Motivation Shots from The Doc

10 Ways to Motivate Your Team

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on March 9th, 2010 Comments

This is a first for me; I’m including an article in my blog not written by me. This article is very much in line with the message I am getting across and I am pleased to reproduce it.

It’s written by Jo Owen, and you’ll find his contact details at the end of the article.

You do not need books or psycho babble to work out how to motivate people. Start by thinking about the best boss you have ever worked for. What did the boss do to motivate you so well? Do you do the same things with your team?

In practice, most of us respond to some simple motivational measures. Here are my top ten:

1. Show you care for each member of the team, and for their career. Invest time to understand their hopes, their fears and dreams. Casual time by the coffee machine, not a formal meeting in an office, is the best way to get to know your team members.

2. Say thank you. We all crave recognition: we want to know that we are doing something worthwhile and we are doing it well. Make your praise real, for real achieverment. And make it specific. Avoid the synthetic one minute manager praise (”gee, you typed that email really well…”).

3. Never demean a team member. If you have any criticism, keep it private and make it constructive. Don’t scold your team members like school children: treat them as partners and work together to find a way forward.

4. Delegate well: delegate meaningful work which will stretch and develop your team member. Yes, there is routine rubbish to be delegated, but delegate some of the interesting stuff as well. Be clear and consistent about your expectations.

5. Have a clear vision. Show where your team is going and how each team member can help you all get there. Have a clear vision for each team member: know where they are going and how they can develop their careers.

6. Trust your team. Do not micro manage them. Have courage to implement MBWA: Management By Walking Away.

7. Be honest. That means having difficult, but constructive, conversations with struggling team members. Don’t hide or shade the truth. Honesty builds trust and respect.

8. Set clear expectations. Be very clear about promotion prospects, bonuses and the required outcome of each piece of work. Assume you will be misunderstood: people hear what they want to hear. So make it simple and repeat it often and be consistent.

9. Overcommunicate. You have two ears and one mouth: use them in that proportion. Listen twice as much as you speak. Then you will find out what is really going, what drives your team members and you can act accordingly.

10. Don’t try to be friends. It is more important to be respected than liked: trust endures where popularity is fickle and leads to weak compromises. If your team trusts and respects you, they will want to work for you.

As with all things that sound simple, in practice it is very hard to do all of this consistently well. It is high effort, but normally very high reward. A motivated team will climb mountains which unmotivated teams do not even look at.

You can find out more about Jo Owen by clicking this link.

How to Motivate Your Manager – 10 tips for success (managedifficultpeople.com)
How to Effectively Reward Your Team (managedifficultpeople.com)
The Most Important Book You Will Read This Year (newcommbiz.com)

Posted in Leadership, Management, Motivation

Saying Sorry May Generate Even More Difficult Customers

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on March 2nd, 2010 Comments

A quick story – I recently had a night in a City Centre hotel. When I was checking out the next morning the check out clerk said -

“Was everything alright Mr Fairweather, did you enjoy your stay with us? And why do you have those dark circles under your eyes? (Okay, so I made up the last bit)

I had to tell her about my disturbed sleep due to the guys who started work at 5am on the building site next door. They were knocking lumps out of concrete blocks with a jackhammer! (Well that was the way it sounded to me)

Her response was; “Sorry ’bout that – What credit card do you wish to use to settle your bill”

Now that makes it sound rather abrupt, but that’s the gist of the message I was getting. And as you might imagine, it didn’t make me feel any better. If I wasn’t such a lovely person I may have turned into Mr Difficult Customer!

‘Sorry’ is a word to avoid when dealing with a customer, a colleague or a member of your staff.

It’s an overused word, everyone says it when something goes wrong and it’s lost its value.

As a customer; how often have you heard – “Sorry bout that, give me the details and I’ll sort this out for you.” It would have been far better to say – “I apologise for the inconvenience you’ve experienced…..”

If you are going to use the ’sorry’ word then it’s better to use it as part of a whole sentence – “I’m sorry you haven’t received that information as promised Mr Smith.” (and of course, it’s always good to use the other person’ name)

When mistakes have been made, there are other things you can say instead of “sorry!”

To find out; you’re going to have to contact me, or keep reading Motivation Shots or buy one of my fabulous books! Aren’t I a tease!

Posted in Customer service, Difficult people

How to Deal With Your Difficult Boss – News Release

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on March 2nd, 2010 Comments

For immediate release

How to deal with your difficult boss!

Many of us dread going to work because of a challenging relationship with our boss or manager. Considering the amount of time in our lives we spend at work this can cause a great deal of unhealthy stress. There are, however, simple steps you can take that will give you the confidence and skills to assert yourself in an appropriate manner.

