Power of Encouragement

Yesterday at work, I encountered a situation that is a perfect topic to discuss here.  I was working a split shift and between my shifts, my boss called me into his office for a quick chat.  He proceeded to inform me that he thought I was doing a great job in my current manager role and to keep up the great work.  While this is simple enough I left his office feeling motivated and grateful to be working for such a great company.  I did not come out of his office with a raise or any bonus, but I came out of his office with even more fire and energy to do the best I can in my position.  Knowing your effort does not go unnoticed goes a long way in motivating employees.

Many articles and blogs have been written about the best ways to motivate employees and many coaches do the same things with their players.  The best part about using encouraging words and noticing the amazing work your employees are doing is that it costs the organization nothing.  Coaches get the most out of their athletes by letting them know they care about them and that they see what good is being done and correct the negative.  This is an important lesson for any manager, but especially a young manager.  A great quote that was given to me when I first began coaching was this one, from President Theodore Roosevelt, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”   While I applied that to my coaching duties, it might be even more applicable when working with adults, especially those older than you as a young manager.  

The key takeaway today is that whether you are a young or experienced manager or even if you are not yet a manager, find something encouraging to say to a coworker.  Let them know that you notice their hard work or how well they handled that difficult customer.  Just knowing their hard work does not go unnoticed is one of the most motivating things for an employee.