At a time when we’re setting new goals and ramping up for the year, how do you motivate your employees to do the same? And what difference can it make to your business or department?
Time goes by quickly and it’s easy to lose sight of where we’re going if we don’t chart a direction! Setting goals not only helps us concentrate on and find meaning in our productivity, but it also gives us something to celebrate when we reach the goals! When looking to motivate ourselves and our staff, we need to make sure we’re setting ourselves up for something to commemorate.
In looking at desired accomplishments for the year, break things up into timeframes to help with expectations and set plans for how to mark the milestones. Plan to finish part of a project by end of January? Make initial plans with staff for a pizza party or afternoon off or volunteer event. Something that your staff enjoys, can get behind and look forward to!
Have weekly or biweekly updates on where things stand and praise staff who’ve been integral in getting progress made. Give specific feedback on positive strengths. Ask different team members to provide the updates to give them a chance to highlight their work; have them responsible for naming a “star” employee, department or team for the week.
Monthly or quarterly, re-look at goals to see if anything needs to shift. Get feedback from staff on their thoughts and ideas and utilize any/all you can, highlighting the most successful concepts. Constantly pointing out the good things motivates and stimulates staff.
The year can zoom by and opportunities can be lost if we don’t periodically regroup. Celebrating our successes along the way can help with staying on target, inspiring motivation, and increasing productivity. And it can be fun!
Comments