Motivating employees is a crucial aspect of effective management. After all, when employees are motivated, they are more engaged, productive, and committed to their work. Motivated employees also tend to stay with their organizations longer, reducing turnover and the associated costs. As a manager, it’s your responsibility to create a work environment that fosters motivation. Today’s blog post will give you 5 effective strategies managers can use to motivate employees.

1. Recognition and Appreciation

One of the most powerful motivators for employees is recognition and appreciation for their hard work and achievements. This is really a basic human need. And when employees feel valued, they are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles. In fact, research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that when employees perceive their supervisors as appreciative, they are more committed to their organizations. To show appreciation for hard work managers can publicly acknowledge employees’ contributions in team meetings, highlighting specific projects where an employee excelled, provide a certificate of achievement

2. Opportunities for Growth and Development

Employees are motivated when they see a clear path for personal and professional growth within the organization. Managers can facilitate this by offering opportunities for skill development, advancement and mentorship. When employees know they can grow within the company, they are more likely to stay motivated and engaged. And according to a study by Mercer, they’re more likely to stay with their current employers. Managers can create development plans for employees with clear goals and that include training sessions or other professional development. And it’s important to realize that soft skills training is just as important as training for hard skills. 

3. Effective Communication

Open and transparent communication is essential for motivating employees. Managers should regularly communicate with their teams, providing feedback, setting clear expectations, and involving employees in decision-making processes. When employees understand their role and how it contributes to the overall success of the organization, they feel more motivated and engaged. A manager might hold weekly team meetings to discuss ongoing projects, share client feedback, and address any concerns. During these meetings, the manager should encourage team members to share their ideas and opinions. When employees feel that their voices are heard and their input is valued, they are motivated to actively participate in projects. 

4. Incentives and Rewards

Incentives and rewards can be effective motivators when used strategically. Managers can implement various incentive programs such as bonuses, promotions, or special recognition, to encourage employees to achieve specific goals or targets. And rewards can be big or small, depending on the manager’s budget. Extra vacation days are always welcomed by employees as are e-gift cards to your local coffee shop. Or a manager could set up an employee of the month/quarter/year award. There are even reward platforms available where you can track and reward in one place. Just remember that it’s crucial to tie incentives to meaningful achievements and ensure they are fair and equitable. 

5. Supportive Work Environment

Creating a supportive work environment is fundamental to employee motivation. Managers should foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and well-being. When employees feel supported and can maintain a healthy work-life balance, they are more likely to remain motivated and engaged. One of the best ways a manager can do this is to provide flexible work hours and remote work options. You could also provide wellness programs, such as yoga classes or mental health resources, to help employees manage stress. By prioritizing their well-being, you create an environment where employees are motivated to give their best. And bonus, a study published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that employees who feel their managers care about their well-being are less likely to leave their jobs.

To Wrap It All Up

Motivating employees is a continuous process that requires dedication and effort from managers. By utilizing these five effective strategies (recognition and appreciation, opportunities for growth and development, effective communication, incentives and reward and a supportive work environment) you can create a motivated and engaged workforce. However, each employee is unique, so it’s essential to tailor your motivational strategies to their individual needs and preferences. Ultimately, when employees feel motivated and valued, they contribute to the success and growth of your organization.

Whether you manage a team of one or many, improve your management skills with the Management training by Brilliant People. Contact us today!

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Your Personality at Work

As a provider of soft skills training, we hear people question the ROI of non-technical skills all the time. Now, this is absolutely an important aspect of business that has to be considered but our goal goes beyond just looking at ROI. Organizations need to understand the fact that helping people acquire the tools necessary to communicate more effectively with their coworkers and consumers equals less conflict and more productivity. We find the issue of ROI confusing because 92% of employers say soft skills are essential and that a large proportion of the workforce lacks them, especially entry level employees. And yet only 31% of companies are providing soft skills development to remedy this situation. Could it be that the term ‘soft skills’ is the problem? We think that it’s definitely part of it.

Originally coined in the 1970s by the U.S. Army, soft skills differentiated interpersonal skills from those needed to operate weapons or machinery. To separate the two types of skills was an understandable desire. However, just as a silkworm isn’t actually a worm and your funny bone isn’t actually a bone (or funny…), a soft skill isn’t actually soft. After all, most people equate ‘soft’ things with those that are delicate, squishy, velvety, etc. And sadly, many people equate the idea of ‘soft’ as demanding little work or effort as in the opposite of ‘hard.’ 

