Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Attitude Is a Big Deal
Attitude has been defined as, "A predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli) - Businessdictionary.com. The site adds that there are four major components of attitude which are "(1) Affective: emotions or feelings. (2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously. (3) Conative: inclination for action. (4) Evaluative: positive or negative response to stimuli." There are essentially two attitudes that persons can have: a good attitude or a bad attitude. There is a misconception in some organizations that the only thing that matters to work success is persons' ability to get the job done. This view does not understand the critical importance of workers having the right attitude.
A bad attitude is responding badly or negatively to something or someone; it involves thinking negatively. How are bad attitudes developed? Bad attitudes develop when people allow themselves to become proud. Pride causes people to have an overinflated opinion of themselves while seeing others as inferior. Pride inevitably leads to a lack of love and respect for others. Proud people also think that they are larger than the organization or the common good. They believe that they are indispensable to the organization, and that they are superior in the execution of their tasks.
Bad attitudes may also be due to improper training. Human Resource managers have begun to recognize the necessity of training to achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. Greater priority is being placed on customer service, which requires workers to have a good attitude to the company, to their coworkers and to the customers. When workers are not trained to prioritize these three areas, as well as be held accountable for them, they are more likely to develop bad attitudes.
Bad attitudes often come about because of a negative home environment. Many families today are dysfunctional. The product is dysfunctional individuals who are filled with negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, stress and bitterness and who are unable to relate well to people. Homes are characterized by separation and divorce. These do not simply have a traumatic effect on children but also affect the spouses themselves. Families are also characterized by various forms of abuse: physical, verbal, sexual and emotional. There is typically a lack of healthy communication and a lack of healthy core values. It is no wonder then, that when people come into the workforce, they are unable to function effectively. The situation will soon reach a point where companies will have to hire mental and counseling professionals to deal with this deteriorating problem.
Regardless of the source of bad attitudes, all organizations need people with good attitudes. Persons must first have a good attitude toward themselves. Self-love is not the same as narcissism. Persons who love themselves treat themselves with respect and see themselves as persons of value and importance. It is impossible to have a genuinely good attitude to others when you lack a good attitude toward yourself. Further, persons must have a good attitude to others - to their superiors, their subordinates, their coworkers and to the customers. Persons must have a good attitude to their task. They must recognize the importance of the task to the success of the organization. They must be faithful to the task and always look for ways to improve. Persons must also have a good attitude to the organization. If you are dissatisfied with the organization and nothing is changing for the better than the best thing to do is leave. The rule of thumb is like the place where you work or you will be a miserable person throughout your life.
There are a number of positive things that happen when persons have good attitudes. One of the results is better work relationships. People are more willing to cooperate with each other. They tend to work as a team creating an environment of synergy. People look out for each other and spur one another on to better performance. A natural outcome is increased productivity as persons are not carrying around emotional baggage. People are also more focused. Better relationships mean better communication and cooperation, which lead to innovation and problem solving. Persons with good attitudes motivate others.
However, there are a number of negative things that result when an organization has persons with negative attitudes. One of these is low morale: persons are simply not motivated to perform at their best. This inevitably leads to low productivity; in some cases, productivity may simply be below what the organization is truly capable of producing. Bad attitudes result in conflict and division. Persons with bad attitudes are difficult to get along with. They could be too passive, unwilling to do what needs to be done. They can be aggressive, like corporate bullies. Or, they can be passive-aggressive, quietly working behind the scenes to frustrate progress. When persons with bad attitudes are not dealt with, affected persons begin to lose confidence in the leader. They expect the leader to do something and they are frustrated when nothing is done even though everyone knows who the problem person is.
Speaking of leadership, what do you do with people with a bad attitude? Early intervention is important; a classic mistake is to wait until too much damage has been done. Leaders can talk to persons with bad attitudes to assess the root of the problem. The problem may be quite fixable if leaders are willing to deal with it. Leaders can train persons to think differently and to maximize their abilities for the advancing of the organization; mentoring and coaching can help. A proper assessment of individuals may reveal that they are working in the wrong area: a simple transfer, then, may fix the problem. In worst case scenarios, when everything has been tried and has failed, the only other solution is to terminate persons with bad attitudes. Persons with negative attitudes will destroy what leaders are working to accomplish.
There are several right attitudes that should be encouraged. Here are a few. Organizations need persons with a can do attitude. These are individuals who are proactive and are committed to getting things done. There is also a need for persons with a sharing attitude - those who are committed to partnership rather than just working on their own. Greater results are achieved when we work with others. Organizations need persons with a people attitude, persons who have a genuine concern for others. Charitable organizations need persons with a reverent attitude - those who have respect for God and His work. Any organization that is progressive needs persons with an open attitude - those who are open to change. Finally, organizations need persons with a humble/learning attitude - people who are willing to learn. This has to do with the concept of constant improvement.
