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.
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.
Many leaders are out of touch and disconnected from their employees, focusing solely on their own personal agendas.
This is most evident in leaders that still try to use a
“one-size-fits-all” approach to earn trust, build loyalty and stimulate
team and individual performance.
Leaders must understand that in today’s new workplace, there does not
exist a single recipe to encourage employees to perform better.
Rather, it’s 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.
1. Solving, Not Just Selling
Stop selling your employees about why they need to perform better.
Explain why their contributions help solve problems and contribute to
the company’s advancement. Employees are more inclined to step up their
game when they know their work can add-value to the healthier whole.
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. Inspire performance by connecting the dots of
your employees’ efforts.
It’s not only about what you are trying to sell, but also what the team is able to solve along the way.
2. Purpose, Not Just Profit
Employees are inspired by knowing that their hard work makes a
difference beyond profitability. Employees want leaders who see beyond
the obvious and look to create wider reaching impact that extends into
the community and influences social causes.
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. Founder Ingvar
Kamprad and his IKEA executives immediately took action, addressing the
problem from within and taking all steps necessary to ensure that an IKEA product
never 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 UNICEF
to 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’s Carpet Belt, an area with a population in
excess of 1.3 million.
3. Know the Ingredients, Not Just the Recipe
The secret recipe to inspiring employees is to know the “ingredients”
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. The best leaders and coaches
always do.
When you spend time with your employees, make it matter. Don’t just
expect your time and title to inspire them. Employees want a leader
that pays attention and genuinely cares about them.
Great leaders take the time to know the ingredients before they can
create the best recipe for success. Employees are most inspired when a
leader takes the time to know them and show that they have their best
interests at heart.
Leaders that know how to prepare thousands of recipes are those who
continually make the ingredients better – and keep them from spoiling.
4. Learning, Not Just Lecturing
Employees are tired of being told what to do. They are eager to
learn and remain relevant. But they find it difficult to be inspired
by leaders who only inflict fear. In today’s fast-paced world, people
don’t have time for lectures; they want continuous coaching and leaders
that are paying attention. Eager to grow, they want objective
feedback.
Simplify the process. Don’t exhaust your employees through
complexity and buzz-words. People seek direction that is too the
point. Remember, most 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. Be a great teacher, but quickly shift into
facilitator mode. People are inspired when given the opportunity to
learn how to do new things. Stop lecturing and start teaching.
5. Innovation, Not Just Ideation
Employees want to create impact. Allow them to be part of the innovation-based projects in your company by letting them get their hands dirty. Ideation is important, but being
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.
Additionally, provide your employees the resources to be innovative
in their work. Stay close enough to your employees’ activities to know
the 2 or 3 tools and/or resources that each would require to take
their performance to the next level.
When given the right tools and resources, the best employees will
instinctively challenge themselves to be more innovative in their work –
and will perform better. That is why incentives inspire performance –
but remember that money alone is not the sustainable answer. Focus on
giving your employees the opportunities to elevate their individual value while serving the needs of the company.
Allow innovation to inspire performance.
6. Significance, Not Just Success
Helping your employees to be successful is important, but not
inspiring enough in itself. 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 – and has longer lasting
impact.
The next time you conduct an employee performance review, evaluate
each performance in two areas: success and significance. Let’s say
that “sales” is a performance category – and your employee has performed
at 90% of plan. That’s good. After you discuss what is required to
reach 100% of plan, measure the significance of the sales generated.
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. You never know the
significance of someone’s performance until you measure it; and when you
do, it’s an effective way to inspire even greater performance.
7. Ownership, Not Just Accountability
Enforcing accountability is a key component to sustaining performance
momentum. However, when you can give your employees “ownership” in the
process of defining how accountability is enforced – you inspire trust
and a desire to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Giving your employees ownership means that you have shared and
entrust them with your authority. You are now allowing your employees
to “call the shots” based on what they believe is in the best interest
of the team and the organization. For 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. 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’s performance long-term. Again, this is a
great way to learn more about “the ingredients” as noted in point #3.
8. Respect, Not Just Recognition
Beyond appreciation and praise, show your respect and admiration for
the work of your employees. While people want to know they are
respected, you must establish the ground rules for how respect is
earned.
There are too many recognition addicts
in the workplace. 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.
But this attitude puts our long-term careers in danger.
Unfortunately, too many people want recognition because they forgot the significantly greater value of earning respect.
Re-train your employees about the importance of respect and lead them
in how to earn it. When they see the greater impact respect delivers,
they will be inspired by your example.
9. Personal Growth, Not Just Responsibility
Historically, leaders have used “increased responsibility” 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. Leaders must take more
time to mentor and / or guide their employee’s development and growth.
Encourage networking opportunities and performance development
forums. If the budget gets cut,– put your money where your mouth is.
For example, purchase copies of a book that you believe will help your
employees advance and grow in their work.
Phil Jackson, former basketball coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, has won 11 NBA championships – the most in history. Jackson became known for giving each one of his players a specific book that would help the player be a better teammate, decision-maker, leader, etc. on the basketball court.
10. Trust, Not Just Transparency
Ultimately, it is a relationship based on trust that inspires
employees to perform. When you are mindful of managing and
concurrently implementing points #1 – #9 this will certainly jump-start
your ability to earn trust with your employees and inspire their
performance. When you trust someone, you believe in them. People are
inspired when they know that their leaders believe in their capabilities
to deliver.
As a young executive, I had a boss that I trusted, not only because he was transparent with me – but more importantly because he believed in me. He created an environment that helped me grow and prosper. For example, he assigned the most significant corporate growth strategies to my team and me. This level of trust inspired us to perform not only for the sake of seizing the unique opportunity that was given to us – but equally to prove to those above my boss that it was the right decision for the organization. We 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 – and not to let him down.
As a young executive, I had a boss that I trusted, not only because he was transparent with me – but more importantly because he believed in me. He created an environment that helped me grow and prosper. For example, he assigned the most significant corporate growth strategies to my team and me. This level of trust inspired us to perform not only for the sake of seizing the unique opportunity that was given to us – but equally to prove to those above my boss that it was the right decision for the organization. We 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 – and not to let him down.
Inspiring employees to optimally perform requires a leader who can
see beyond the obvious in people. Inspiration comes not from something
that you turn on and off, but rather from constant behavior –
triggered through multiple ways – that makes your employees feel that
they matter and that you genuinely care.
By Glenn Llopis