Now I don’t know about you, but at Brilliant People we think using interpersonal skills at work to develop better relationships with coworkers and customers can be A LOT of hard work! Consider the art of giving critical feedback to a colleague or direct report, or de-escalating an irate customer situation, or the fact that 69% of managers feel uncomfortable communicating with their own employees! So calling these skills ‘soft’ can seem like it devalues their worth. In fact, many have advocated for calling soft skills something that sounds stronger like ‘power skills’ and we aren’t opposed to this, but the fact of the matter is that ‘soft’ also refers to bringing ease or quiet, not being glaring, being smooth, not being violent, or marked by kindness. And our personal favorite definition: based on negotiation, conciliation, or flexibility rather than on force, threats, or intransigence. The point being, let’s not get hung up on what we call these skills, let’s just focus on acquiring them. And there should never be a question of whether to train for hard or soft skills. It should always be both. 

So, which soft skills are important to develop? When it comes to creating positive workplace culture there are several from this years top 10 list of the most in-demand soft skills:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Interpersonal skills

And all of them are teachable if an employee is willing to learn. It just takes a little time and practice. 

One of our favorite tools is Catalyst by Everything DiSC. This is an online platform that houses the information from up to three DiSC assessments: Workplace, Agile EQ, and Management. The information contained in each allows the user to dig deep into their own personality type and its affect on their emotional intelligence and management style. It also provides tons of information on how better to communicate with differing personality types. Individuals can even do a comparison report between themselves and a colleague to prepare for a one-on-one meeting or just to understand how to get along better with them. And it’s available 24/7. It’s truly been a game changer for the managers and teams we’ve worked with.

For example, we recently worked with the leadership team of instructional technologists for a large school district. Each school in this district is assigned an IT person or two to ensure that the campus technology runs smoothly for both the students and the teachers. It’s a crucial position of the school staff and it requires not only mastery of the technology but also the ability to effectively navigate all the different personalities with which they work. It’s like having a team of 50-120 individuals depending on the size of the school. But this school year will be different. 

Now this team has the ability to use Catalyst to understand their own personality type and why they show up at work the way the do. They can also dig into why their teammates and coworkers show up the way they do. In addition, they can read up on the examples of strategies within Catalyst for working more constructively with each coworker. And because this team also took the Agile EQ assessment, they can begin to improve their own emotional intelligence through Cataylst’s suggested strategies as well as learn how to meet the EQ needs of their coworkers. Did I mention what a game changer this is?!

Conclusion

To sum up, the term soft skills might seem like a misnomer to many, but it’s probably here to stay. Because there is so much of the definition in the word ‘soft’ that does apply, let’s not spend time quibbling over semantics. Instead, let’s focus on helping people master these skills. After all, 85% of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills.  As an extra bonus Ai doesn’t have the ability to develop interpersonal skills, teamwork and leadership. Only humans can do that. Plus, according to joint research by Microsoft and Mckinsey, soft skill-intensive occupations will grow at 2.5 times the jobs in other fields (30-40% of future jobs will depend on social-emotional skills)! And because we humans should all be working toward some semblance of work-life balance, it’s important to realize that utilizing soft skills appropriately isn’t only beneficial at work. It’s crucial in every single setting in which two humans interact. Is anyone still questioning the ROI of soft skills? 

If you want to improve your team’s ability to communicate more effectively, what are you waiting for? Call us today! We provide training and access to the Everything DiSC Catalyst platform.

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Engaging with and motivating remote employees as well as creating a true team atmosphere is no easy feat. Team members don’t have the opportunity to learn from each other’s in-person behaviors nor can they witness office protocol first-hand when there is no regular in-person team interaction. Without the water cooler effect of office life, individuals end up operating in their own silos with the result being increased loneliness (by 67%), a lack of connection (94% agree), and feeling like they don’t truly belong (40%).

Conversely, when an employee feels connected and like they belong there is a whopping 56% increase in job performance. With no end in sight to remote working, creating cohesion should be top priority for anyone in management. To create a high-performance remote team, a manager should work to overcome these three issues: communication, isolation, a lack of supervision. 

The Issue of Communication

First, let’s look at the art of communication. It’s important that managers set a standard for communication during the hiring process and then stay consistent thereafter. For quick interactions, text chats are fine, video calls are usually best for real-time collaboration. Communicating remotely through a medium like Zoom is better than just email because it allows employees to see a manager’s expression and hear voice intonation. However, just telling someone what to do isn’t enough. To be truly effective at creating a high-performance there needs to be more nuance in management style.  

Most importantly managers should get to know each of the employees well enough that they can communicate with each in a way that resonates with them. For example, verbal instructions only really work for auditory learners, so they should always be followed up with written communication. Preferably through email, where employees can return as needed to that documentation.  