How To Manage Difficult People by Alan Fairweather is an essential guide for anyone weighed down by the negative stress that a difficult upward relationship can cause.

With case studies, examples and anecdotes, Alan Fairweather shares his 15 years of managerial experience – and a six step programme of behaviour – to show you how bad situations can be reversed by applying good listening and strong communication skills.

Alan Fairweather comments, “We spend between 70 – 85% of our time interacting with other people so no wonder difficult relationships have such a huge impact on our enjoyment of life. Each person is unique and all are complicated and often driven by emotion, which in the current financial situation can be high. This book shows you how to identify and understand awkward and challenging behaviours and how to manage them.”

Articles available from the author include Ten Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss.

About the author: Alan Fairweather worked in sales and customer service and did the job of a manager for fifteen successful years. He is very much aware that, in our job and in our personal life, we often face apparently rude, impatient and aggressive people. He now spends his time running seminars and workshops, developing skills on how to handle problem people and situations and how to come out of it with increased confidence, improved results and a lighter heart.

How to Manage Difficult People is published by How To Books Ltd www.howtobooks.co.uk. and is available at £10.99 in major bookshops and online retailers across the country. ISBN 978-1-84528-391-9

To arrange an interview with Alan or to discuss articles he would be happy to write on this subject, please contact Katie Read 07837 485642 katie@katieread.co.uk

To receive a review copy, please contact:

Joanne Salt at How To Books Ltd. 01865 375794 joanne.salt@howtobooks.co.uk

Posted in Difficult people

Use Coaching to Resolve Poor Behaviour

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on March 1st, 2010 Comments

Coaching is about finding out the cause of poor performance or behaviour and discussing with the team member how to put it right.

The team member might respond immediately to coaching and improve the situation. However the improvement may not always be permanent and you may have to do further coaching.

When I suggest this to some managers, they see it as some kind of touchy-feely softly-softly approach. Let me assure you right now – it’s not!
It’s about telling the team member what part of their behaviour you’re unhappy with, listening to what they have to say and agreeing a way forward.

The goal is to achieve a change in behaviour that the team member is committed to and helps you achieve your outcomes.

Think of a time when somebody, a teacher, parent, boss, – coached, taught or encouraged you get better at something.

When I ask this question on a seminar I get responses such as – “I felt good – inspired – motivated – pleased – confident – want to do better.” That’s what you’re aiming for in your team

6 reasons to coach:

1. More productive behaviour – The first objective of coaching is to resolve the poor behaviour. If it’s done properly then that’s what you’ll achieve. However there are other benefits such as happier customers and more business

2. The team member knows what’s expected – Coaching allows you to make it very clear to your team members what is expected of them. Many mangers fall into the trap of ‘assuming’ that the team member knows what’s expected. This is the cause of many examples of poor behaviour. The team member didn’t know – “reports had to be submitted by the 15th of the month.” They didn’t know – “they could give the customer their money back.” Didn’t know – “they had to be on time for the meeting.” Coaching allows you to calmly and clearly, make clear what’s expected.

3. The team member is motivated to change – The only real motivation is internal motivation. Coaching allows you to create the environment where the team member makes the decision to change for themselves. This means that they’re more committed to the change and it’s more likely to happen. It’s also easier on you because you don’t have to ‘drive’ the person to make the changes.

4. They know you care – If you coach, in a structured way, your people will see you as supportive and understanding. They’ll know that you’re not just ‘picking’ on them and that you’re looking for a win-win situation.

5. It ensures a happy and motivated team – That means better results, you achieving your outcomes and there’s much less stress all round.

6. Less warning interviews – If you coach poor behaviour as and when it occurs then you’re likely to have far fewer warning interviews. The manager, who ignores poor behaviour, lets the situation build up and then finds himself in the ‘warning’ situation.

If you want more information on how to coach your team, please get in touch or read these books.

Posted in Difficult people, Leadership, Motivation

How to Manage Difficult People Audio/Visual

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 26th, 2010 Comments

Posted in Difficult people, Leadership, Motivation

How To Be Great At Networking

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 23rd, 2010 Comments

Posted in Leadership, Management, Sales

Forget Goal Setting – Just Do It!

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 23rd, 2010 Comments

Did you make any New Year resolutions at the start of this year? If you did, then they were probably about what you wanted to achieve in 2010?
If you read any self-help or how to books, then they probably suggested that you need to set goals. I’ve even advocated goal setting myself in the past.
You write down your goals and detail them for family life, friends, finances, career, recreation, health, learning, education and even your spiritual life.There’s loads of information on the internet about how to set goals, books you can buy, planning diaries and even downloadable software.

