Healing the spirit

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts January 2002
January 2002
Short Cuts:Healing the spirit

Motivating employees for the short-term is easy, says Ross Reck, Ph.D, author of The X-Factor: Getting Extraordinary Results From Ordinary People (John Wiley & Sons; www.wiley.co.uk). The hard part is keeping them on track during challenging times, when an organization’s goals can be easily eclipsed by external events that affect employees’ sense of security and safety.

“When security seems threatened, it takes the excitement out of the goal employees were pursuing in the workplace and replaces it with constant concern,” says Reck, owner of Tempe, Ariz.-based management consultancy Ross Reck & Associates and a presenter on motivation (www.platformspeakers.com). The more quickly managers respond to external situations that affect their employees’ performance, Reck says, the more effectively they will be able to keep the team focused on the company’s goal and help relieve anxieties that might hurt productivity.

“By bringing employees together and asking for their input, the manager channels the fear and low morale employees are experiencing into a renewed sense of passion for what they are doing at work,” explains Reck. “It helps them look to the future and not dwell on past events.”

According to Reck, a common mistake most managers make is thinking they have to solve every problem themselves. When answers are elusive, it helps to offer support and encouragement. Because in reality, says Reck, “it is employees’ knowledge and actions that will make you look good.”

• C.A.S.