Communication is also important as a means of making remote workers feel connected to their team members. Since they are not in the office on a regular basis, they can miss out on important conversations and updates that happen in the moment.  Keep your teams organized with project management tools and access to a secure cloud. And make sure to regularly check-in and hold team meetings and one-on-one sessions to keep everyone informed, address concerns, and foster collaboration. 

The Issue of Isolation

Now, let’s talk about isolation. Remote employees like the work-life balance that comes from working remotely. However, they often feel isolated because they miss out on the social interaction and sense of community that comes with working in an office environment. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and eventually burnout. Helping remote workers feel connected to their team and the organization at large is crucial to keeping them happy, engaged, and productive.  

As we’ve said before, team members who get to know each other well and find commonality have the best opportunity to become a high-performing team. To help them do this, managers should encourage social time for the team. If they are part-time remote and come into the office occasionally, organize outings or in-office meals where team members can come together socially for some downtime.  

If they are completely remote, encourage social hours over Zoom. You could also host a once-a-week hour for people to trade stories around a particular theme like where they grew up and what they liked to do as a kid or what their first job was and what they learned from it. The more teammates get to know each other, the more they will understand why teammates show up at work the way they do.  

A Lack of Supervision

Last, let’s look at a lack of supervision. Remote work requires a higher level of autonomy, so it’s important to provide your team with a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished and the expected outcomes. And yet, some remote workers may feel less supervised and accountable for their work, leading to decreased productivity and quality of work.  

A manager must consider the strengths and struggles of each teammate and provide the correct amount of supervision without micromanaging. Breaking down larger projects into smaller milestones and setting realistic deadlines will be really helpful. Regularly reviewing progress, providing feedback, and offering support when needed are important for the entire team. But it is imperative for those that need a little more structure.   

Conclusion

In summary, managers have three important issues to overcome as they manage remote teams: communication, isolation, and a lack of supervision. And as stated, there are ways to accomplish this. It’s also important to remember that each remote team will have a certain dynamic and specific needs, so a manager must learn to adapt their management style accordingly. Regularly seek feedback from team members to ensure that the strategies and approaches implemented are effective and actually address their unique circumstances. Doing so will help to ensure everyone is aligned and working toward becoming a high-performance team. 

If you’d like your managers to build high-performance teams, contact us today! We offer a fantastic management training program based on DiSC theory.

The Culture (R)evolution starts with you!

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The push for diversity and inclusion is lacking a crucial piece of the puzzle. And I’m not talking about belonging. Yes, belonging is important. Just as equity and inclusion are important. However, to truly have a diverse workforce you also need a diversity of personalities because they bring different perspectives, priorities, and work styles together which can spark conversation and innovation. This is what it looks like when embracing differences is part of the DNA of a team or organization. And employees and the organization alike reap the benefits to the tune of 2.5 times higher cash flow per employee. 

Personality Prejudice  

Profit increase is just one of the amazing byproducts when our differences are celebrated. But the reality is that we often mistrust or disregard people who show up differently than we do. It’s a form of unconscious bias that most humans fall prey to, and when it happens, we are triggered into negative reactions. For example, have you ever worked with someone who came across as too harsh or abrupt? They always managed to pull in the results, but they hurt people’s feelings with their insensitivity. Or maybe you’ve worked with someone who was slow to respond or speak up and so they were disrespected and treated like a doormat.  

It’s possible that you may have experienced a workmate who was forgetful and came across as “flighty”, causing you and your coworkers to disregard their other abilities. It’s even likely that you’ve worked with someone who never showed emotion and preferred to work in their own silo even though, ultimately, it was detrimental to the team’s success. These are just some examples of natural personality tendencies that often rub people the wrong way and over time cause problems within a team or department. 

Soft Skills Are Lacking  

When teammates don’t know how to work collaboratively because their differences get in the way, it can result in prejudice, distrust, and even marginalization. It seems like we should be farther along than we are in addressing this issue, but organizations continue to put people together on teams based on their hard skills. And then they expect them to come together cohesively despite the different priorities, motivators, strengths, and struggles of each individual team member. More often than not, the result is a group of people who struggle to see eye to eye. They can’t relate to each other, and they don’t have the necessary soft skills to fix the problem. 

A proactive manager, on the other hand, would want to provide personality development for the team so that employees are empowered with the knowledge of why they show up at work the way they do and why their teammates show up as they do. A manager would also ensure that the training would provide strategies for communicating more effectively with the different personality types. And most importantly, this type of training would allow employees the opportunity to practice communication skills before they actually have to use them.  

