We’re all familiar with those classic films set in the business or financial world where tyrannical bosses scream at and harangue their terrified lowly employees. While these fictional characters might make for some memorable quotes, they certainly aren’t people who those in management ought to try and emulate.
Plenty of misguided managers have tried to run their ship with an iron fist and a sharp tongue, only to discover a few months down the road that their team’s sales are in the toilet and they’ve been hit with dozens of HR complaints. While acting like a dictator might be fun in the movies, in the real world employees are looking for motivation and leadership. Here’s how you can use positive encouragement for business success.
See Your Employees As People
If you manage a large staff, it can become easy to see your employees as people, rather than parts of a more significant machine. Not viewing your employees as people can be extremely damaging. Nobody wants to be considered a nameless cog of the puzzle. Instead, people want to feel like what they do and who they are matters to the people who employ them.
You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with just a few friendly chats around the water cooler. Take the time to learn a little bit about each of your employees. You don’t have to become their biographer but learn a few small details. If you know that an employee likes camping, casually ask them on a Friday morning if they’re planning on roughing it outdoors anywhere that weekend. These little humanizing conversations can do wonders for your team’s morale.
Encourage, Don’t Punish
People screw up. It’s a fact of life. In fact, sometimes people screw up even when they tried their very best. You have probably made a few bad calls along the way.
When an employee screws up, no one wins by you yelling or threatening them with discipline. Unless the mistake was unusually careless or egregious, it’s best to let the employee know that you’re aware of their error. This awareness allows you to encourage your employees to do better in the future positively. When your employees feel like they don’t have to fear you and that you’re on their side, they’ll be more likely to want to avoid making mistakes actively.
Being the person at the top isn’t always a cakewalk. However, never let your position turn you into someone who you wouldn’t like if you were your employee. Instead, use positivity to create an environment that fosters business success.