I was asked not too long ago, how can a manager help employees improve their confidence level at work?
The gist is that in this day and age employees are more than ever tired, frustrated and don’t feel a valued part of the team. In fact, many feel pressed for more with less and less recognition. If the carrot and stick act doesn't work, than it's time to think in human terms.
Make Them Recognized. The trick for a smart manager is to make employees feel an important part of the big picture, in order to motivate them towards excellence and owning their part of the result. Confidence is the key to employee satisfaction, retention and to delivering the best work possible. Sounds easier than said, so here are a few tricks.
Get Personal. Most employee loose confidence when they feel not heard, that their work is not appreciate, or worse, serves no purpose. An employee who does not feel part of the team will eventually go rogue and look for another opportunity elsewhere. There are simple things an intelligent manager can do, such as holding regular meetings that check in with employee moral. But it doesn't stop there and must be followed up with one-on-one conversations that engage at the human level. A masterful manager will make a point to know as much as possible about the employee’s personal life, children, spouse, hobbies, etc, and use that information appropriately in order to make them feel part of the whole.
Sending Birthday wishes, keeping track of children graduation, knowing where the last vacation was spent are simple tasks achieved with any calendaring systems that make for great personalizations during casual conversations. When times are difficult within the company, this is when efforts should redouble. Normally, an employee’s work should always be recognized and valued. If the work is not up to the standard of the company, or sub-par with the individual’s capacity, it can be addressed in an tactful manner. By first acknowledging the work done, the employee will feel recognized, then subtle encouragement to better results can happen. The employee can be brought to the realization that the delivery of the work was noticed but that it can also be further refined.
Prizes and competition for the greatest achievement work well with most people, but not all. You can also easily alienate talent who shy away from competition. Knowing how your employee functions, teaming them with the right team, which can involve at time group like-minded people and other time, with different colleagues, can yield great results. Knowing who they are is essential in order to boost moral and and confidence.
Ideal environments are usually hybrids that cater to the two basic types, left and right-brain thinkers. Right brain thinkers excel with abstract thinking, while left-brain thinkers are more analytical. Sometimes mixing both can achieve much, and at time, keeping both away can help with sustaining efforts. Having specific goals will yield the greatest results. In other words, for those more socially aware, competition is a good way to spur results, but it shouldn’t be done at the detriment of those not interested in competitive efforts.
All in all, creating the perfect environment is a tricky process that demands much insight from a skilled manager, intuition, personal contact with employees and a clear vision of the goal, topped with a distinctive culture. The good news is all of these can easily be achieved with the help of a qualified Business Coach.
For more information: Nicolas Zart, Certified Business Coach.
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