How is the Cornerstone of Your Business Built?

As promised in my last blog, this post will continue to look at motivation and how it effects your team.  In that writing, I proposed that a business leader needs to merge different motivations to achieve optimal performance and it should begin with understanding the uniqueness of the team. 
Wow – seems very heavy.  It really isn’t.  Think of it this way: Understanding what drives your team members to come to work every day – beyond the need for a paycheck, how much do you really know?  It is a very important cornerstone, yet may be an afterthought.

Consider this: You have a team member that has the experience and seniority for a promotion to supervisor.  At first, the other team members are happy for their peer and celebrate the success as a team.  As time goes on, the new supervisor seems to be alienating the team.  Rigid policies and procedures are put into place without rhyme or reason.  The team becomes disenchanted.  Deadlines are missed.  The work standards become sub-par.  What happened?  Where is the disconnect?
The new “rules” are not the reason for the issues.  The core problem lies with the promotion.  The supervisor was promoted solely on experience and seniority.  By digging deeper, the supervisor might not have been promoted and the team might have been spared.  A few simple questions can uncover so much:

“Why do you want to lead?”

“What do you see as essential to the role of a supervisor?”

“How will you interact with your team?”

“Who is responsible for the career development of team members?”

The motivation of accepting a promotion cannot be solely based on financial gain.  Successful leaders cannot be selfish or blind to the underlying needs of their team.  Understanding more about the team member, more than their experience and seniority, would show their capabilities and desires for leadership.  More simple questions:

“Are you fulfilled in your role on this team?”

“Besides money, why do you come to work every day?”

“Where do you want your career to go?

“As your leader, how can I help you to get there?”

As leaders, we have to be intuitive about our team abilities.  Open your mind to the motivations of others.  Developing new policies and procedures – without input, without cause – leads to alienation.  Developing a rapport, a standard of open dialog, a deep level of trust, that is how a strong team – the cornerstone of your business – is built.  Which will you choose?

Thank you for joining me on this renewed journey.  I welcome comments and questions.  Please go to my webpage, www.rdadvisorygroup.com for more information on an assessment of your current business functions. If you would like to read my previous blogging efforts, please go to: www.managingbusinessacument@blogspot.com. 

Know more about your employees than just their name!

Several years ago, I started a blog called Managing Business Acumen.  Though I loved writing it, the audience never seemed to take root and eventually it fell by the wayside.  Yet, here is another attempt.  Why?  What is that motivation that continues to drive me? 

There are very simple answers: To be heard; To make a difference in the lives of others: To promote positive cultures in business.  This new blog will pick up where the previous one left off and once again, I will strive for success.  Understanding the underlying thoughts behind this blog leads to the theme for this post: the complex topic of motivation.  While some of us thrive on success or the lure of it, others are happy to go along, unchallenged, in their daily business lives.  The difference can cause turmoil in business operations and dissatisfaction among team members.  What approaches should a business leader take to merge these different philosophies and achieve optimal performance?

The first step is to understand the uniqueness of the team.  Every person has their own thoughts and independent motivations.  Successful leaders will acknowledge and embrace the individualities.  The irony is that it is among the easiest of processes.  Casual, yet sincere conversations, over lunch or coffee build rapport and trust between leaders and team members.  Take the time to meet their spouse, significant other or children.  Simple discussions on topics of past experiences, personal goals and future career paths will naturally lead to insights on their motivations – motivations which will assist the leader in securing the success of the team.  

Next, as the individual motivations surface, the leader must ensure the proper alignment of resources.   To keep a dedicated, talented, upward seeking employee, locked into a front-line position will only serve as encouragement to seek success elsewhere.  If the employee is truly talented and has the motivation for success, developing a career path will ultimately bring fulfillment for both the employee, leader and the business.  On the reverse side, to have an unmotivated manager, one who stifles their team or is oppressive with their management style will serve to demotivate the group.  Just as a leader should uncover positive motivations, discovering negative motivations – and realigning them accordingly – is just as important. 

Finally, the key to lasting success is maintenance.  As people age and careers grow, their motivations change.  Understanding motivation is not just a “one and done.”  Career paths need to be monitored and adjusted accordingly.   Even if it is just annually, a leader should have an ongoing avenue for team members to voice their thoughts on their personal path as well as hear what is in the future of the business.  As life evolves in the outside world, so must life evolve within the organization.

Now, I have covered quite a few topics in this first, short post.  The motivation is to establish a foundation which I will come back to and expand on in future posts.  For now, the take away is that keeping the lines of communication between team member, leader and business organization leads to trust.  Trust that the team member can fulfill their personal goals and motivations.  Trust that if the employee acts in the best interest of the business, the business will act in the best interest of the employee.  Trust that success is achievable, no matter how many attempts it may take! 

Thank you for joining me on this renewed journey.  Comments and questions are very welcome.  For more information on an assessment of your current business functions, please go to my webpage, www.rdadvisorygroup.com . If you would like to read my previous blogging efforts, please go to: www.managingbusinessacument@blogspot.com.