Let's look at some ways that can help in developing a good attitude. If you have a bad attitude, then you must recognize that you have a bad attitude. I think there will be sufficient clues to let you know that you have a bad attitude! You must not see yourself as indispensable to the organization. This is not to say that you aren't important, but that you must not be so proud to think that you can't be replaced; a little humility goes a long way. Further, practice the Golden Rule - do you want others to treat you the same way you treat others? If not, then treat others with respect and don't do to them what you don't want them to do to you. Further, see the bigger picture - it's not all about you; the organization exists for a reason. Do you know the organization's mission statement? Christians need to cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit: these include such qualities as love, joy and peace. Further, see your work/service/ministry as unto God. Finally, deal with the demons of your past - those unresolved issues that block you from having a good attitude. There are mental health professionals and religious ministers who can assist in this area.
Leaders need to recruit people with good attitudes who are talented, not people that are talented with bad attitudes. Sometimes desperation can cause us to use people with poor attitudes. We must always remember that character is more important than talent alone. Bad attitudes will have a detrimental effect on an organization. Good attitudes will have a positive effect.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7600267
Monday, June 29, 2020
Effective Motivational Skills For Today's Managers - Life Lessons
Preview
Motivated employees will work more effectively in their jobs and do more to further the bottom-line objectives of a company than unmotivated employees. As a manager, you are in a position to increase the motivation of your employees. This basic managerial skill training in motivation will enable you to become a more effective manager for yourself, and for your company. You will learn how to handle motivational problems, which will help you gain 100% effectiveness of your employees.
What Should You Expect From This Article
As you know, motivation is a complex issue. Many psychologists and researchers spend their entire life investigating people's motivation to perform. Similarly, there are many books currently out in the bookstores promising to give us the secret for "getting others to do what we wish."
There are many theories of motivation; and different techniques to solve motivational problems. Rather than attempting to review all these theories, the purpose of this module is to look at six common motivational factors which will make the difference between employees who are motivated and employees who exhibit motivational problems. We will use only as much "theory" as needed to gain basic understanding of each motivational issue. Primarily we will discuss what you can do to solve the motivational problem.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion, you will be able to:
o Recognize what types of employee behavior problems are motivational issues and which are not.
o State in simple language what is the real motivational factor behind different types of problems encountered as a manager and what you can do to correct each problem.
o Apply appropriate steps or response to resolve the motivational problem.
o Motivate average and above average performers to perform even better.
Training Format
This article is designed to do more than just give you information on motivation. Rather, it is set up to teach you skills which you can apply in your day to day jobs.
This will be accomplished by the use of exercises that require your involvement. Active participation will enable you to learn "what to do and how to do it," better than passively sitting back and being an observer. Keep this in mind as we proceed.
Manager's Methods Motivate
Many management experts agree that the key to employee morale and motivation is the quality of supervision they receive from their supervisor. It is for this reason that most businesses invest much time, energy, and money in the selection of their managers followed by in-depth training. In fact, this information is designed to assist you, the manager, in developing methods which have been "proven" to produce the highest possible motivation in your employees.
Who Is Responsible For Motivation
Managers share the responsibility in motivating their employees with the individual employees themselves. The manager is 100% responsible for establishing a motivating climate in which the employee works. The employee is 100% responsible for taking advantage of the motivating climate to perform the best they can perform.
Detecting Motivation Problems:
Focus On Behavior
Motivation is not something that we can directly see. That is the major reason why it is so complex. Instead, we observe a situation and notice that some action, tasks, or behaviors that should have occurred, have not occurred. Frequently, we call this a "motivation problem."
Like a detective, we must be aware of clues which hint of a "motivation problem" in an employee. These clues are behaviors.
Focusing on behaviors has several advantages:
o Behaviors are observable; they require only our attention-not complicated psychological analysis.
o Behaviors are objective; they are not easily open for mis-interpretation.
o Behaviors are measurable; we can count how many times a certain behavior occurs.
o Behaviors are specific and concrete; not abstract like the concept of motivation.
Begin by asking yourself, "What is he not doing? What behaviors, actions, or tasks should she be doing?" Be as specific and precise as possible. "He is not doing it the way he is supposed to" or "she is not committed" or "she has a bad attitude" are not specific behaviors. State the problem in terms of behavior.
Behaviors That May Indicate A "Motivational Problem"
As we have said, instead of focusing on the abstract and complex concept of motivation, go right to the behaviors from which we suspect the "motivation problem."
