Three Tips for Improving Employee Effectiveness

Tip #1: Understand the basic human needs

What are the basic human needs? Some of the most important include the need for human connection, the need for variety, and the need to feel significant. We as humans all have varying levels of each of these needs; however, lack of fulfillment in any of these areas will result in a dramatic drop in self-concept. One of the earliest theories on the development of schizophrenia, for example, emphasized profound maternal rejection as the ultimate stressor that ultimately determines whether or not an individual develops symptoms of schizophrenia, a disorder characterized by the disorganized and loose thinking patterns. People have a need to connect with others-we are social creatures, and lack of this stimulation can have serious ramifications. So how do you utilize your understanding of this tenet with your employees? By connecting with your employees and allowing them to understand that they are a valuable part of the company. How many of your employees do you really know? How many of their spouses have you met? Do you know how many children they have, and those childrens' names?

Variety, obviously, is another need. Without it, human performance drops dramatically. We as humans are curious, knowledge-seeking creatures, and to this end it is important that you stimulate the minds of your employees accordingly. Vary the type or length of tasks performed by certain employees. Surprise employees with appreciation parties. Assign one day a week as casual dress day. The possibilities are endless, but the important concept is that humans crave variety in everyday life.

Significance is a crucial need. The end result of employees that feel significant is company loyalty. Think about it this way: in your own life, are you closer with those that talk a good game, or those that have proven to you that you matter to them? The answer is obvious. When we feel that we are significant (that we have value) in the eyes of others, we will go a long way to stay connected with that individual. So how do you meet this need in your employees? Start by understanding how important your employees are to your company. Next, seek to understand how your employees are different from other employees. What skills do they bring that are valuable? What experiences have they had that are unique? The last step? Applaud these individuals for the above mentioned characteristics. Praise those qualities that may be seldom appreciated by others in their lives. Your perceptiveness in this manner will go a long way toward meeting the need of those who work with and for you to feel important, to feel significant.

Tip #2: Instill hope

Hope, contrary to the popular poem by Emily Dickinson, is not a thing with feathers. Hope is a crucial aspect of human existence. As an executive, do all you can to instill hope in your employees and those around you. Hope is a future-oriented positivity, and can always be reality-based. In any given situation, there are different ways to perceive the actual event. Instead of becoming passive in your reality interpretations, practice rational positivity. If sales are down this quarter, doesn't that mean that you and your employees have been given valuable feedback from the public? Something needs to change for the better, and if sales are to increase, employee productivity and effectiveness will have to increase accordingly. So this perceived "setback" is not really a setback at all, but in actuality an opportunity for learning and change. One last thought on the importance of hope: how many stories have you read about involving elderly couples, who, after fifty plus years of wedded bliss, die within a short time period of each other? Why might this be? Perhaps it has to do with hope, or the absence of it. Couples that are this close live for each other, and when one passes on, so does their reason to live. They give up on life, and soon pass on themselves.

Tip #3: Understand the importance for balance

Balance is crucial to improving employee production. We as humans are multi-talented individuals, each of us carrying different variations of needs and wants. We are not solely creatures who work. We play, we laugh, we work out, we have hobbies, etc...This are all necessary components of the human existence. However, all too frequently, we tend to neglect these different aspects of our lives in our quest for improved positioning or improved production at work. We rationalize away our neglect of our health, families, and hobbies. As an executive with increasing demands and responsibility, perhaps you are guilty of doing the same. One of the oldest (and silliest) excuses is that "I don't have enough time". I don't know about you, but last time I checked, each day had only twenty-four hours. I've never met someone enjoying a twenty-five hour day. So it really has nothing to do with the time available to us, but rather, how we divide that time each day (or week, or month, etc). Learn to value the importance of balance in not only your life but the lives of your employees. You don't have a work life and a personal life-you have one life, and your time is divided accordingly. Seek out those areas of your life that you have been neglecting, and change that fact. Promote life balance in the lives of your employees, also. Encourage them to pursue their hobbies, to enrich their family lives, to take care of their personal health. Find someone working extra late? Send them home, and give them a half day the next day. Offer gym memberships at discounted rates to your employees. Again, possibilities abound. Seek balance.