Productivity Archives - Page 10 of 13

What Works Better, Recognition Or A Raise In Salary?

Compassion, Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, Productivity / My Holland

So, the day after your company’s presentation to an important client, the head honcho from the top executive floor comes down to your office and says … “Hey John, that was a great job you did in our presentation. We just might get the account any day now. Thanks!” Wow! Isn’t that great? Doesn’t it make you feel you just drew a Royal Flush in a poker game? Of course it does! … because it says you’re a areal pro and have made a huge contribution to achieving your company’s goals. Sure, a $500 or a $1000 bonus can’t hurt either, but that’s just the gravy. The boss’ thanks is the real Kobe steak. What Surveys Say A consulting firm, polling more than 200,000 employees around the globe to make a list of the top ten factors that lead to happiness in the workplace, came up with the following (in order of importance) : Being appreciated for the work they do Good relations with co-workers Good balance between work and personal life Good relationships with the bosses Solid financial standing of the company Training and seminars for development of career Job security A good fixed salary An interesting, challenging job Good company values It’s worth citing that recognition, a good balance with work and personal life and great relationships with colleagues are what took the top spots. Salary ranked only 8th. There is this Human Resource theory that says a basic pay must meet a certain level of expectation. After such expectation is met, it’s power as a motivator is diminished. Why? Because in the end, people would much rather not struggle with salaries. It’s too sensitive, uncomfortable, and awkward. Not too many employees look forward to talking money with the boss. They’d much rather simply get paid for what they’re worth. It’s not complicated. They don’t have to worry about it and they can do their job without this added stress. And here’s the real clincher. The Real Clincher There are no guarantees that increasing your guys’ pay will increase their productivity. Somehow, high wages don’t correlate too well with high performance. However, the impact of cash rewards can make them excel on the short term. But these incentives can only go so far. Evidence is pretty strong to suggest, that if you pay a competitive salary and give employees recognition for their work, incredible things can happen.

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Gratitude in the workplace

Compassion, Emotional Intelligence, Engagement, Leadership, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Productivity / My Holland

Gratitude in the workplace Everybody wants to feel appreciated. Gratitude is a crucial engagement factor in the workplace and often the biggest motivator, ahead of money. So how can you get this right as an employer and employee and what difference can it make? When ‘thanks’ in the workplace becomes solely the wage pack at the end of the month, employees can begin to feel undervalued and demotivated on a day-to-day basis. According to the John Templeton Foundation study of 2,000 respondents, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than any other place. In turn, they did not rank their jobs as something they feel grateful for. Having said that, 93% of respondents agreed that a grateful employers makes a much more successful person to work for. Hearing praise makes somebody feel better. Positive psychology confirms that giving and receiving gratitude helps boost our self-worth, as well as our productivity. One study in Harvard Medical School by Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) divided university fundraisers in two groups. Half were awarded gratitude and thanked for their efforts from the director, while the other half were not. Those who received gratitude produced more funds through fundraising than those who did not. A thank you costs nothing Gratitude does not involve the transaction of money, in the same way as a pay check does. Science Director Emiliana Simon-Thomas from the Greater Good Science Center conducted research that found that on days when someone gives or receives gratitude (or has experiences of gratitude), they feel happier. This is a cheap and effective way to improve workplace morale and productivity. Prolonged gratitude Dr Simon-Thomas also found that the people who prolonged their gratitude experiences were happier in their job, less stressed and reported better health. How to start giving and receiving more gratitude at work Gratitude works best from the ‘top down,’ in other words from hearing thanks from the boss. Those in a position of power have a greater impact in shifting workplace attitudes. A thank you needs to be clear, consistent and authentic Gratitude can be expressed in a number of ways, from throwing an office party or staff treat/gift, to complimenting the work somebody has done or built into performance reviews and appraisal meetings. Don’t take anybody for granted and remember those who, generally, do their job without looking for thanks. Sometimes these people tend to be at the bottom of the workplace pyramid and do jobs such as cleaning, filing or making a cup of tea. Make them feel valued. Quality, not quantity is key. If you say thank you, in a throwaway style, several times a day, it is less meaningful than a well thought-out expression of thanks that is justified and authentic. Cultivate a culture of gratitude in the workplace over time, so when an unsettled period arises or conflict, employees feel part of a team. Psychologist Robert Emmons says this process “builds up a psychological immune system.” Gratitude is a key word in the world of positive psychology and this article shows how developing it in the workplace will breed a culture of employees who feel valued and have higher self-esteem, therefore, work more efficiently and feel empowered by their jobs.

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Creative leadership… why?

Emotional Intelligence, Engagement, Leadership, Productivity, Wellbeing / My Holland

The 7 Key Principles Of Creative Leadership Whether you’re the CEO of a huge business organization, a team leader or a division manager of such a company, or owner of a small business outfit, creative leadership is important. It’s what leads to innovation. Furthermore, from concept to idea execution, a great deal of creativity is required. Here are 7 of its key principles: “It ain’t your creativity, baby! It’s about your group’s creativity.” : It’s true. Creative leadership has little to do with your own personal creativity and a whole lot to do with your team’s creativity. It’s a case of simple math. If it was only about your creativity, why should you need a whole team? You’ve got to tap the cumulative creativity of your group. This could be 6 to 60 and the numbers will surely give you better results. You don’t need to be a creative genius, but, you’ve got to have an understanding of creativity : If you’re exceptionally creative, great! It’ll set a terrific example to your team members. But to be a good creative leader, it’s not necessary to be a creative person. Don’t feel the need to pretend that you are. What is critical though is that you understand the creative process so you can facilitate it for your people. If you want to, you can talk loudly about your skills as a facilitator of creativity. This is, in the end, a lot more important in a creative leader. Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team: You’ll need to do this to maximize your effectiveness. Some of your guys may be incredible with ideas but lousy on execution. Others may exactly be the opposite. Some may do wonders solving problems on their own. Others have got to have teammates to add 2+2! Diversity: If teams have not been thrust upon you by circumstance and you are still in the stage of forming one, go for diversity. Choose diversity of experience, educational background, sex, culture, age, knowledge. If there are people you don’t like but are reputed to bring in results, get them too. Think that creativity is built on diversity. A more extensive range of backgrounds, culture and knowledge leads to a wider array of thinking and therefore greater creativity. It’s ok to make mistakes: If people don’t fail, they’ll never achieve great success. In the creativity and innovation fields it’s ok to make mistakes. As a creative leader, you know better. Encourage your guys to try, fail early in the game and try again. Share the failures with the rest of the team so everybody learns from them. You’ve got to trust your guys: Set clear goals. Give them a budget and tools and let go. Let them work out their own approaches towards achieving their goals. They’ll never learn by doing what they’re told. They learn by researching, trying, making mistakes and trying once more. You’ve got to be the champion of your team’s ideas. Surely, your creative team will come up with many ideas. As the leader of the band, you need to champion those ideas. especially, when they offer values to your company or your customers. When you do this, you make it more likely that the ideas could be realized and it’ll demonstrate to your team that you believe in their ideas and that you’re a creativity champion. A creative leader has an open mind. Start off by giving these principles some thought and apply them as quickly as you can.

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Productivity

What Works Better, Recognition Or A Raise In Salary?

Gratitude in the workplace

Creative leadership… why?

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