"Happiness is realizing how awesome the people around you are."
- Unknown
I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine who is a manager at her company. She manages about 10 people in her department but she felt a little down because the productivity of her employees was decreasing and she was feeling the pressure. You can tell this was getting to her because she was losing hope that things would get better. Before giving any advice, I tried to understand what was going on by asking questions. When I asked her what she believed was the problem she told me that she no longer had a budget for incentives so her team had no reason to get motivated.
As I continued to ask questions, her replies were similar. She truly believed that the biggest problem was a money issue. She felt that money motivated her team and if there was no money there was no motivation. This is a very common assumption for many managers and employers. Although many people are motivated by money, money will not solve all problems.
I've been in a situation like her's a few years ago and it took me a while to find out that the problem wasn't money, a budget or incentives. The problem was me - the manager. I self-reflected on my daily routine, my habits, my words and I was able to change things around without having to make any monetary changes. The tips I'm about to share with you are simple and although they might seem too simple, they truly do work. I wish I knew about the Emotional Bank Account back then (Read Your Emotional Bank Account - When Was The Last Time You Checked It?).
Greet Everyone & Say Hello
As a person who is very ambitious and likes to be very focused, I used to come into the office and go straight to my desk to work and knock out a lot of things early. I later learned about the art of saying hello. Yes, I had to learn this because I didn't think this made a difference. I assumed everyone was like me and they just wanted to get their work done. I changed my routine and every morning as soon as I got to the office I spent a few minutes just greeting everyone, saying hello and asking how they were. Sometimes it even took me 45 minutes to get to my desk because someone wanted to talk, vent or discuss something with me. I prioritized the greetings before my own work and it made a huge difference in the working relationship I had with my co-workers. I didn't know it at the time, but I was making a lot of deposits by doing something as small as saying "hello." Do you say "hello" to people in your office, even if they're not in your department or do you just go straight to your desk and do your own thing?
Recognize & Praise
Before I became a manager I had very strong relationships with the people around me who I would later manage. I always thought that it was the boss' responsibility to praise and recognize but that is actually not true. I think this is a responsibility that we should all have regardless of our title. I recognized my co-workers for their good work and praised them for their hard efforts when things were tough. Little by little camaraderie developed along the way and when I eventually became their manager it was a smoother transition than I thought. As a manager, giving feedback is extremely important, but is the feedback you give only to correct others? Many managers feel as though they only need to talk to their employees when they are doing something wrong. This is not true. All managers need to have a strong balance with the feedback they give, good or bad. I have personally found that recognition and praise is a very powerful tool when used properly. Are you recognizing your co-workers or your employees (even your boss) or do you only go to them when there is something wrong?
Help
Many people at work come with the attitude that they can't do more than what they're asked for because they're not getting paid enough. With that mentality, you won't get far. Before I became a manager I raised my hand for any project, especially if it had to do with helping my team. Sometimes I did take on more than I could chew, but if I wasn't there to help my team, they would have had to carry a lot of weight on their shoulders. As a manager, helping is also a crucial responsibility that many managers don't want to do. Yes, rolling up your sleeve is one way to be an in-the-trenches manager that can earn a lot of respect from your employees, but there are other ways that you can help your team as a manager. As a manager, are you helping your employees become better or are they not growing under your leadership? Many times we feel that as managers our job ends when we give directions or advice. However, many times the biggest help we can give someone is an honest effort to understand where our employees are coming from. How are you helping others at work? Are you helping at all or are you just about yourself?
The best thing about the tips I shared is that they don't cost a single dime! Incentive programs are great but they won't resolve issues and many times they give others a feel of entitlement that they earned something when it might just be part of their job. If you summarize my tips, you'll find out that the way to build strong relationships and become rich in your Emotional Bank Account is to do something simple: Forget about yourself and put others first. It's simple, but very hard to do. Enjoy your weekend.
Don't forget to share this blog so you can encourage others: family, co-workers, friends. Give them something to get motivated! You never know what they might be going through. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.
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