Key Psychological Needs of Employee Motivation (2 of 3)

My Grandson is 2 ½ years old and his job, as with every 2 ½-year-old, is to learn and master skills.  Each week when I visit him, I see he has learned something new. Words with a lot of syllables in the same sentence. Catch a ball (sort of).  Read (memorize) a book. Run AND

Are you a bad conversationalist?

Bad conversationalist or good conversationalist? Over and over again on Saturday night my honey Rick and I found ourselves in situations feeling awkward and struggling to connect with other people. This is not usually the case for me! I love people and getting to know them. However, talking with people Saturday night was like driving

Are Your Employees Disengaged?

Good question.  Employee disengagement isn’t always obvious; it can be subtle. Step out of your world for a moment and look at your employees through a lens of objectivity.  What is each employee DOING?  What is each employee SAYING? Employees provide clues to their level of engagement through their behaviors and statements.  As a manager,

7 Reasons Disengaged Employees Cost You $$

How many dollars do companies waste on disengaged employees?  *One employee cost Goldman Sachs an estimated $2 billion+.  Shocking?  How can it not be!  People Metrics offers a more realistic look at the cost of employee disengagement - $2,246 per employee.  Yikes!  Why are disengaged employees so expensive? Productivity falls: Working at full capacity isn’t

Are YOU using the right LEADERSHIP STYLE?

The style in which you lead impacts the people around you, and in turn impacts the success of a department or organization.  One might think that a particular leadership style is best; however, different situations require different styles of leadership.  Psychologist Kurt Lewin is known for his contributions to defining leadership styles.  His work dates

Coaching Your Team

Coaching is a method supervisors use to recognize and/or develop their employees.  Many employees are hungry to be coached, yet many supervisors don’t make it a priority.  Having a meeting with an employee to correct behavior isn’t necessarily coaching.  Instead, adopt the idea that you can make your employees better when you invest in their

6 Phases of Not-so-Positive Feedback

My last web article presented 4 easy steps to giving positive feedback (if you want to be a superior supervisor).  I hope you have been recognizing the great work of your employees! BUT.  There is a flipside of positive feedback … not-so-positive feedback – a.k.a. constructive criticism or corrective. Part of your role as a

How to Give Positive Feedback in Only 4 Steps

Superior supervisors take time to recognize what their employees are doing well.  Part of your job as a supervisor is to develop your employees into great employees – without feedback this is quite difficult to do.  This week we will focus on giving positive feedback (return next week to learn how to give not-so-positive feedback).

Supervisors: 4 Techniques for Building Confidence on Your Team

When I am training a group of people, part of what I do is help people discover where they can improve.  This is a delicate task.  If it isn’t facilitated respectfully, I run the risk of creating a climate where people do not feel valued or safe to explore and take risks with their skills.