Whether you are a manager or would like to move up into management someday, one of the most important things you need to know is what motivates your staff. It also helps if you know what motivates you.
It is most commonly believe that employees are motivated by money and while money can be and is used successfully to motivate employees, it’s certainly not the only way to motivate and for many employees not even the most important one.
Some years ago there was an interesting article in Inc. magazine entitled “Managing One-to-One by Leigh Buchanan. In this article she begins by saying,
“Operating under the premise that no two workers are alike, companies that are practicing one-to-one management are figuring out what takes each of their employees tick. And that, the employees say makes all the difference.”
It has been proven that in just about any business employees, especially those who regularly interact with the customers are critical to the success of the company.
If employees are treated as valuable assets and managers take the time to get to know their employees’ goals and aspirations, it helps the manager, motivate and appreciate their employees individually. In turn employees who feel appreciated will treat customers well.
Understanding each person as an individual allows managers to create personal goals and rewards for each employee depending on their (the employees) wants and needs. Additionally employees who are treated as individually are much more likely to treat customers in the same way.
Creating this kind of an environment in your company can take time and some thought, but the time you put in can reap great reward. Your business will flow more smoothly and with less friction, which can means employee longevity resulting in less time spent hiring and training new people to join the team.
A tip of the glass from me to you
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