Now I’m not knocking all that stuff, however I’ve now come to the conclusion that successful people with strong self-belief don’t do goal setting in this way – why?

Because their too busy doing what they need to do, to get what they want to get.

Successful people don’t spend too much time writing down what they want out of life they just get on and do it.

To be successful at whatever it is you want to do, you need to ask yourself – “What do I really want to achieve?” What are my dreams and desires, what do I want to build, or create and what sort of person do I want to be.

You need to clearly identify what it is you want out of life, what do you hunger and thirst for?
If someone held your head under water you’d quickly realise what you wanted – oxygen! You need to feel like this to be successful.

Most of us experience this feeling when we fall in love. We do almost anything to impress and be with the person of our dreams.
This is how people create success, it’s how new countries were discovered, products were invented, Everest was conquered and man walked on the moon.

Now you may not want to achieve something so dramatic, you may want to have a successful plumbing business, or be an excellent accountant, or even run a marathon. Whatever it is, once you identify and focus on it you’ll release the motivation to make it happen.

There is an often-told story of the swimmer, Florence Chadwick. On her first attempt to swim the English Channel she encountered huge waves and chilling temperature. Her trainers were alongside her in a boat. They had greased her body to provide protection from the cold and gave her hot soup from a vacuum flask. She had everything going for her to ensure she was successful.

However a heavy fog set in and as the fog descended, her vision was limited to only a few feet. The water seemed to get colder, the waves higher and she started suffering from cramp in her arms and legs. She eventually gave up her effort and asked her trainers to take her on board the boat. What she didn’t realise was that she was only a short distance from the shore. When the reporters asked her why she’d given up when she was such a short distance form the shore. Her answer was quite simple – “I lost sight of what I wanted to achieve. I’m not sure that I had it firmly in my mind.”

You need to have a clear mental picture of where you want to go. You need to visualise yourself being successful and work towards it, you then have a far better chance of achieving what you want to achieve.

Think about what you’re doing every day and ask yourself – “Is what I’m doing now getting me to where I want to get to?”

If the answer is “No” then do something different. Get out of your comfort zone and change your habits.

The psychologist Abraham Maslow said - “If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being; then I warn you that you will be unhappy for the rest of your life. You will be evading your own capabilities, your own possibilities.”

And case your wondering about Florence Chadwick – she did become the first woman to swim the English Channel on the 8th August 1950. It took her 13 hours 25 minutes and I bet her arms were tired!

Posted in Motivation

Team Motivation Needs Trust

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 18th, 2010 Comments

Do you trust and believe in your staff? Successful Motivational Managers have the ‘trust programme’ well and truly installed in their brain.

Old style managers were programmed to believe that they couldn’t trust their people. That doesn’t mean they thought they were dishonest, just that they needed to constantly supervise their people to ensure they did the job properly. Sadly, many managers still see it that way today.

The Motivational Manager thinks the opposite, he or she believes and trusts their people to do the job and let’s them get on with it.

If you’ve got the old program, as I once did, then be prepared to change it. Because if your team members believe that you trust them to do the job, then it will have a huge positive effect on morale and on you achieving your outcomes.

Managers keep asking me – “How do I motivate my staff?” And the answer is – “You don’t motivate your staff; you create the environment in which they motivate themselves.”

Trusting your people to do their job goes a long way towards creating that environment.

Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.
Warren G. Bennis (1925-, American psychologist, management educator, and consultant)

Do you trust your team; let me know your thoughts

Posted in Leadership, Management, Motivation

How to be Great at Picking People

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 12th, 2010 Comments

Do you really know what you’re looking for when you interview someone for a job?

Let me suggest to you; it’s not about their knowledge, experience, or their intelligence; it’s about their talent to do the job.

: Image via Wikipedia

Let me ask you another question; how do you like your coffee? I don’t know if you’re a fan of the ‘bean’, but I’m very partial to Starbuck’s Tall Americano with an extra shot and ‘no room for milk’. I’ve been hyped up on it all over the world and it always tastes the same, which is great! And, a bit of extra information thrown in for free; in Singapore Starbucks, they ask you if you want your muffin warmed up; I haven’t experienced that anywhere else.

Outlets like Starbucks are successful because they provide a consistent experience across the board. We all know where we could purchase a cheaper cup of coffee, but the Starbucks experience draws us in. I also have to say, that the coffee serving process is usually excellent; happy, smiley people and fast service.

