Remember, your employees are always doing something well. Make sure you come from a positive position of improvement when giving feedback. Let your employees know that you appreciate their efforts and difference they make each day.

Also make it “safe” for employees to give you feedback. Let them know that no one is perfect (I know we think we are) and that you value their feedback to make work environment a “win-win” situation for all involved. Teach your employees how to give feedback, both positive and constructive. Remember, as a leader, you are constantly developing your employees for next level. 5. Ask for Employee Solutions People go to work to succeed, not fail. Employees also go to work because they want to make a difference at their job. One of best ways for employees to feel they are making a difference is to involve them in solution creation process.

Make asking for solutions from your employees an ongoing process. Whether during staff meetings, one-on-one sessions, etc., make it safe for employees to develop their own solutions. If given opportunity, your employees will come up with solutions that are innovative, proactive, and in some cases better than any solution we can ever develop.

To motivate your employees to create solutions, you must do following:

* Give them credit for solutions * Create reward systems for solutions * Make it easy for them to communicate solutions * Massage solutions for positive results

Very importantly, if employees share a solution with you, please, please, please, give them feedback ASAP. You will lose employee credibility if they think you don’t care or are taking credit for their ideas.

Apply these techniques now and you will gain credibility and increase productivity with your employees while developing a high performance environment that achieves outstanding results.

Source: Towers Perrin, Enhancing Corporate Credibility-Is It Time to Take “Spin” Out of Employee Communication? January, 2004

Recognition. All to frequently managers take good things in stride as if they deserved success rather than appreciating each and every step along way. These are same people who are too busy to stop and say thank you for a job well done. Sadly, their actions send a message to all around them that what ever they did to help achieve this success was not as important as “problem” they are addressing now. Lighten up. If you really want to foster a positive attitude, “Thank you” is least you should do. If you really want to foster a positive attitude and enhance productivity, then recognize people and their talents even before you involve them in an assignment. People tend to rise to your expectations. If you don’t have any expectations of they are low, output you get will probably match your expectation. Recognition at conclusion of a successful project is equally important. People love success and they love recognition for their efforts. They want to savor it and more success and recognition they get, more they want. Why would any manager in his right mind not want to develop same desire in his employees? Celebrate every success and foster right attitude for next success. Most managers hire for positive attitude in an effort to develop an outstanding performer and enhance success of their endeavor. Very few, however, are willing to devote time and effort it takes to really follow through in a positive way to foster positive attitudes and create right environment for success. If results are important and attitude is important, then we need to take time to do it right.

ã Copyright Bob Cannon/The Cannon Advantage, 2003. All rights reserved.

Byline Bob Cannon helps visionary leaders make decisions that gain a competitive advantaget. Check out other interesting articles available in Taking Aim newsletter available at www.cannonadvantage.com . Bob can be reached at (216) 408-9495 or mailto: bob@cannonadvantage.com

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