Look for opportunities to encourage your staff

All too often a leader is more interested in the output than the input. They want to see the productivity from their staff but not the staff member who is responsible for the productivity. The performance measures we have are indicators of what happened in the past. They show us what has happened at the end of the day but don’t give us the day back. It is pointless going to a staff member at the end of the day and reprimanding them for their lack of productivity as it has already been lost. As leaders we need to look our staff in the eye as frequently as necessary to see what is happening. By doing this you may see that a staff member is not happy and as such is under-performing.

It is right there and then that you address this. Encourage them, take them out for a coffee and chat to them. This may seem like time wasting, but that break may provide the necessary motivation to get them back on track. Just acknowledging the staff member will have an impact. If a staff member is discouraged it will be near impossible for them to give of their best.

In my corporate banking days we had many staff that just worked but were not happy with the jobs they were doing or salary they were receiving and as such were always under-performing. Yet there was one individual that no matter where he worked the effect he had on his colleagues around him got the best out of them. He was the epitome of encouragement. The key to his success was that he cared for the staff around him and embraced them. He would personally motivate them and it came from the heart. He identified their strengths and vocalised them. There is nothing better than being around a positive leader that bats for you.