It doesn’t take a genius to know there’s always room for improvement. In a labour market where employees have the choice to shop around for jobs , it is important to keep your best staff motivated and productive. Employee engagement is a big issue and there’s a lot which can be done, however, an employee’s relationship with his/her direct manager is the single most important factor influencing engagement. Here are a few simple phrases you can use which will help keep your staffed engaged and motivated:
- “I would really like your opinion on this.”
- “I believe you can do better than this.”
- “What can I do to help you get to where you want to be in your career?”
- “If you were in my shoes, what would you do?”
- “Can you show me?”
- “Good job. That was awesome.”
If you’re not the sort of leader who dishes out compliments very often, giving praise will be a big deal to your staff – but don’t dole it out unless it’s sincere. Your staff are all working hard, so pick someone who has stood out to you in the last month for their efforts and tell them what you’ve noticed, how great it was, and thank them for their hard work. That’s all you need to do.
