The Cowboy Blog

Don't they care about their job? 5 ways to motivate a slacker at work

Wednesday, November 11, 2009




Say you've just filled an important job opening with the best candidate you could find. They gave a great interview, had a superb resume and came to you highly recommended. But then they start the job. This person shows up late, misses meetings, does not dress appropriately for the workplace and quite honestly seems lazy.

Your first impulse may be to let them go. Don't. This slacker might be just as good as their resume says they are if you do your job correctly. That's right; the problem just might be you!

Here's what to do with new hires to make sure you get the most out of them on the job:

1. Clearly define the role this person will fill on your team. Be specific about the hours, the dress code and your expectations.

2. Have an open conversation about how this person thinks they can become an important part of your team.

3. Assign them a mentor who is successfully working in a similar role.

4. Check in with them often for the first few weeks to see if they have questions.

5. Give up ground. Even though you think you have it all figured out, ask for and accept new ideas from the new person. After all, if you want to improve, you have to change. What better way to change than to get some perspective from your newest team member?



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Leadership, leadership training, train leaders, leadership management training, leader, leader consultation, become a better leader, work problems, overcome difficult problems, difficult manager, difficult boss, great boss, difficult employee, great employee, management training, management retention, train employees, develop people skills, develop leadership skills

What a successful business leader knows (and you might not) - 7 things to do now

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Leadership, leadership training, train leaders, leadership management training, leader, leader consultation, become a better leader, management training, management retention, train employees, develop people skills, develop leadership skills
Recent polls show a disconnect between managers and employee recognition. A whopping 65% of employees will be searching for new employment in the next year because of it. Before you throw up your hands and just write those talented people off there are a few things you can do. Here are seven skills you can learn and perfect to help you become a more effective leader.

1. Listening - You must constantly work on your listening skills. My grandfather used to tell me, "Son, you have two ears but only one mouth and your ears weren't made to close." You can become a better listener, but you first have to care about those you are listening to.

2. Service - Service to a purpose greater than your own satisfaction is the key to creating the skills needed to be a person others want to follow. To serve people, you must know what is important to them. To know this,... see #1

3. Passion - Passion changes the game. Find a reason to care. Make a difference in people's lives by showing them your commitment to them. Be passionate about seeing your people succeed. It is very hard to be passionate about organizational goals without looking like people are second to the goals. Be passionate about your people and they will achieve more than you ever thought was possible.

4. Responsibility - If passion is the gas that fuels the fire, then responsibility is the oxygen that lets it breathe and burn hotter. You can learn to be more responsible by serving your people and being specific about it. (I will teach you how to understand the shipping budget by spending one hour with you every Thursday at 8am to go over our shipping costs and needs). Then follow through!

5. Trust - The best way to gain the trust of others is to give trust freely and then communicate with people when they do things to hurt that trust. Open lines of communication foster trust.

6. Communication - There are two sides to this coin. Expressing your thoughts, feelings, etc. to others and then listening to see if your message is received and understood. Communication is a circle that begins with your message; it runs through the person receiving the message and should be returned to you for accuracy. Sloppy communication skills account for most of the errors, misunderstandings, and bad relationships we see in our lives.

7. Consistency - In order to be trusted, one must be consistent. When you consistently show others who you are and what is important to you, they see your integrity. Here is my formula for being consistent:

Our thoughts become our decisions.
Our decisions become our actions.
Our actions reveal our true character.
Thus; our thoughts shape our lives.

Surround yourself with people who share your goals. Read things that inspire you. Spend time thinking about what is truly important to you. Think - decide - act. Consistent thoughts on what you want out of life will create consistency.

Take a business leadership course and see the difference it makes in your company. It will dramatically change the way you do business for the better, guaranteed!

Just call to schedule at 801-885-3410
Email: info@cowboyleaders.com
Website: http://www.cowboyleaders.com

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Leadership, leadership training, train leaders, leadership management training, leader, leader consultation, become a better leader, work problems, overcome difficult problems, difficult manager, difficult boss, great boss, difficult employee, great employee, management training, management retention, train employees, develop people skills, develop leadership skills