Personality Development Matters

The ability to communicate effectively even in conflict is one of the soft skills most desired by today’s employers. So, if today’s employees want access to more professional development and organizations want employees to have more of the power skills like communication and collaboration, then personality development is a must. This type of development benefits teams as they work together but it also imparts skills that individuals will continue to use throughout their careers. In fact, research from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center found that 85% of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills and people skills. 

To conclude, kudos to every manager who is working to make diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging the norm in their place of work. Being a woman and having a Mexican family lineage makes that personal to me. But I also believe that a crucial aspect of this fight for diversity is recognizing that personality plays an important part in how we show up at work. To manage effectively you must understand your own personality as well as the others on your team. It’s the way to ensure that employees feel included, heard, appreciated, and valued. At Brilliant People we believe it’s the cornerstone of a culture that embraces DEI&B wholeheartedly.  

If you’d like to bring personality development to your team, get in touch with us today! 

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To win the war for talent, you must shape the culture so that your company attracts the right people. As the Great Resignation has proven, unhappy workers whose employers aren’t cutting it are quitting in droves. In fact, one-quarter of employees resigned over the past six months and the No. 1 reason listed for quitting was “toxic company culture.” Things like a lack of recognition, favoritism, unhealthy communication, gossiping, and poor management skills can all contribute to a toxic culture. So, what’s an organization to do when it can’t completely start from scratch? Embrace the potter’s philosophy. It’s an old metaphor, but an apt one when it comes to creating culture. And it only involves three steps: pick the clay, center the clay and mold the clay.  

Step 1: Pick the clay 

There are four different types of clay that potters use: Earthenware clay, Stoneware clay, Ball clay, and Porcelain. All can be used but the end result for each will be different from the others because of its color, texture, and flexibility. In business, it’s no different. To create a culture that will attract and retain the best employees, you must first pick the right people to be a part of the culture. Building diversity is key. Individuals with different backgrounds, life experiences, personal characteristics, skill sets, and viewpoints are necessary to construct a high-performing team.  

Of course, people differences often trigger people problems, so it is important for a manager to choose people who are supportive and collaborative team players, but also results-driven. And it is just as important that the manager provides opportunities for the team to get to know each other’s personality types and work styles. Taking the time to choose the right people and then creating cohesion by helping them to get to know each other to build trust will create a solid foundation for the team. 

Step 2: Center the clay 

Once a potter has chosen the type of clay they will use, it’s time to center it on the potting wheel. This involves getting a ball of clay to evenly distribute across the middle of the potting wheel. It doesn’t sound hard but it’s actually one of the most frustrating parts of preparing the clay. Centering the clay is like aligning employees to the mission and values of the organization, so it’s an essential step. Employees have always wanted to know that what they do at work is important, but for many, this desire is now one of the biggest factors contributing to whether they stay at their job or take their skills elsewhere. Basically, the pandemic caused a shift in how we view work. So much so, that fifty-two percent now say they question the purpose of their day-to-day job. And 92% said the pandemic made them feel life is too short to stay in a job they weren’t passionate about. 

Sadly, when employees feel they have little purpose, they begin to disengage. They care less and so lose the desire to do their job well. This lack of motivation trickles down and causes productivity to suffer. Ultimately, unhappy people create an unhappy workplace culture. A good manager, however, will start during the hiring process to make sure that all team members know just how much their work matters and how it ties in with the mission statement and values of the organization.  

Step 3: Mold the clay

Molding the clay is where the potter works the centered clay on the potting wheel to create the sculpture of their choosing. One aspect of this step is the act of smoothing out the clay with the fingers. This process is like the idea of providing feedback to employees in order to help them become the best that they can be at their jobs. And yet it’s one of the things managers struggle with the most.  

Over two-thirds report that they are uncomfortable with giving feedback to those they manage, especially if it’s negative feedback. But this is hands down the best way to help mold employees into high-performing members of the team. When feedback is given regularly and appropriately, it models a two-way communication loop which decreases office conflict and helps people feel valued and recognized. This is so important that nearly 60% of employees surveyed stated that they would like feedback on a daily or weekly basis — a number that increased to 72% for employees under age 30. Regular feedback (mostly positive!) by management is a necessary component of building a high-performance team.  

3 Steps to Success

A beautiful piece of pottery represents skilled craftsmanship, not unlike the manager of a thriving workplace culture. The potter chooses the right clay and the manager chooses the right people. The potter centers the clay and the manager centers the team by aligning them to the company’s mission and values. And lastly, the potter molds the clay, just as the manager uses feedback to mold the members of the team. All three steps are necessary to create high-performance teams that will sustain the company culture.  

