Becoming An Inspiring Manager

I was talking with a gentleman the other day from a local business and he told me that he wished his manager would see the good things that he and the other staff members did instead of always telling them what more they needed to do.

He said that he had never heard his manager say anything inspiring to anyone at work that would make them want to do a better job, not that they did poor jobs now.

My first thought was “how did this person get into a management position” and my second thought was “how sad to work in such a down environment.”  Is inspiring your staff that hard to do?

When  you think of the question of “how do I inspire my staff?” it can be a pretty overwhelming thought.  Especially when you think, how do I keep it up?  Actually there are some very simple things you can do to inspire those you work with so they want to go the extra mile.

Start with keeping communication open, your staff wants to be able to talk to you without feeling fearful or that you do not care.  When people are allowed to have open communication with their bosses or supervisors they feel good about being at work with them.

Encourage your staff to share ideas and when they do, let them try some ideas that they come up with.  Of course you would not want to let them do anything that is high-risk, but possibly they see changes that can be made that will be successful and make tasks easier for them.

Being the leader you need to communicate the BIG picture of what the business goal is and what part they play in it.  This way they can understand their purpose better, then ask them what they think and then listen.

Lastly make sure you take time to appreciate each one at the end of each day with lots of “thank yous” and “good job today”, let them know if they did anything that was up and beyond that impressed you.

Communicating better, giving thanks and praise makes everyone feel good about what they are doing and it makes them want to come back and do it again tomorrow.

8/15/14