my to do list. When I was directing a unit of local government, I wanted to write a welcome letter to new customers. I had not had the time to sit down and think about what to include, let alone actually write the thing. I did not work directly with the customers, so I needed input from staff. I decided to pass that task to two staffers who were working the service desk the upcoming weekend. With very little direction, they spent Saturday writing their letters and Sunday working together to combine them. It was a really good. I simply added a few things I knew I wanted to include and I had my welcome letter. The next time they both worked a weekend, they asked for another assignment. It was a win win for all of us.
Which Direction Should I Face My Desk?
When I have managed staff who worked in a work room and not on a service desk, I gave them the option of rearranging the workroom however they wanted, as long as it was ADA compliant. I suggested they check the storage room for furniture not being used and go to town on making over their work room. I mean, why not? They have to sit at those desks looking at the same windowless view all day. They put some real effort into the project. They found some shelves in the storage room. Two people swapped desks. They turned them in different directions. They really made it their own. I told them to even paint the walls if they wanted, but they opted to pass on that. It was fun seeing them use their creativity to make the space their own, as much as a workspace can be, anyway.
Your Turn…
Let me know what you think! What has worked for you to motivate your staff? You can comment in Discussion.
Thank you for reading issue #19 of Pondering Leadership. I hope to see you next Thursday afternoon for issue #20 where I will write about some of my favorite reading/viewing recommendations on leadership and management.
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