If salary increases actually do improve employee morale, you would expect to see performance and productivity go up in line with the increases, wouldn’t you? Mmm. Well, you probably know the answer to that one.

Frederick Hertzberg took a look at the factors that bring job satisfaction and dis-satisfaction. He identifies two sets or groups of factors that affected employee motivation, and called them hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors included things like working conditions, pay, status and security. When these are poor, work is dis-satisfying, said Hertzberg. When they are acceptable, work is not dis-satisfying. Adding more hygiene factors does not increase employee motivation.

However, the motivators are things that influence employee satisfaction based on the fulfilment of intrinsic, or higher-level, needs. These needs include opportunities for growth, recognition, achievement, and the quality of the work itself. Motivators, says Hertzberg, improve worker satisfaction and motivation much more than hygiene factors alone ever could.

Top performance employees want to be appreciated for the quality of the work done and recognised for the efforts and abilities that they show. It’s only the poor performers who think that extra pay will produce actual motivation. Actually, I believe the extra pay only attempts to make up for the poor opportunities or the boring work they have to continually carry out. It mutes the pain for a while, until the effect wears off and the money loses its meaning.

So our second myth is “Employees are Motivated by Salary Increases”

If you have increased salaries recently and expected an improvement in performance or productivity and it didn’t materialise, Hertzberg explains why.

Increased pay will never deal with intrinsic motivation. Recognising what specifically motivates people working for you, and tapping into their motivational instincts, are the only ways that you are going to get to the real essence of what makes people turn themselves on at work.

Thanks again

Sean

So how can you empower people and reduce the risk associated with it? Here are some ideas:

1. Tell people what their responsibilities are. Unless people are absolutely clear on what the expectations are for their performance, there’s always the risk that they will misunderstand what your expectations are. Agree those responsibilities and get them to tell you what their level of performance should be. That way, they own more of the results

2. Give them authority equal to their responsibilities. If you want them to carry our specific responsibilities, allow them the authority to make decisions commensurate with that level. Always having to ask permission for trivia will only decrease drive and morale

3. Set standards of excellence. They will follow your example. If that example shows you cutting corners, willing to accept mediocrity or bypassing rules when it doesn’t suit you, they won’t believe your lip-service to commitment to excellence

4. Provide people with training that will enable them meet these standards. Coach and train them relentlessly to achieve the best. No back-up assistance to achieve success will result in excuses and reasons for average performance

5. Give them knowledge and information. Open communication is a pre-requisite for empowerment. Without it, you are practicing ‘mushroom management’ ….. keeping them in the dark and feeding them manure!

6. Provide feedback on performance. Unless they know how they are doing, how will they know they’re on the right track? Allow them to see how they progressing and to take responsibility for improvement

7. Recognise them for their achievements. There has to be something they can aspire to, even if it’s only praise and thank you’s. Without some kind of recognition, what’s the point of empowerment?

8. Trust them. Giving them responsibility means letting go of some of the apron strings and attachment to methodologies. Discuss outcomes, set the ball in motion and let them get on with it

9. Give them permission to fail. If they don’t take risks, they will never grow. Offer the safety net for failure, but encourage decision-making and you’ll see the growth in their performance

10. Treat them with dignity and respect. Many managers still say they need to micromanage or the job won’t get done. That’s more of a reflection on the manager than on the individual they are trying to empower. Respect breeds respect, so allow people the space and opportunity to show how capable they are. They may surprise you.

Empowerment isn’t an abdication of responsibility on your behalf; it’s a recognition of how important your team members are and allows them to show their potential and willingness. By offering this level of connection, you prove the value of each team member and morale can only go one way…upwards!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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Well, yes and no.

One common mistake that managers make in this area is to assume that all that it will take to empower a team member is to simply delegate work and assume they have the motivation and commitment to carry it out. It may not be that simple.

We’ve discussed before that taking people out of their comfort zone can cause many people a lot of stress. Empowering some team members may be fearful for them. We get used to things as they are and so resist change. Some of us like the predictability of everyday work, and they may prefer it when you, the boss, make all the decisions.

So what can you do to encourage people to take on more responsibility and become more empowered, when they may have some resistance to it?

First, make sure you have a clear understanding of what is meant by empowerment, and the responsibilities, authority, limits and expectations you have regarding the people who will be participating.

Ensure everyone has a clear picture of what you’re trying to achieve, what your priorities and values are for the team. If the team isn’t clear, expect hesitancy and fear.

Decide on how you will communicate the message of empowerment. Personally? As a team? A meeting? Email? Make sure the methodology fits in with what you’re trying to achieve. In this case, the journey may be more important than the destination

How will people actually make decisions when they have the power to do so? It may be better to formalise the process so everyone knows what’s going on.

By doing all the above, you are more likely to see consistency of results. If the team know what they are doing and why they are doing it, you have more reasons for participation. Let people take some calculated risks, but let them know if they are going in the right direction. You may find some of the team’s decision-makers come out of the woodwork and show their natural leadership abilities.

All empowerment should be an opportunity for individuals to grow and develop in their abilities and skills. Let them have the right tools to communicate effectively, and you’ll see the potential in many team members

Give the individuals who might be shying away from the empowerment you are offering some kind of stability and support. And give it time. You may have the experience of problem-solving and decision-making, communication skills and abilities honed over many years. Remember that your team members may not have your abilities. So be patient and recognise how your team communicate, so you can be at their level and on their wavelength.

By doing all this, you reduce the chances of failure in empowering others and give yourself more opportunities to share the workload while developing their skills.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say you’ve tried but nothing has really worked. You’ve worked hard to take control of your life but things just never seem to go your way. Today I present 5 tips to help you gain a sense of self-empowerment.

Decide what YOU Want Out of Life

Do you really know what you want out of life? Most people say they do but I think in many cases we’re lying to ourselves. We’re always quantifying and justifying the things we want so that they make others happy as well. Forget the rest of the world. If you had no one else to answer to, what would you really want to do?

Put Your Goals in Writing

Get a piece of paper and make a list of your personal goals – both long and short term. It’s a proven fact that having a written plan is more effective than simply having one in your head. Put that piece of paper in your wallet or purse so that you can refer to it as often as necessary – especially on bad days when you need to remind yourself what you’re working towards.

Find a Mentor

Yup – you read that right. Go out and find yourself a mentor or life coach. The mentor you work with doesn’t necessarily need to have anything to do with your professional career. You need an impartial person to work with you as you plan your goals and move forward on your self-empowerment journey. A coach or mentor will hold you accountable for what you do or do not do during that journey.

Become Action Oriented

It’s not enough to simply write out a list of goals and carry it around with you. It’s time for you to decide what steps you will take to meet each goal. Once you know, start taking those steps. Becoming empowered means taking control of your life and doing things – not just thinking about them.

Once you feel in control of your life on a personal level your professional life will fall right into place. Your management career will blossom and you’ll have a lot more to offer your employees as they learn to become empowered as well!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Delegating your authority means giving your employees and team members a sense of empowerment. Some managers try to stifle and employee’s feeling of empowerment because they don’t want their subordinates feeling as though they have too much control. I couldn’t disagree with this more.

There are several benefits to giving your employees a sense of empowerment. They include:

• A decreased aversion to risk and the fears associated with taking a risk;
• An increase in innovation, flexibility, and creativity;
• Increased employee morale as team members build stronger rapport with each other and with their customers; and
• Time for you, as the manager, to complete your other tasks instead of hand-holding your team as they work on each project.

A little bit of empowerment can go a long way in the workplace. You aren’t training people to replace you – you’re training them to be responsible, think on their feet, and not depend on you all the time.

Seems like a fair trade off to me.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Empowerment has both pros and cons and the way you respond to the level of control you have makes a huge difference. Some people use their feelings of empowerment to help others while some use it to build up their own esteem and act as if they have total control. Managers who do the former as opposed to the latter are usually preferred.

There are three main things a manager can and should do with empowerment:

• Someone who is empowered should use his situation to use and develop his capabilities and the capabilities of those on his team;
• An empowered person has the ability and knowledge to coach others in order to help them develop their own potential; and
• The manager should be able to recognize and enable the growth and development of future talent.

Sounds complicated? It’s really not. You’re in a unique position, but you’re there for a reason. Use your skills and knowledge to help others grow instead of holding them back and you’ll be surprised at the dynamic team you end up with!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”