Motivation problems can be suspected from such behaviors as:
o Reduced quantity of work output.
o Reduced quality of work output.
o Extended lunch and break times.
o Frequent tardiness.
o Frequent absenteeism.
Motivation Worksheet 1 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
1. What behaviors indicate "a bad attitude" or "no commitment" in an employee?
2. Think of a particular unmotivated employee that you currently know or have known in a previous position or job. What specific behaviors did this person exhibit (or not exhibit) that leads you to believe they have a motivation problem?
3. List behaviors that you demonstrate when you are feeling unmotivated to do a task?
Selecting "Motivated Employees"
It makes our job of motivating employees much easier, when we start with employees who are "highly motivated." In other words, motivation comes easier. when we have the "right person for the job." The "hiring of motivated employees" is a selection decision. Make sure you identify the job-related skills a candidate possesses by thorough questioning. In this way, the job skills an employee possesses can be matched with the job skills required for success on the job. When a match occurs, we can feel confident that the person is the best candidate for the job.
In fact, a job candidate that was motivated to learn these key identified job-related skills in the past, will be motivated to use them, and learn additional skills, in the future. All personnel selection decisions are based on the theory that how a person performed in their past job predicts future job performance in a similar job-a job candidate motivated to perform in the past will most likely be motivated to perform in a similar situation in the future. Aim to improve motivation among the workforce by selecting job candidates who demonstrate job-related skills required for success with your company. The selected employee whose job matches their skills will show motivation to do a good job, a greater liking of their job, and a longer stay at their job.
Motivation Worksheet 2 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
1. Think of a position which you manage. Focus on the job, itself. List the job-related skills for this position. In other words, when interviewing to hire a candidate for the job, what skills should the candidate possess to be successful on the job?
2. In an interview, what might a job applicant say or do to indicate high motivation?
3. List two to three questions that would allow you to test their motivation level?
Training for Success
Training teaches people new skills, new procedures, or new information. It does not directly teach "motivation." However, training accomplishes something more-maybe a little harder to see-but still extremely important. Training can give an employee the ability to be successful. Employees who show signs of lack of ability can be taught how to perform correctly. Ability produces success. Success is a large motivator. Success breeds more success. Success produces pride of accomplishment; it fuels ambition; it increases personal goals; it increases performance.
Remember: Training produces successful performance and success motivates.
We must look at the problem behavior and decide whether the employee has the ability to do the task. Examine the ability of the employee. Ask yourself: "Does the employee have the knowledge or the skills to complete the task or job successfully?"
Consider the following about the employee:
o Prior work experience.
o Job related skills.
o Completed any of your company supported training programs.
o Special instruction, coaching, or tutoring.
A person with low ability, can be taught, trained, and coached to perform successfully. Once they feel that "good feeling of success" and all that comes with it (pat on the back, acknowledgement, and pay increase), their motivation may increase.
Be advised though, that there are two problem situations you can run into. First, some employees may require so much extra training, teaching, coaching, and tutoring before they attain some success that it requires more on your part than you can realistically give. In this case, you might have to realize that the employee "lacks too much" and other action is required.
The second problem situation is that some people who receive training and accomplish successful performance may still not show an increase in motivation. This can be due to other reasons which we will soon explore. Training is only one of many factors which play a part in motivating employees.
Remember: While training does not guarantee an increase in motivation, it can pave the way for greater motivation.
Motivation Worksheet 3 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
1. List specific behaviors which indicate poor motivation in an employee you manage.
2) Does the employee have the knowledge or skills to complete the tasks or job duties successfully?
3) What training programs currently exist that can teach, train, and coach the employee to perform successfully?
4) What existing employee could you have them work with to improve their performance in weak areas?
Motivation Through Communication and Goal Setting
Communicating what we expect from our employees and setting appropriate goals for which they should strive plays a big part in their motivation.
In order for employees to do a good job, they must know what it is they are expected to do. This direction comes from you, the manager. The manager has the responsibility of telling the employee in specific, concrete words:
o What should be done
o When to do it
o Where
o How, to proceed step-by-step
o Who else is involved, why it is important, etc.
The manager knows what constitutes a "good job;" ask yourself if the employee has the same understanding of what would be a "good job." When an employee thinks that he or she has given 100% while the manager thinks that the employee has only given 60%, the problem is not motivation; it is communication.
To determine if the problem behavior is a result of a breakdown in communication, the manager must ask herself, "Did I talk to the employee about my expectations?" That is, we as managers must determine whether we discussed objectives, duties, responsibilities, deadlines and performance. (How we communicate is an entirely additional, yet related, matter that will be addressed in the Communication Skill article). It can be difficult to look at our own behavior as managers, but we need to discover if we have contributed to the problem.
Not only must you, as a manager, tell the employee what needs to be done, but you must also make sure the employee understands your directions as you intend them.
