LMA Consulting Group
Aligning people, performance and strategy since 1982.

Corporate Office:  1848 Charter Lane
Lancaster, PA  17601-5896
717.509.8889 / 877.562.2888
Fax 717.509.8879
info@lmaconsulting.cc

TEN TOP TIPS FOR STAFF INSPIRATION
by J. Glenn Ebersole, jge@lmaconsulting.cc

Do you have a happy and highly inspired staff in your business?  Have you made the commitment to create an enjoyable and productive environment at work? 

If you answered NO to either of these questions, then it is time to wake up and learn some tips about how to inspire your workforce and to keep them happy.  If you want to attract and retain your valuable employees, then you must recognize the need to make your business a better, more enjoyable place to work.

So what can business owners and their management teams do to keep the staff inspired and happy, and achieve a better and more enjoyable place to work (especially in light of the current economic landscape)?

Here are ten top tips from LMA's "Strategic Thinking Business Coach" to help you.

1. Use "we" instead of "us" and "them" in all of your communications.  Treat your employees as "partners" in the business.
2. Keep your employees informed about business performance and key decisions likely to affect them.  Talk to them!
3. Trust your staff and exhibit that trust by empowering your staff to make decisions.
4. Build and foster an environment of lifelong learning.  Encourage all staff members to pursue professional training and self-development opportunities.
5. Celebrate success!  Have the entire staff involved in the celebration.
6. Develop a program of employee recognition.  Praise your employees for doing something well.
7. Always be honest with your employees! 
8. Provide flexibility to help accommodate your staff if occasionally they need to leave an hour early to let the plumber in or take their child to the dentist.
9. Build a sense of "TEAM" by communicating openly and regularly with your staff about performance, project deadlines, new clients, issues, concerns and opportunities.
10. Create a safe environment that encourages openness and freedom to express concerns, issues and opportunities without fear of retribution.

Finally, your strategic thinking business coach wants to remind you that staff inspiration is one of the most critical factors in managing people and creating winning teams.  An inspired staff is likely to stay with you in your business (through the good times and the trying times as well).  Retention of valued employees is vital for the future success of your business since the valuable knowledge that key staff could take with them can leave a huge gap in the expertise level of your field. 

Do you want to learn about inspiring your staff to create a better workplace?  If you are seeking guidance in this endeavor, contact Glenn at 717.509.8889 or via email jge@lmaconsulting.cc

Glenn Ebersole is a Senior Consultant with LMA Consulting Group.  Founder & Chief Executive of The Renaissance Group, Glenn is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering.