Leading & Motivating as a Manager

culled from:linkedin.com


Your ability to lead and motivate people is critical to your success as a manager. Your organization and your team count on you to provide leadership -- to navigate your group through change, make tough decisions, and focus efforts productively on the most important tasks. Leadership isn’t about being domineering or tough on people. It’s about having high expectations and helping people meet them. It’s about making tough decisions and having the courage to take risks. It’s about seeking opportunities for change, building enthusiasm for change efforts, and being an agent of change.

Motivation is an equally important responsibility of management. It translates directly into productivity and team effectiveness. People working together with energy and enthusiasm are far more effective and productive than a group lacking that spark because of job dissatisfaction or boredom. As a manager, you play a big role in building team motivation.

Following are ten keys to leading and motivating the people you manage.
1. Find out what motivates the people who report to you.

The best way to find out what motivates people is to ask them. In your one-on- one time with the people who report to you, ask how they are doing, how they perceive their work and your leadership, what drives them to give their best effort, and what is getting in the way of their full contribution.

The answers to these questions will give you insight into what motivates the people who report to you. They will also give you a road map to the problems you need to address as a manager and leader.
2. Hire and keep people who are good at the work.

Hire people who have the skills and abilities needed for the work. People whose skills don’t fit the job’s requirements create inequity on a team, which can lead to resentment from those who are doing their jobs well and frustration in the person who is having trouble. Both emotions are motivation killers.
3. Get people working on what’s important.

Focus your team’s efforts on the work that will make the biggest contribution to the organization.

    Use goals as a tool to align work with the organization’s priorities.
    When you assign and prioritize work, take the time to explain why it’s important.
    Help your employees prioritize work to focus on the most important tasks.

4. Explain and train.

    Make sure your employees have the skills and knowledge to do their work effectively. If they don’t, teach them, give them the background knowledge they need, or arrange for them to get the training they need.
    Plan ahead. Do your employees have the skills needed to complete the work? If not, start training early. Bring employees into new projects at the planning stage, not in the middle when your own overload hits the crisis point.
    Delegate with appropriate planning and training. Spend time every week (even if it’s just a few minutes) teaching and sharing your knowledge and experience. You’ll be a motivator, not a de-motivator. And you’ll attract and keep the best employees.

5. Let people work.

Once you’ve assigned a task, explained why it’s important, and made sure your employees have the skills and the tools they need to complete it to an agreed-on standard, step back and let them do the work. Your job is to explain the “what” and “why” of the task. Their job is to get the work done in the way they find most efficient.

    Don’t meddle in, interfere with, or second-guess other people’s work. Be aware of what your employees are doing by checking in on their progress toward the expectations you’ve set. Coach them on their approach to the work.
    When your employees make mistakes, have the courage to take the blame yourself.Sometimes an employee really is at fault, but mistakes are often a team effort. Your direction and supervision may have contributed to the problem. Admit to the problem and take responsibility for fixing it.
    Let others make decisions as part of the work, and trust their judgment. Explain when they need to ask questions and get approval and when you expect them to make decisions themselves.

6. Be generous with praise and recognition.

People are driven by the need to feel good about themselves and what they are doing. That’s why praise and recognition are such powerful motivators -- whether it’s a “thank you” for a job well done or a substantial year-end bonus. Don’t think there is nothing you can do because you don’t have the budget for significant rewards. Small celebrations and regular praise for ongoing accomplishments can actually fuel the most enduring enthusiasm for work.
7. Expect excellence.

Motivation and excellence go hand in hand. People will put their hearts into work if they think the team and the organization are striving for excellence. People want to be part of a world-class effort. Mediocre work, conversely, is demoralizing for everyone.
8. Care about people and show it.

The strongest leaders make themselves available to ideas and opinions from beyond their small circle of direct reports, no matter how tight their schedules.

    Listen to everyone.
    Make time to talk with your staff about things beyond the immediate tasks at hand.
    Pay attention.
    Show that you care.

9. Treat employees with respect.

Rudeness and a lack of respect for employees can undo all of the good you might do by following the other advice in this chapter. Employees who don’t feel respected are likely to shut down and contribute only the minimum effort to keep their jobs.

    Create an environment where differences of opinion can be openly expressed.
    Demonstrate respect by listening and responding to your employees’ thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
    Foster diversity by demonstrating respect for the unique qualities that each individual brings to your team.

10. Lead by example.

Managers serve as models for their teams and for the organization. No matter what you say, people notice and follow what you do. So if you want excellence and enthusiasm from your team, model excellence and enthusiasm in everything you do. Be energetic and your energy will be contagious. If you want your team to focus on customers, focus on customers yourself. Lead and motivate by example.