An effective manager accomplishes this by:
o repeating directions
o Cclarifying instructions
o Demonstration
o Checking for understanding
o Observing progress
o Double-checking
o Follow-up
Remember: Good communication prevents misunderstandings and paves the way for employee motivation.
Goal Setting
There is one particular type of communication that has been repeatedly shown to be effective in improving employee motivation. This is the communicating of goals or objectives.
A goal or objective is simply a task we are attempting to accomplish. Goals direct our behavior. They help us follow a straight-line course to our ultimate objective. They prevent us from being like leaves being blown helplessly by the wind.
Goals and objectives foster motivation. We see the progress we are making toward our goal. We feel we are getting somewhere. Without goals, it is not always clear when we have been successful. Goals serve as a yardstick by which to measure our accomplishments.
Some objectives are too broad in scope to strive for directly. For example, to increase profits is a difficult goal to tackle all at once. Large scale goals need to be broken down into intermediate goals. Even intermediate goals sometimes require smaller goals that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
A goal should be (using SMART acronyms):
o Specific: it should include who, what, where, when and how built into it.
o Measureable: progress toward the goal should be recorded frequently.
o Attainable: it should be reasonable and realistic; there should be a very good certainty of accomplishing it.
o Realistic: should also pass the reasonable and realistic test.
o Timebound, set and agreed to mutually developed: the highest motivation will occur when the employee plays a part in setting the goal, together with the manager. The employee should have input setting the goal.
Motivation Worksheet 4 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
Think of an employee that has a motivation problem. Focusing on the employee's behavior, write 3 goals for the employee to attain that will bring his work performance "up to par".
1)
2)
3)
Motivation Through Appraisal and Feedback
One of the most powerful ways to change the motivation of an employee is to appraise how he is performing his job duties and then to feed this information back to him.
I suggest you use two separate systems to provide employee appraisal and feedback. The Employee Performance Review (by whatever name you call the form) evaluates the job performance of individual workers in terms of pre-identified objectives and clearly notifies the employee "how they have done" in achieving these objectives. The Progressive Discipline System (by whatever name you call the form) also evaluates the job performance of individual workers in terms of job expectations and then clearly notifies the employee "how they have fallen short" in working up to these expectations. Although Employee Performance Review emphasize positive performance while Progressive Discipline emphasizes undesirable performance, both work in exactly the same way: they provide feedback to the employee on how they are doing in reference to a standard.
This can produce motivation in an employee. First, it communicates to the employee exactly, "where he stands," and secondly, it points to what type of coaching, counseling, or information the employee requires to get to "where he wants to go or sometimes must go."
Appraisal and feedback systems are ways to tell the employee that "she is on the right track." If not where they should be, this in itself often provides the motivation to self-correct and "get back on track."
Both of these programs are made even more powerful and hence motivating by the consequences attached to them. The result of a "favorable" performance appraisal can mean an increase in salary-a very definite motivator for some people. The result of an "unchanged" progressive discipline report can mean suspension or even separation of employment, a very definite motivator in the sense that employees will work to avoid the negative consequence.
Remember: Appraising employee performance through Employee Performance Review or Progressive Discipline and feeding back to them the results motivates by "pointing the employee in the right direction"
and "making clear how far they must go."
Motivation Worksheet 5 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
1) Think of an employee you manage who did not perform to your performance standards on a specific task.
2) What was the desired performance?
3) Describe the feedback you should give immediately upon completion of the task so the employee "gets back onto the right track".
4) How would you "point the employee in the right direction" by using an Employee Performance Appraisal or Progressive Discipline?
Motivating Work Assignments
Ideally, the work itself should be highly interesting and hence motivating to the employee. This is partly determined in the selection process where job candidate's skills and interests are assessed and compared to the requirements of the job. When delegating tasks be sure to consider the skill level of the parties involved, the needs of the job, etc. as well.
Even after a job candidate is hired, placement of the employee into a specific work assignment can foster or stifle motivation. For example, a stereo buff would be more highly motivated to sell stereos or other electronic products than draperies.
Employees can have different preferences in many ways:
o Some employees may prefer a large variety of different job duties whereas others may prefer only a small set number.
o Some employees like to face challenge and complexity within their job whereas others may prefer the simple or routine.
o Some employees may prefer to work independently, apart from others, whereas other employees prefer to work in an area with other employees.
o Some employees may prefer to work on tasks where they can receive instant feedback on their efforts, whereas others may not require such instantaneous and continuous feedback.
The point is that you can increase the motivation of your employees if you can match their need for different degrees of autonomy, variety, challenge, complexity, and feedback to the available work assignments. To the best that you can, tailoring the work assignments to the employee's primary needs and abilities, will result in a higher level of performance from that employee.