The other day, I experienced ‘Mr Grumpy’ coffee person. He was slapping down coffees at the end of the counter and grunting out their contents. I asked him which coffee was mine (I’m not scared) and he growled his response. I had to ask him again, before politely pointing out the error of his ways (I told you I’m not scared)

This guy shouldn’t be there, and I don’t necessarily blame him for his poor customer service. I really don’t believe he should be in a customer facing job, and no amount of training will help. My question is – “Where is the person who put him in the job?”

If you’re a manager or a business owner then I’m sure you’ve interviewed people to join your team. Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re looking for when you interview someone?

Let me give you an example of what I mean:
I’ve just read a job advertisement for a Sales Manager for a soft drinks business. It says – “We are looking for someone with excellent relationship building skills, vision drive and energy. They will be results driven and be able to demonstrate leadership and highly developed inter-personal and management skills.”

Now that’s all fairly standard stuff and what I’d expect to see in a job advertisement. If I was trying to find someone for that job, what I’d really be looking for is – ’someone to increase sales of soft drinks.’ Now I’m not saying you put that in the advertisement, but let’s face it – that’s the outcome you really want.

It’s great to have all the qualities listed above, but at the end of the day, can this Sales Manager bring in the business?

Back to the coffee shop; if it was your business and you needed to employ someone to join the team, what qualities would you look for in a job candidate?

You might say – “Someone with a bit of experience in a coffee shop, someone who looks clean and tidy and who’s a nice pleasant person.”

All of this is great, but what I’d look for is – “Someone who would make the customers want to buy some more coffee or food; who’d make the customer want to come back, and who’d probably recommend my coffee shop to other people.”

Now you may think that the characteristics you described above would bring the results I’m looking for, and you may be right. However; when you’re preparing to interview someone, be absolutely clear in your mind what outcomes you need from this person. It’s not about their experience or their intelligence; it’s about their talent to do the job.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, talent is what you’re looking for. It could be:

* The talent to sell
* The talent to detect an engine fault quickly
* The talent to analyse information accurately.

I’ve seen lots of sales people who had great relationship building skills, vision, drive and energy, as described in the job advertisement, but they couldn’t bring in the sales.

You need to ask the right questions, that uncover the person’s talent to achieve the outcomes you require – and I’ll explain that in a further article!

Or you could check out my book at Amazon.

Posted in Customer service, Difficult people, Management

Manage Difficult People Using the Magic of Rapport

Posted by The Motivation Doctor on February 11th, 2010 Comments

If you want to be really good at managing difficult people, you need to learn and apply the magic of rapport. I say magic, because if you develop that skill, you will make your life so much easier.

At the time of writing this, I received a phone call from my friend John. He was telling me about a recent trip to the airport, taking his mother and father to their holiday flight. The check-in time was 6:20 AM and John and his parents arrived at 6 AM. John noticed two girls sitting behind the check-in desk having a chat. He approached one of the girls and asked if it would be possible to check the bags even although they were 20 minutes early. He received a curt ‘No’ and was told to print off a boarding pass at one of the machines.

This annoyed John, not so much because he couldn’t check in, but more about how he was spoken to. The girl at the check in desk had almost no rapport building skills. She possibly was unable to check John’s parents in, due to technical reasons, but these weren’t explained, it was a straight – ‘No.’

John, as the customer, is likely to interpret her response as a lack of willingness to be flexible and helpful. In a customer service situation, the answer often is – ‘No,’ however it’s how you say the word ‘No’ that matters.

This check-in clerk is setting herself up to receive lots of difficult customers.

In order to minimise the number of difficult people you have to deal with, or to improve your ability to manage them, you need to be good at building rapport. Rapport is not just about speaking to other people; it’s about listening and understanding how the other person sees the situation. It’s also about being able to empathise and appreciate how they feel.

There’s a story about three people taking a walk through a beautiful forest. One of them is an artist, the other a botanist and the third person works in the timber business. As they walk through the forest, the artist is thinking: ‘What a beautiful forest, look at those stunning views! I’d love to come back here some day and capture this scene in a picture.’

The botanist is walking through the forest with her nose to the ground, and she’s thinking: ‘I’ve never seen so many wonderful plants; I’d like to spend more time studying them.’

The guy who works in the timber business is examining every tree and thinking: ‘There are some wonderful woods growing here, I could chop this lot down and make a fortune.’

We all see the world in a different way; the person with good rapport skills understands this and thinks about it when communicating with other people. Good rapport building skills are about conveying to the other person that you see the world in the same way that they see it.

Extract from –

The Danger of Crocodile Sales (cloudave.com)

Posted in Customer service, Difficult people, Leadership, Motivation, Sales