Motivation on the Run

What do you do when you have employees that are not working out. People like them, they’re friendly, they seem to have a good work ethic, but just don’t quite get it right. If in sales, they don’t hit the numbers repeatedly, or if in office work, they are always behind and tend to interrupt everyone else’s day.

This is the perfect time for private counseling. The first task is to determine what the obstacle is to their success.

Is it:

• laziness
• a training issue
• incompetence
• inability
• a lack of motivation

A short interview can help determine what the problem is and then you can decide if the individual is worth coaching to save, or is ready to have the fantastic opportunity to seek a new career field.

Obviously, this is not a complete list of what can happen, but it illustrates the point. Several of these fit into the coaching category, several into the new career track and one that might be your fault. Look at the list again and see what you think.

Laziness is a difficult nature to overcome. If it is systemic (their nature), you are probably better off letting them move on. If is because of a lack of focus or understanding of duties, that’s another issue. Most of the time a rattle of the saber can end the desire to loaf about. They need to understand who the boss is, and what consequence under achievement brings. Getting more specific with their duties can solve that problem and focus is something that can usually be re-trained.

Training issues can always be corrected, but require a game plan. I am still amazed at the number of employees that are hired and put at a desk or given a sales book and turned loose to make it on their own.

Incompetence is another type of training issue, so it is solvable, but inability is not. If they are physically or mentally unable to do the work, coaching will not fix them.

That leaves us with lack of motivation from the list above. This is, of course, the one that might be your fault. Skills are teachable, but until you know a little about an individual, you will have difficulties inspiring them to greatness or even acceptable success. What is your answer? Resolve to quickly understand the person enough to begin to engage them in their work. Maybe incentives for rising to excellence is necessary, but many times public praise in front of their peers will do the trick.

Problem employee? Take time for a little one-on-one, then move to solve the problem quickly.

Technorati : laziness, leadership, motivation, training