This is not to suggest that you should bend to every desire of an employee.
Meeting an employee's individual interests on the job will help that employee like their job more. They in turn, will be more willing and motivated to help the manager achieve bottom-line objectives. When both get what they respectively want, then a win/win situation exists. The manager wins because he will have a motivated, effective employee; the employee wins because his needs are met.
When an employee knows he is benefitting, he will be motivated to perform better. If an employee gets to do parts of his job that he likes to do, then the employee will be more willing to do those things that have to be done as well.
See what your employees would like to gain from their employment besides money. Ask, "What else does this employee want from his job here." Some answers might be:
o "A good recommendation for future jobs."
o "A chance to learn firsthand about the world of business before going to college and studying business."
o "An opportunity to learn skills like cashiering, customer service, selling, or management, etc."
o "A chance to get out of the house and be around people like other employees and customers."
o "To be aware of the latest market trends, fashions - wanting to be first to see what's new."
To meet people's interests and thus produce greater motivation, a certain amount of compromise and negotiation must take place between a manager and employee. It is difficult to balance the needs of an employee and those of a manager, who is trying to fulfill their company's bottom line performance, but compromise and negotiation gives the manager some control to accomplish both at once.
Motivation Worksheet 6 - (Take a few minutes to answer these questions.)
List the names of employees you manage under the type of work assignment which would motivate them to perform best.
Task Variety versus Set Types of Tasks
Challenge and Complexity versus Simple and Routine Tasks
Independent Tasks versus Working as part of a Group
Tasks which produce instant feedback versus Tasks which produce delayed
feedback.
Do the actual assignments of your employees regularly include the types of assignments most motivating to them?
Rewarding Good Performance
One major reward an employee obviously earns through their work performance is their paycheck. Financial compensation for doing a task is as old as the institution of gainful employment. There has been a development in recent years, however, of a new system of rewarding employees that affects their motivation to perform. This is the concept of paying for performance.
The idea behind paying for performance is simple. Most people, including managers, have the belief that if I do this, I deserve to get that. If I do twice as much, then I deserve to get more in return. What we receive, we say we have earned.
One of the most common examples of a pay for performance system is tipping. The waitress knows that her performance directly affects the tip she will receive. If she does a good job, she can be reasonably sure that she will receive a tip. She also knows that if she does an outstanding job she will merit a larger tip than if she just does the bare minimum.
The employee can feel that their work performance will be rewarded on the basis of merit due to the performance appraisal system. By their performance, they can affect their financial rewards. If they fail to meet their objectives, they won't be compensated as much as if they had met their objectives. If they work hard and exceed their objectives, they will be financially rewarded for the effort; and if they perform extremely well and clearly exceed the objectives, they will receive, or rather have EARNED, a proportionately large pay increase to reward their behavior.
Employee Performance Review is designed to measure performance against a standard so that the quantity and quality of job performance can be reliably determined. It serves as the vehicle for determining merit pay increases.
How To Make A Merit System Motivating
Employees must be aware of the system; that their work performance can earn them additional rewards. They must believe that it is realistically possible for them to earn the rewards. They must believe the system is fair; how much extra they earn needs to be worth the extra performance they "put out." As a result of informing employees of the connection between their job performance and available rewards, they:
o Develop a "winning" mental attitude.
o Set their own high performance goals.
o Increase their performance level.
In order to produce "highly motivated" employees, it is extremely important to pay attention and to actively play a part in influencing rewards for employee's performance. As manager, you have control over these consequences.
Although financial compensation is the primary reward, you are making a serious mistake if you believe that this is the only reward that is important to an employee. Money is not a dependable motivator. In fact, it is true that:
o For some individuals, money is not motivating.
o When employees have the inaccurate perception that only small merit increases are available, money loses its power to motivate.
o Money may motivate just before performance appraisal time, but it can also have no effect on performance the prior eleven months.
In contrast to money, all of the following rewards for performance are extremely dependable:
o Sense of Achievement Recognition of a "Job Well Done"
o Greater Responsibility
o Advancement/Promotion
o Increase Status in Eyes of Others
o Personal Growth
o Appreciation/Thanks by Manager
Any of these can be used in addition to money to reward performance. Each of these rewards can be delivered by you, the manager, in less than 30 seconds. And, they have the advantage over merit increase of being available every day. They cost you nothing-they give you a powerful tool to increase other's motivation.
All it takes is a statement like:
"Joe, you should feel really proud over obtaining a sales volume like you did this week." (Sense of Achievement)
"Sally, I noticed that you did an excellent job helping customers today, especially since you were covering more than one area." (Recognition of a Job Well Done)
"Bob, you have done so well with the routine duties, I think you're capable of handling some responsibilities of a larger nature. How would you feel about becoming responsible for .... ?" (Greater Responsibility)
"Lisa, even though your performance appraisal is more than 5 months away, I want to tell you that you're accomplishing so many things that I'm considering some type of promotion for you, if you keep this up." (Advancement/Promotion)
"I want to announce to everybody at this meeting that Tom has been doing an outstanding job and is a top-notch worker." (Increase Status in Eyes of Others)
"Jane, since you've started, you have really learned the relationship of mark-up to gross margin." (Personal Growth)
"Gary, I really appreciate you doing this. Thanks a lot." (Appreciation/Thanks by Manager)
Motivation of people will be seriously affected, if the consequences of performing is punishing or "makes no difference." When an employee who is working the best they can receives penalties, insults, humiliation, boredom, or frustration, he or she will begin to avoid doing the work and will quickly demonstrate "poor motivation." Few people seek out painful experiences. Thus, if you know that an employee is not working "up to par," explore whether the employee received a negative reaction for doing so. Ask yourself, "is there a negative consequence for doing a good job?"
Conclusion
Motivation is a complex issue. Rather than attempting to investigate motivation in its complexity, this basic management skill training reviewed six common motivational factors which make the difference between employees who are motivated and employees who exhibit motivational problems.
In reality, high levels of motivation are produced by a combination and interaction of these six factors, not by any one factor acting alone.
"Motivated employees" selected for the job will be easier to train; more receptive to communication and feedback; more interested in their work assignments; and more effective performers who will merit reward.
Employees "trained for success" will learn to communicate better; use feedback constructively; and perform their work assignments more efficiently which may increase their interest. All of this in turn, may result in a high level of performance that would merit reward.
Clear communication and goal setting goes hand-in-hand with the objective setting procedures of performance appraisal; aids the learning of new, more interesting, work assignments; and promotes goal attainment which is rewarded.
Appraisal and feedback can bring out the employee's feelings and interest in the work assignment and serve to reward behavior which merits reward.
Assigning "motivating work assignments" enables the employee to meet his interests and needs which will usually result in quality work that merits reward.
Motivated employees will work more effectively in their jobs and do more to further the bottom-line objectives of a company than unmotivated employees. There are six important and necessary factors that need to be considered in improving an employee's motivation to perform. By using the theory and recommendations presented in this article, you can be confident that you will be able to successfully motivate your employees. In addition, you will be incorporating a valuable skill into your managerial repertoire.
Remember, in order to motivate others, you must be Motivated yourself! Have fun, make a ripple...
Chuck Ainsworth, aka The Origami Warrior is a visionary writer who enjoys learning new topics and putting them into easy to understand terms. He brings 30 plus years of Senior Management experience and provides the insights needed to help others reach peak performance by improving their basic Management and Leadership Skills. He currently writes about topics he loves that include: Origami, Origami Warrior Wisdom, Motivation, Training, Management Skills Development, Leadership, Life Lessons, Core Values, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Life After Death - How To Overcome Life Changing Events and more. A published author who loves family, pets, community. While he has spent much of his life traveling, he now enjoys a much simpler life, living in his home town on a small quiet private lake with his family. Follow his Origami Warrior Wisdom daily quotes follow me at http://twitter.com/ChuckAinsworth to get my tweets and be sure to check out other Life Lessons at: [http://origamiwarrior.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2419818
Sunday, June 28, 2020
A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - Why You Need One
Business owners need a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in today's competitive business market if they wish to stand out from the crowd. This is especially true in the online marketing world. What is a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Let's analyze what it is, why you need one, and what are the essential elements of a USP.
What is a Unique Selling Proposition?
A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a statement that explains clearly to your target audience what makes your business unique, and how it's different from everyone else in the marketplace. It tells your customers and prospects how you can better meet their needs and what makes you special.
It is not always easy to do because it takes time to analyze your business and yourself. You may have been doing the same thing for quite some time and been successful at it, but never stopped to consider what specifically is contributing to your success.
In addition you must take time to analyze the people whom you serve in order to identify who your target audience is. It is never "everyone."
In the book "Reality in Advertising", television advertising pioneer Rosser Reeves defined the unique selling proposition. Two of the three parts of that definition are:
1. The proposition must be one the competition cannot or does not offer. It must be unique-either in the brand or in a claim the rest of that particular advertising area does not make.
2. The proposition must be strong enough to move the masses, i.e., attract new customers.
Why Your Business Needs a USP
- A unique selling proposition will contribute significantly to your success. Careful analysis will help you determine your strengths as well as any weaknesses that could negatively impact your reputation and standing in the marketplace.
