Motivation and Demotivation

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin

Success in business is rarely down to technical skills or knowledge alone. Getting the most from your team is the sign of a good manager and can lead to a successful business. The key to this is motivating people and giving them space to develop themselves to their full potential. Being able to motivate your team successfully starts with wanting the best for your people. If you care to find out about them and their needs and ambitions, you will find what motivates them. This will keep them performing at their best.

How can you motivate your team?

Suggestions for motivating your team:

• You have to be motivated yourself to motivate others.
• Motivation needs to be focused on clear, specific, realistic and achievable goals.
• Seeing progress towards those goals gives a sense of achievement and helps revive motivation.
• Motivation requires managing – there are always hurdles along the way that drain energy or distractions that take your eye off the ball.
• Everyone has different motivations – you just need to find what they are. They may well be different from yours and will give you useful insights into what drives people. Ask your people what they want from their job, and for the business as a whole.

Your staff may say money is a motivator – but look closely and you will find that it is frequently more of a stepping-stone to another goal: for instance, money to travel, retire early or a desire for recognition.

• A sense of belonging motivates – the smaller the group to which someone belongs, the stronger the loyalty, motivation and effort.
• Participation motivates – people feel more motivated when they feel their involvement in a project is important and valued. Often we exclude our greatest assets – the people around us – from decisions in which they could be usefully included.
• Challenges motivate and people often rise to the occasion. However, it can also be demotivating if they are too difficult, or conversely, too easy to achieve.
• Motivation needs recognition and reward – even if it’s something as simple as a thank you.
What causes demotivation?

• Constantly moving goalposts – people lose sight of goals, or feel they will never reach them and so cease to care about them any more.
• Not knowing what is going on. If you do not bother to tell people what is happening, you can demotivate and possibly alienate them too. Uncertainty is a very destabilising emotion in a group.
• Not showing faith or trust in people.
• Arbitrary decisions which are not consistent for all members of staff, and humiliating people in front of their peers.
• Pay, work conditions or available facilities can affect motivation, and often small changes can bring large differences.

Signs of demotivation

• Increased absenteeism/sickness.
• Incomplete or careless work.
• Lack of concentration.
Motivate yourself
Before you can inspire others to extend themselves, you need to develop your own sense of motivation. Here are some tips to help you.
• Build your confidence and develop self-belief. Success doesn’t always go to the strongest person, but to the person with the greatest conviction.
• If you work alone, identify an understanding person with whom you can talk through business issues and who will encourage you. A mentor can help here.
• If you feel overwhelmed by a daunting task, such as sorting out your tax or personal finances, it tends to affect the rest of your attitude.

Advance Your Career

Posted on February 11, 2013 by admin

Many people in the world are continually looking to advance their career. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by taking accredited training courses specific to a trade. There are a myriad of different types of training courses for practically every profession.

Soft Skills Training Courses

The courses that are not involved with the administrative aspect of the business are usually most common. These courses often cost a relatively small amount to join. The correct courses can help you to climb the ladder of success within your career and thus allow students to improve the chances of increasing their income. These advanced courses add additional expertise that employers oftentimes require. Companies are increasingly in need of people with advanced skills. That is one reason continuing education courses are of such importance.

Where to Take the Courses

There are a variety of different places that offer training courses. Some of these places can are found at local universities or smaller centres for advanced educational opportunities. Most communities, or at least nearby communities, have a specialized place that offers courses. Another great place to find courses is via the online format. These courses are usually easy to attend, and many courses let the user take the course instruction whenever it is convenient. However, accredited online training tends an edge over more traditional methods of learning since professionals can complete coursework whenever it fits into their schedules.

Some larger corporations may also offer the chance to take an administration course in more distant locations. There are vast amounts of training courses offered throughout the country and the world. If your employer pays for this type of training then it is worthwhile to look at attending some of them. These seminar type courses truly give a more worldly experience and they are an excellent item to include in a resume or curriculum vitae.

There is rarely an easy way to advance your career. However, selecting an appropriate training course is a smart method that is relatively simple and can pay tremendous dividends. Many people come to the workplace with similar skill sets, but advanced abilities and knowledge help almost anyone to advance in his or her chosen profession.

Track your career path and training needs with www.sains2u.com

Tips for Career Promotion

Posted on January 19, 2013 by admin

Tired of watching other workers advance their career as you continue to exceed all expectations, without promotion, in your current position? Successful workers create their own path to promotion; they don’t rely on luck. Self-promotion is key to your career success.

If you have experienced this situation, even once, you know that you can’t continue to wait for others to decide when you should be offered a promotion. Even if you are not ready to make a job or career change today, you will benefit from knowing how to put into action a successful self-promotion plan.

Unfortunately, if no one knows how much you contribute to the company, you will continue to miss the next great promotion opportunity. Letting people know that you are interested in advancing your career is the first step in an effective self-promotion plan. You can simply advise your immediate supervisor or a representative from your human resource department, but remember the old adage that “actions speak louder than words,” and plan to make a lasting impression.

Create a Career Opportunity

One successful technique is to single out an unresolved challenge that exists in your company. Try to pick a situation that will benefit from your combination of experience and skills. Write a memo that outlines the need you’ve discovered. Highlight how you will use your skills to resolve the problem and contribute to the immediate objectives of the team or department involved. Send your memo to the person who will benefit most from your unique approach, for example, your boss or a human resources representative.

Don’t wait for your organization to discover the same need. By waiting, you take the chance that they may decide to post the position. (If posting positions is policy in your company, at least your name is on the promotion list first.)

Without your proactive approach to your career and potential promotion, they may decide to promote one of your peers. By being proactive, you create a win-win situation. You may gain a challenging, enjoyable career opportunity and eliminate the need for a competition. Even if a new career or promotion opportunity does not result from your actions, you have successfully created an opportunity to demonstrate your value to the organization.You have increased the likelihood that they will consider you for the next rewarding career or promotion opportunity.

Track your career path and training needs with www.sains2u.com