Getting Fired Up!

“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another. It is the only means.” Albert Einstein

We’re all feeling a little beaten down by the recent economic conditions. With hiring freezes many have been doing the job of 2 people with little reward. So, now it’s more important than ever to get your team fired up. Rather than just going through the motions, ensure your team is engaged in their work and delivering that value added component. Here are a few ideas:

1.Set an example – bosses have always expected a lot from their employees and, in today’s day and age, employees are expecting a lot from their bosses. If you want your staff to work harder then step it up a notch yourself. If you want them to be engaged, ensure that you’re engaged.
2.Be accessible – today’s workers value face time. Consider moving your office to a more visible position. This encourages more casual exchanges and fewer barriers. You might be surprised how much you can learn about your people and your business!
3.Communicate – many staff are craving to know that their work matters. So spend the time to sit down with your employees and fill them in on the big picture and how their roles fit into it.
4.Challenge your staff – tap into the intellectual curiosity of your staff by engaging them in business problems and offering incentives for good ideas.
5.Give staff flexibility – give your team some freedom to achieve desired goals using their own approaches. Some of them might be motivated differently.
6.Recognize and Reward – Rewards don’t have to be in cash. Consider more creative options, like a day off, flexible work schedule, team breakfast or a simple thank you.

Now might be the time to pull your team together and give a rousing speech announcing the optimistic outlook on growth and reassuring employees that their hard work during the downturn has not gone unnoticed. If you can engage your staff to have the same passion as yourself and give them the opportunities, they might contribute to your dream and make it better – even better than you ever thought it could be.

6 Responses to “ Getting Fired Up! ”

1. Paul Andrews
   
   Said on February 19th, 2010 at 2:17 pm

   Challenging staff is my biggest problem. I’d like to get some more in depth advise on this please!

2. Nicole Welsh
   
   Said on February 20th, 2010 at 10:50 am

   I also believe that challenging staff is the most difficult. Working under a boss who is unable to give me anything of the above but still what I expect from his is some challenging work so that I enjoy my time in office. After the day gets over and I look back, I expect myself to involve in some brainstorming over the day.

3. Adrian Swinscoe
   
   Said on February 21st, 2010 at 5:47 pm

   Hi Stefan,

   Great post. Thanks for that.

   Do you think that offering incentives for good ideas work. Do you not think that listening, involving and, possibly, implementing ideas from team members is, often, enough to increase motivation and productivity?

   Adrian

4. Liz
   
   Said on February 22nd, 2010 at 12:56 am

   Number 1 was my best strategy for getting the most response from employees. If people don’t see that you are willing to practice what you preach you’re going to be in trouble. when I was managing people I learned fast that setting an example got the most response and number 4 helped keep people fired up. Nice post.

5. Mick Johnson
   
   Said on February 23rd, 2010 at 5:51 pm

   As an ex senior manager in large organisations(before stepping into the lucrative world of consultancy!!) I found that one of the most valuable tools is to actually get involved with the work that your staff are doing. I don’t just mean a token half hour which is always seen as a ‘management ploy’, but really get into what they do. If workload piles up, just get in and do some of the work yourself, for as long as it takes – the respect it gains you from your staff is incredible.

6. Louise
   
   Said on May 13th, 2010 at 5:01 pm

   Hi, great ideas thank-you, I think no.6 is the best advice as being appreciated for your effort is very important. I will be back soon, thank-you.

Leave a Reply

I would love to hear from you, please let me know what your take on my blog post is. In order to stop spam on my blog and increase conversations, I had to implement some simple rules:

1. Please enter your real name, not your company, product or service's name.
2. If you enter your URL, your name will become a link to the URL.
3. We may send you a confirmation email to check you are a real person

We are sorry but any violation of the above rules will mean an automatic removal of your comment.