- Why are people buying from you, or using your services rather than someone else? What do you do for your customers that create loyalty so that they buy from you again and again, and refer their friends and family to you? What is it you do that makes you stand above the rest in the marketplace who are doing the same thing?
- Identifying what you do that's different from others in the market will take time to measure as it will likely involve doing research on your competition, studying what they're doing, and determine what you do or can do differently.
- Your USP must offer a strong benefit and value to the customer so that current customers can readily recognize this, and prospective customers will be able to determine what you do that others do not.
- Your USP helps to establish your brand in the minds of your customers and creates top-of-mind-awareness.
Once you're able to clearly identify what makes you different, you can continue to build on that as the business owner, but you can clearly bring it to the fore so your customers and clients think of you first when they need your products or services.
Two Essential Elements of a USP
1. A good USP is hard to forget. When people need products and services that your business offers, you want to be the first one that comes to mind. This means that your USP has to be consolidated to convey your uniqueness without being too wordy. It must say a little but convey a lot. Do keep in mind that your USP is not the same as your tagline.
2. It needs to resonate on an emotional level with your clients. Good USPs speak to the fears, worries, desires, and frustrations of your target market. It also provides guidance in terms of how they can solve their problems.
It is vital to your business success that you take the time to create your USP through diligent research and analysis. Additionally, creating a fabulous USP is only the first step. Your service offerings and products must mirror the promises you articulated in your USP. Delivering anything less will negatively affect both your business and reputation while costing you the customers that you worked so hard to attract.
You may be new to online marketing, or you may have been building your business for some time, but you feel stuck and out of balance. I invite you to claim your "Entrepreneur's Success Kit" at http://www.blueprintforbiz.com. In the Success Kit you will discover three areas of business that many entrepreneurs overlook and what to do about it. You will also be helped to manage your time on social media, and what you must do with the clients and customers you attract online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9160015
Saturday, June 27, 2020
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Sunday, June 21, 2020
An Insight Into Rising and Falling Search Engine Rankings
Ranking well on search engines is good, but maintaining the top position is a tougher feat for the rankings on search engines can fluctuate by the day. This is where the role of search engine optimization becomes important. The key to maintaining good search engine rankings is to understand their algorithms and to chalk out an SEO campaign in accordance with it. While SEO is a continuous process, there are few aspects of search engine rankings that can earn your website a relatively permanent position on your website.
In understanding the algorithms of rankings, you should first differentiate between two kinds of online visibility- the first one, the visibility that can be immediate, but one that doesn't last for long. For example a press release, it appears immediately and ranks well immediately after it is published for specific keywords. However, it rapidly moves down the rankings, probably in a matter of hours. The second kind of ranking is one that is permanent. For example, Wikipedia. It ranks well for many keywords on accident than the crux of the web on purpose. This kind of authority comes with quality, time, and takes tremendous amounts of effort.
But let's face it. If you are a business trying to use the internet as a marketing platform, you cannot just be present on the internet like the way Wikipedia does. But here are a few tips that give you relatively good ranking consistency.
- Choose a specific niche. If you try being the jack of all trades, you will master none of none. Prioritize and excel in a few specializations.
- Quality matters. The design of your website and the content should espouse quality.
To gain authority, you should use the internet as an innovative platform. Do something innovative and creative that you can establish authority in.
I am a programmer working in an internet marketing India [http://www.zitzsolutions.com/] company which provides various internet marketing services including SEO consulting India services, website optimization services, SEO copywriting services [http://www.zitzsolutions.com/internet-marketing-services/seo/copywriting/], PPC services, etc.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3009038
Saturday, June 20, 2020
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The Power of Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing
Introduction
The main lifeline for a company to survive is generating new sales and repeat business from existing customers. Without existing customers staying connected and engaging with you and new leads entering your sales pipeline your company will stay stagnant and not grow. However, implementing a well-planned email marketing strategy can help your business generate new leads and nurture existing clients to ensure continued growth.
Nearly everyone uses email and it is continually growing and evolving. Email marketing is a drip marketing technique which is a direct marketing strategy. It involves scheduling promotional messages with relevant and specific calls to action sent via email. It is a campaign spread over a period of time.
5 things to consider with email marketing
Everyone has heard the saying 'don't run before you can walk', well the same applies to email marketing. Any email campaign must have the best practices implemented before any social media integration. If your email campaign is poor it doesn't matter how much social integration you have, it just won't work. So, here are some basic guidelines.
#1 Start with a clean database
Make sure your contact database is clean and complete as this determines how successful your email marketing campaign will be.
#2 Keep it personal
Always make your emails personal so your readers know you are human and feel like you are personally addressing them. Rather than starting 'Dear friend' or 'Dear customer', use the greeting 'Hi John' as this will go a long way.
