Heera Training & Management Consultants

eNewsletter January 2009



Dear Everyone,
 
Hi! And how are you all? Firstly, a very Happy New Year to all and may 2009 bring all of you lots more success, good health and wealth. I do apologize for the slight delay in sending this newsletter as I was caught up with all the New Year celebrations.
It has been a great couple of days during and after the new year. A short holiday with the family prior to New Year was great. But the highlight has to be the costume party I attended on New Year’s eve. The great thing was we got a chance to go to this party as a family rather than the usual adults only theme.  It was great to see Kevin and Rachel all dressed up as a Monster and an Angel!!
I also got the chance to attend a dinner given by a large corporation and one of the rituals was the speech by the Managing Director. In one part of his speech, he said something to the effect, “thank you very, very much to all those who helped me greatly in the project. I do not need to name you, as you know who you are”.  
 

Use every opportunity to recognize and appreciate your staff


I could not help but grimace when I heard this as I told myself, this MD had just lost a golden opportunity to recognize and appreciate his staff. If only he had called out the names of all those who had helped him, he would have made some people really, really happy. Alas! The opportunity was sadly lost. Sometimes, I can’t help but think that superiors are more adept at critiquing rather than appreciating. Criticism has its strengths in relation to modifying behavior of employees but used often it can backfire and de-motivate.
 
Research has shown that people crave and yearn for recognition. When we receive genuine praise for something well done, it builds up our self-esteem and confidence. And once people realize that a particular behavior/action is appreciated, they will start to repeat the desired activity. Hence we must always look for opportunities to appreciate and recognize our employees. Praise often, give out compliments, send thank you cards, send an e-mail message: these are very small gestures but carry with it great motivational value. I recall that during secretary’s week a year ago, a colleague of mine ordered six bouquets of flowers for his female staff. They were not actually his secretaries, but as far as he was concerned, secretary’s week was as good a reason as any to show his appreciation. The response was dramatic. There was no hiding the staff’s joy at the unexpected gesture when the bouquets arrived. They were squealing with delight and made sure that these bouquets were placed in a very conspicuous part of their desk so that the whole company was aware of this show of appreciation by their boss. A small gesture indeed, but it served to motivate the staff highly.
 
People have feelings. Everyone wants to be liked, appreciated, and respected. Treated this way, people respond much more favorably and enthusiastically. On the other hand, when criticized often, employees tend to have low morale, which in turn can lead to numerous other ‘employee’ problems.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I do hope I have added a little more to your management knowledge. Take care and have a great month ahead!!