We all understand the concept and benefits of encouragement. It’s one of the first rules of parenthood to provide a child with a positive and affirming environment.
When a baby learns to walk, we are there with rallying words of motivation. We beam proudly as the first steps are taken on tottering feet. The child beams back and happily tries again. We stand on the side-lines of our favourite sports team at the weekend, supporting and urging players towards the goal. We get loud and excited almost instinctively – it’s a ritual to become part of the end result. We are all in it together!
Research shows that teams who are regularly encouraged by their leaders with genuine, authentic and timely gratitude, perform better and produce more. So why then don’t we do it more often in the workplace?
A recent study was undertaken in a large organisation and went deep into this issue to discover the truth. They discovered that management thought it was too complicated, would take too long and potentially send mixed messages to their staff if they had any other performance issues. They were also strongly of the opinion that the team already knew they were valued and appreciated and didn’t need any extra thanks.
Interesting the employees themselves felt the polar opposite! They thought it was a very simple thing for their manager to show up regularly and authentically, with a word of encouragement and appreciation. This would make all the difference to how valued they felt within the business.
How then can we relate these findings to New Homes sales teams?
At ellare, we put a lot of emphasis on helping our Sales Manager community to become more visible in their patch. We it can be challenging to be physically present at every development as often as you would like. Very often your team may operate remotely and isolated from the wider business activities. This makes encouragement even more of a priority to nurture the sense of belonging and buy-in. Your team needs to hear regularly how they have made a positive difference to the key objectives of the business.
You may decide that it’s time to start nurturing an authentic voice of encouragement; and we’re here to support you in your endeavours! As with growing any new habit, it is important at the start to be intentional about it. Spread your net wide and find something for everyone – we are not talking here about an elite award for top performers. This is rather, finding the magic in each member of the team and taking a few brief moments to acknowledge their unique contribution to the group effort.
Just remember to make it relevant and timely. Avoid sweeping statements and over-generalisations – it needs to be personal and real to hit the spot.
An important benefit of becoming known as a great encourager is that you are adding valuable collateral to your personal brand as a true leader within the business. Don’t feel restricted to just your own team, in fact, we advocate finding appropriate opportunities to acknowledge your peer group’s contributions and even upwards to your boss and beyond.
Ready to boost your encouraging tactics? Let’s look again at ways to make a start:
- Start nurturing your own authentic voice of encouragement
- Grow the habit daily – be intentional
- Find something to acknowledge in everyone
- Don’t assume that your team know you appreciate them
- Make it relevant, personal and timely
- Avoid sweeping statements and over-used examples
- Encourage in all directions! Make it part of your personal brand
We know that you will reap the results in increased loyalty and team bonding, you will be the captain of a motivated team who are all working hard for YOU!