Inspiring Loyalty and Contentment in Your Workforce

One of the first things I look at when I take over a new department or division is the attitudes of the managers and /or supervisors.

I ask myself the following questions;

Do they inspire loyalty in their staff?

If not, why not?

If they do, how do they do it?

The workforce of any company is normally the lifeblood of the business, the oil that lubricates the machinery. Sure, managers are there to (normally) be creative and develop a plan and a vision but the workforce are essential to the future prosperity of the organisation.

A happy, contented workforce need to be inspired by their work, their colleagues and more importantly by their managers. If they are not then the chances are that you will have a high turnover of skilled and unskilled individuals who seek inspiration and contentment elsewhere.

So, the best way to find out which of your managers is inspiring loyalty in their staff is to look at the departments which have very few people leaving. This isn't 100% foolproof but it is right the majority of the time.

Observe what they do and you will see one particular pattern develop. You will see that the most inspirational managers will lead by example but you would expect that. You will also see that they will come up with brave new ideas that push boundries but you would expect that too.

However, you will also see that they will take the time and effort to thank their staff for their efforts. Simple isn't it?

Well no it's not because I mean you should thank your staff after the event. So if a member of your staff has finally completed the report you have been asking for, tell them thanks and leave it at that. The next day before you do anything else, seek that person out and tell them what a great job they did and how you really appreciate all their hard work.

The impact that this simple gesture has is immense. YOU have taken the time and trouble to find them and thank them, when you already said thank you the day before when you received the report off them.

Better still, if you make sure the thank you has been delivered in front of a few of his co-workers, then this is even better as public recognition (no matter how small) is a huge vote winner and will go some way to ensuring you have the support and loyalty of this particular team member.

So, try saying thank you to your staff and watch their loyalty develop. It's really easy and doesn't cost a thing.

Mark Anthony Harrison is a salesman. He is Head of Sales for the UK division of a US investment bank. He also lectures on sales development and management theory. To find out more visit him at http://www.managing2success.com

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