The WOW Factor: Encouragement as a Motivator

I was walking the winding looping steep trail at my local park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The trail is about a half of a mile and very steep in some portions. A great workout. So here I was walking at a very fast pace. A stranger in workout gear was running the opposite direction. He was very fit and looked like he was having a good run. As he passed me he yelled out “way to go!” He was looking directly at me. I was somewhat shocked at being addressed by a stranger. Who was he anyway? On the second lap I earned a smile and a ” keep going!” On the third lap a big wave. So here I was starting to feel good about the encouragement of a stranger! This was an amazing experience and really got me thinking. I wanted to do well for my new “coach”. I actually ran the last lap to please him.

Think about it. All people need to feel good; to get and give energy, to have encouragement, appreciation and acknowledgement. So here is the big issue; many leaders don’t take the energy and time to provide any form of encouragement at all. None! Encouragemant as a tool can have great power. I want you to think about being the Head Motivator. Now you are saying to yourself- “here goes the motivational seminar stuff.” Nope. I am just saying that in a leadership role, your job is to get results. That is it. Results. So how do you get these great results?- through people.

So do you want to be effective as the Chief Encouragement Officer? Here are tips and techniques that can work really well in order to help you fullfill your new role.

Talk to people- I have been at company meetings several times and have watched a key executive walk into the room, walk by everyone and go across the room to speak to other executives. It was as if the “small people” weren’t worth addressing or acknowledging. Shocking and foolish. In my opinion this is a big strategic error and can and will create resentment. So when you are working daily or in one of your offices, do you take the time to say hello to people as you pass them? If not do you at least nod at them giving positive non verbal signals?

Acknowledge their effort- I was once a Vice President at a Fortune 500 Company. If someone did something I felt was great, I would write them a short note on a note card (with my name at the top) thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. Often as I traveled I would go in someone’s office and see the card I wrote taped up on their wall. This taught me an important lesson- that everyone wants to be acknowledged. The biggest complaint I hear from frontline workers is simple lack of acknowledgement. Also acknowledge people when they have worked lots of hours or have put in effort “over and above” the call of duty. Publically and privately acknowledge people when they do great work.

Balance criticism- It is really incredibly easy to criticize other people’s work. Mistakes are part of the human condition. As a trainer I often ask people to critique their role-play in class starting with “what went well?” In variably they always start with the negative feedback. Maybe it is human nature. I want you as a leader to find a balance between positive and negative feedback. Too many managers just pound away at a team member and eventually morale goes way down. I am not suggesting by the way, not providing critical feedback I am saying you are already throwing the salt; mix in a little sugar.

Catch them at their best- Acknowledge efforts and not at time and place it would always be expected. Look, the small things always mean alot. Find small ways to reward your folks. This can be things like a box of danish in the morning, taking someone out for lunch, giving them a few extra perks here and there. Just make sure to let them know it is a reward and what it is a reward for. Tell them ” hey- I know you put in countless hours on the Smith Account- thanks for your hard work. Take next friday off.” They will appreciate being appreciated. They will go home and tell their familiy about it. They will feel proud.

The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.

So start today.

Shawn Doyle is a funny and energetic Motivational Speaker and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn’s book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.