Well Done, Keep Going

Two of the most important words in the english language - Well Done - As said by Sir Alex Fergusson in his book on leadership. A simple phrase that can let someone know that they have done something well. These two words can give someone a huge lift, sense of achievement and motivate them to carry on doing well.

When was the last time that someone said those words to you and more importantly, when was the last time you said them to someone else? It's amazing to think that when someone is needing just the smallest of lifts that we can do this so easily by giving out a tiny amount of praise. It's only natural for us to seek approval and appreciation for the things that we do. It might be something small like going to the gym for the first time to make a life style change or it might be something huge like getting a promotion at work.

Motivation is a huge problem for me sometimes. As I'm working on my own most of the time, it's down to me to be able to motivate myself. It's easy some days but when the works dries up and i've got to go out looking for it, that's when I can sometimes do with having someone there giving me a little boost of motivation to keep me going.

Everyone has their own ways of getting motivated. Some need a metaphorical kick up the backside and shouted at to get themselves back on track whilst others need a softer approach with an incentive. If we look at the Sir Alex Fergusson example as the manager of one of the biggest footballing franchises in the world; He explained that he had to know exactly what made his players tick as individuals. For some players, getting the dreaded "hairdryer treatment" at half time was enough to make them re focus and improve on what they needed to. For others, it had to be a quiet word in their ear with a pat on the back.

This was one of the reasons that Fergie could consistently get the best out of his players and win so many trophies. His job wasn't just to select the best team to play and find new formations and tactics to win games. He had to man manage every single player, coach and backroom staff member in the club. Over his years of management, he dealt with all kinds of personalities in his dressing room and from all over the world. Through his skills of man management he was able to motivate them as a team to do great things but also to motivate them all as individuals. If one of his players wasn't firing on all cylinders then it could have had serious problems as a collective group.

I'm sure most of us can relate to working under a manager or superior who seemed to bypass any form of motivation other than a "get it done, or else" attitude. Poorly motivated staff can have a huge negative effect on any business. Many businesses offer their staff incentives like bonus schemes or shares of profit once or twice a year. These gestures from a company can help 'mass motivate' the staff to perform but it doesn't help the staff as individuals. The sales rep who has hit a rough patch with selling or the receptionist who needs a holiday and can't be bothered anymore. These are the guys that can start to have a serious negative effect on the others around them and on your company brand.

Richard Branson once said that by looking after his staff, he can rely on them looking after his customers. Motivation can come in many different forms like cash incentives, a roasting from a manager or team building exercises but the most simplest way can be to offer someone a bit of praise or support. Sometimes all we want is to be noticed and having someone recognise your hard work can make a world of difference and motivate us to keep going.

One thing I have tried to do more and more is to give people as much praise and recognition as possible. It's something that we might not do as often as we think. When was the last time you praised someone for something they did? When was the last time you said "well done" to someone?

Although I might struggle with motivation, I've found that by surrounding myself with positive people has made a difference. I take motivation from what I have done and keep focused on what my goals are. Sometimes it takes me to sit back down and re-assess what i'm trying to do, why i'm doing it and then giving myself the reassurance to do it by looking at what I have managed to achieve so far. Regardless of all of this though, I still do as much as I can to help others with their motivation. So well done on making it to Friday, another week survived, lets look forward to the next one.