By: Jim Jenkins

Encouraging Others at Work

One of the most frequent questions I get from business owners is how to motivate employees. People often think they need formal programs and structures to continue to get people to produce, and that money is typically the best answer.

And yet while studies show that cash is often a great motivator, the mere act of constant encouragement does more to motivate (and retain) employees than money. And it often leads to significant organizational improvements.

People will respond more when you provide them with encouragement for a job well done—positive feedback, asking for new ideas, and new ways of meeting objectives or solving business problems—are great ways to acknowledge that you value your employees and that they play a major role in your success. The issue is that we don’t do that often enough.

I’ve encountered many a manager whose attitude was “I shouldn’t have to tell someone they’re doing a good job, they’ll know because I will leave them alone,” and in the next sentence will admit that at the first sign of a performance problem, they’ll take immediate action to rectify the situation. And often this action comes as an abrupt shift in how they manage the employee. And how effective is that?

Since people thrive more in situations where they feel valued and honored, imagine what a few words of encouragement will do each day to your staff. Even a simple “thank you” goes a long way in the grand scheme of things! Encouraging others also means challenging them to grow and think of new and innovative solutions to current business issues. Encouraging others means truly empowering them to be a part of the organization and welcoming their ideas and input to making the organization more successful.

To help you see the value of encouragement, I challenge you to take on this simple exercise and see what happens when you make it a habit of encouraging people at work. You might even try this at home with your spouse or your children and see what happens!

EXERCISE
During the next thirty days, take 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on the following questions. You might want to get yourself a journal to record your responses and see how they evolve over time:

1. In what ways did you encourage people today? How?
2. In what ways did you discourage people today? How?
3. What effect did #1 and #2 have on your work? The work of others?
4. What action will you take from what you have observed in this exercise?