Acknowledge Your People- This is paramount. Studies show that acknowledgment is up there with renumeration. People want to feel good about what they are doing and feel like their time and efforts make a difference. The average person has their performance intertwined with their identity – always let people know what they are doing right.
Language- watch the language you use to be sure it is supportive and tailored to the person/group you are talking to. For example if I am delivering a workshop to a Wellness centre I may use Woo-woo terms like ‘Law of Attraction’, ‘The Universe’ – that same course delivered to a corporate crowd would be about ‘Thinking Resources’ and ‘quantum physics’, with a lot of scientific information to back it up. Essentially the same course, designed for people and how they listen to certain words and terminology. Using word that people don’t identify with or have strong opinions about can shut down there listening very quickly.
Communicate what you want- If sales are down the conversation should be about increasing sales and generating new leads – not around falling numbers and missed targets. Speak in a positive context about the results you WANT and you are much more likely to see your results. Have your employees looking for what is missing to make the results possible.
Focus on strength- This goes for life too. Focus on peoples strength and what IS working while providing resources to develop other areas.
Feedback- Feedback is direction. Give your staff feedback on what they are doing well. Any feedback on areas that need to be developed is best delivered by highlighting all the positive first and then mentioning the areas that need growth. Communicate it from a place of ‘what’s not working to get our result’, not good or bad – right or wrong. Give up drama and blame, people are doing their best.
Incentives- Financial or acknowledgment, people want to be recognized for their efforts.
Get Interested- Like it or not your employees work life will impact their home and vice versa – this cannot be avoided; we are dealing with human beings so one spills into the next. Be flexible and interested in them beyond their position. Employees that feel valued and understood are more likely to operate from integrity and also more likely to care about the ramifications of their actions.
Expect to be Impressed – There was a study done in the late sixties. In the name of research they divided two class rooms randomly and assigned two teachers. Mrs. brown and Mr. Blue.They told Mrs. Brown, she would be leading the gifted class and to expect them all to excel. They explained to the other teacher Mr. Blue, well, he had the students that just weren’t the brightest of young people. In reality, the groups were mixtures of struggling students and A students. The teachers new only what they were told. Gifted and Struggling. After a year the student in Mrs. Brown’s class were all well ahead of their curriculum. This includes students that were well below average before having her as a teacher. Mr. Blue on the other hand, had a class full of student struggling. – Including the student that were ‘A students prior to getting him as a teacher. They don’t do studies as such any longer and for good reason. But how you look at a person and what you expect has an influence beyond what we can thoroughly comprehend.
Ask peoples opinion- these people know your business, customers and products the best. Ask for feedback on what will improve you as a manager and what will make the most difference with your vision. When employees share in the vision, they own it and do more to create it.
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