#3 Compose a catchy subject line
As soon as the email lands in the inbox of the recipient it is the subject line that will stand out next to the sender's name. Ensure the subject line is catchy and will compel the reader to open the email. It is the subject line that will make or break your email.
#4 Educate and Captivate
Never hard sell in your email. Remember, your readers subscribed to receive email communication that has valuable content - not emails that are sales pitches.
#5 Design your emails for mobile devices
Mobile and smartphones are now indispensable for both personal and business users. More and more people are using their mobile devices to read emails and browse the web. Ensure your email is correctly designed for mobile users.
Benefits of Social Media and Email Marketing
Social media has exploded in the last few years and more and more people are using sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. This explosion has transformed the way people communicate online and more importantly how companies market their products and services to their target audience.
3 ways to combine Social Media with Email Campaigns
Social media can be integrated into your strategy in a number of ways. However, the method that you choose depends on what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to syndicate your content online then you will want to target your campaigns to encourage readers to share your content on their social networks.
In 2010 Aweber conducted a survey. The results showed that 36% integrate social media into their email marketing with the purpose of asking readers to send the email on to their social network followers.
The three main tactics for implementing an integrated social media and email strategy to share your newsletter content are as follows:
1. Include 'Share' buttons in your newsletters
Including social sharing links in your email newsletters is a great way of combining social media with email marketing. It is also a great way of encouraging your readers to share content. Most websites have a share button on them to make it easier to share. Five tips you should consider:
1. Identify the most relevant social networking sites.
2. Integrate the 'share' icons in your newsletter templates.
3. test the new newsletter template with a focus group.
4. Roll out the newsletter template to the rest of your database.
5. Track shared article metrics.
2. Increase your social following through email campaigns
As well as including the 'share' icons in your email newsletters, it is equally as important to include links for your subscribers to follow you on social networking sites. Add call to actions including 'Follow us on Twitter' and 'Like us on Facebook', even 'Subscribe to our YouTube Channel'.
Also, change your email signature to include these 'follow' links.
3. Promote your email content in the social Media Platforms
Be confident and cross-promote your email marketing and social media. Just like you inform your subscribers to your email marketing list about your social media profiles, you can do the same on your social networks informing your followers of your newsletter.
Remind all your Facebook fans, Twitter followers, Linked In Followers, and YouTube subscribers that you have a great email newsletter and encourage them to subscribe. Email marketing should be used as a catalyst for starting conversations online about your brand.
Conclusion
Email marketing is the least costly method of marketing but the most measurable, most effective, and easiest to implement as part of your online marketing strategy. More importantly, by incorporating social media into your email marketing strategy you can boost your business, keep your audience engaged, and enhance your brand reputation.
Perry Manku
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6770122
Monday, June 15, 2020
Sunday, June 14, 2020
5 Natural Ways to Develop Focus in Business
- Get enough sleep. People are more emotional and fearful when they don't get enough sleep. Adults should get 7-9 hours of sleep a night according to the National Sleep Foundation. People who have not slept enough may feel overly emotional and should avoid big business decisions until they are thinking more clearly.
- Don't drink alcohol. According to the National Sleep Foundation, alcohol will put a person to sleep more quickly but also cause them to wake up more frequently during the night. If you're short on sleep because of alcohol, you'll be poorly focused in your business. If you have a tendency to drink too much in general, it will always have a negative impact on responsibility and your focus in your business. If you're serious about business, consider drinking less or giving it up altogether.
- Exercise regularly. Countless studies illustrate the benefits of exercise. Light exercise for adults is a must to stay mentally sharp. If exercise is good for the mind, then it's good for the focus you want to have in your business. When a person is actually stimulated from a regular exercise routine, they may find that their best thought about business comes during the exercise itself.
- Eat right. Eating right goes right along with what you're drinking. People should stay away from sugar because it has a negative negative impact on one's energy level after it wears off. Also avoid caffeine because it dehydrates you and deteriorates the quality of your sleep.
- Meditation. This is to clear one's mind of all things including business. To be effective in business, people need to establish a balance in life, and this can be achieved through meditation. Concentrating on making your mind relax and letting go of burden can reinvigorate your passion for business among many other things.
The above ways to develop focus are really a philosophy of life being applied to business. Each work in concert with one another to promote a productive lifestyle. If any one of the five is neglected, it can seriously jeopardize your quality of life, and moreover the focus you have in business. If you apply the above rules to your life across the board, you're sure to see a benefit. You'll be able to focus in business, and better than that it will improve the quality of your life in other ways. Truly employing any one of the ways in the above list will improve your life in a meaningful way.
P. Saurini
[http://barefootradio.com/how-to-develop-focus-in-business/]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6058148