To begin this process, contact us today! We provide a comprehensive continual learning model that achieves results! 

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A high-performance team is more than a collection of smart, ambitious, excellent human beings who have been tasked with solving a problem together. Instead, it is a group of people who share goals and values, and whose skills complement each other. To meet their common goals, they develop incredibly effective means of communication and collaboration. And a crucial aspect of this dynamic is a deep level of trust and respect for each other. Of course, if was as simple as it definition sounds, there would be a lot more high-performance teams! So, how do you go about developing a team that outperforms all the others? At Brilliant People, we focus on the following five areas:  

1. Shared vision, purpose and goals  
2. Building trust  
3. Effectively communicating 
4. Managing conflict constructively 
5. Encouraging diversity 

Share Vision

 “The more clear you are about what you want the more likely you are to achieve it.” Billy Cox 

Let’s start with focusing on the same vision, purpose and goals. A high-performance team is one who can directly tie their work to the vision of the company. Seeing the purpose behind their job absolutely relates to how much a team member will engage at work. In fact, 70 percent of people say they define their purpose through work. To improve how a team functions, develop goals that correspond to the company’s vision and the individual’s purpose.  

Build Trust

“Trust is the highest form of human motivation.” Stephen Covey 

Second, to create a high-performance team, teammates must work to build trust with each other. This involves getting to know each other on a personal basis. Things like whether they have a family, their hobbies, likes, dislikes, workstyle, and what motivates and demotivates them are a great place to start. But to really get to know someone, it helps to understand their background. Things like why they chose their profession and their current job, whether they grew up in an urban or rural area, if they have siblings, and where the fall in the line-up can all offer insight into why people show up at work the way they do. And the trust that can develop from getting to know someone well has been shown to improve psychological safety, encourages innovation, and enhances moral. 

Communicate Often & Effectively

“In teamwork, silence isn’t golden. It’s deadly.” Mark Sanborn  

The third way to encourage high-performance teams is to improve communication which means doing it frequently and effectively. Frequently involves making sure that all team members understand what is expected of them on a daily, quarterly, annual and project basis. Finding a channel where communication can flow freely, and everyone has access to it, is an important aspect of creating clear communication. And so is keeping it concise and to the point.  

Communicating often is important, but so is being able to communicate effectively. Many people think they are good communicators, but research shows that nearly 75 percent of communications that are received are interpreted incorrectly. So, taking the time to listen more than you speak is a first good step. But as important is the idea of meeting people where they are. Get to know their personality type so that you can engage in the way that comes naturally to them. You’ll get to know your teammates better through this process and continue to layer onto the trust you started to build with #2. 

Constructive Conflict

“To rumble is a discussion, conversation or meeting defined by a commitment to lean into vulnerability. It’s to stay curious and generous. You stick with the “messy middle” of problem identification and solving. The goal is to serve the work and each other, not our egos.” Brene Brown 

The fourth aspect of a high-performance team is to manage conflict constructively. This doesn’t mean that conflict won’t exist. Instead, it means that when conflict arises, teammates will work through it constructively. Successful teams create team norms around conflict so that everyone knows what’s expected when it does arise. For example, it can be very helpful to determine ahead of time things like whether it’s ok to yell or curse. Or whether it’s ok to discuss the conflict through email, or with others.  

And it’s just as important to set the expectation that it’s ok to have differing opinions and ways of doing things if everyone is respectful to each other. The idea is to encourage the team to consider conflict as a means to truth and innovation. Brene Brown, calls it “rumbling”. If you’d like to use her rumble language with your team, you can follow this link.  

Value Diversity

“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” Jane Goodall 

Lastly, a high-performance team is diverse and values their diversity. Different backgrounds, personalities, and experiences on one team allow team members the opportunity to fill each other’s gaps in varied and often unexpected ways.  Of course, people differences often trigger people problems, so the team must be willing to stay open-minded and try to find some common ground. This will involve all of the other steps discussed here. And in doing so will foster empathy and understanding. Both of which contribute to good working relationships and teams that succeed.   

Conclusion

“None of us is as smart as all of us.” Ken Blanchard 

Teams are a dime a dozen, but high-performance teams are something special. The excellent results they produce don’t come easily or by mistake. It takes time and effort to get to know each teammate well enough to see their value and know how to work with them in spite of any differences. This involves sharing a vision, purpose and goals and building trust on the team. But it also includes learning to communicate effectively and often so that miscommunication is lessened. And when it does occur, it involves following the pre-set norms around how to handle the conflict constructively. Finally, it involves seeing people for who they are and valuing them because of it. Working on these five areas, will push your team forward on its path to becoming a high-performance team. 

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