Mr. Motivator.

We don’t need to tell you about the advantages of motivating your staff. As directors and CEO's, you’ll no doubt have seen enough presentations, memo’s and articles to run your own team building workshops as a sideline. It’s always good in theory too. Sitting in on sessions from motivational speakers, great activities that are well thought out, and you all leave buzzing – making big promises to yourself that staff morale, under your jurisdiction, will soar.

Back down to earth with a bump, you realise that work life gets in the work, If you are successful, then you are too busy doing what you get paid for to consider the emotional well being of the workforce. And, if you are not doing so well, maybe you are busy with the logistics of building up the business or even letting staff go.

Either way, there has probably never been a more important time to motivate your team. Forget about expensive outdoor type team building activities or other costly ‘experiential learning experiences’ (little bit of industry-ese there). If there is one thing a global financial crisis teaches all, from the CEO to the mail room, is the value of people rather than pounds. Every penny counts, true, so we need to watch spend and instead invest on ROI. And it doesn’t have to cost. What is the point in any of these exercises, whoever pays, if it makes no difference to company morale?

Your staff needs to feel loved and appreciative. Touchy feely nonsense it may sound like, but it’s all about the personal touch. Nobody wants to see upper management flashing the cash on corporate entertainment or such like. It’s meaningless if the senior staff can barely manage a nod good morning in the lift on a regular day.

So the good news is, your corporate wallets are safe, but you DO have to invest the time and effort into motivating your staff during a downturn.

• Treat them to lunch – get out of the office and somewhere bright and airy for a quick bite. It gives you a great feel for the group dynamics and if you plan it in advance it gives something to look forward to through a relatively mundane week. Don’t choose anywhere formal – you might think it shows your appreciation more, but it just makes people uncomfortable. Everyone loves Pizza, and your consideration will be appreciated


• Don’t just think it – say it. Give genuine and sincere praise for a job well done – and do it publicly too, not just privately or via email. You have to make sure you are fair on this of course – but surely there is good in everybody? Being praised in front of your peers is something employees REALLY like – trust me. A wind down beverage.


• No one is advocating a full on bar crawl, but a swift drink at the end of a working week, somewhere non drinkers and both men and women will feel comfortable attending is a great way to say thanks for a week’s work well done.


• Gone are the days of sending entire teams away on training courses or conferences. If you send one key member as an incentive, you can reap the benefits by entrusting them to filter the knowledge back to their colleagues upon return


• Do something different. Maybe once a month have a recognition day or afternoon. Invent silly awards with novelty prizes to give out for random categories invented by you or other staff. You have humour and public recognition.


• If your staff is clued in, they know that knowledge is power. Learn to recognise when an employee is looking for more responsibility. They know it makes them more marketable and bulks out their experience. Give them what they want and reap the benefits.


• All in the name. It sounds simple, but a more positive sounding job title is precious. It’s what people ‘do’ and rightly or wrongly, society often defines people by this. Assess these and maybe play around with them a little.


• Do as as most would do. As the boss you have to set the example, not the most original advice, but some that is not often followed. You DO have to be someone they can trust and respect, If you’re not, you need a little more help than in staff motivation – something you can never achieve.


• Be rational. Life happens. Kids get sick, meetings have to be held during working hours – it’s unavoidable. Nothing hurts more as an employee to be made to feel you are ‘in trouble’ or not contributing enough because you have to take the very odd hour off to complete these errands we all have. Be a flexible boss, it could come back to bite you. We’re all human right?