A stronger economy means more opportunities for you, and your staff.  How do you keep them from looking for greener grass?   Provide staff assistance, opportunities for enrichment, and an environment that increases enthusiasm. The processes of involvement, observation, interaction, and feedback build the foundation necessary for staff engagement, involvement, and motivation. The key is to create a staff-keeping environment now.  Here are 8 key steps to take:

You are the company compass and barometer.  What you say, indicate, espouse, or demand of others must match what you do.  Being an involved, observant, available, and caring manager or owner sets the standard of behavior for others. 

If you hate to be on the outside looking in, don't you think others might feel the same?  Bring staff in by sharing departmental or company goals.  The journey you have in mind may be one that creates excitement and enthusiasm in them too.

They say two heads can be better than one.  Sometimes we can be too close to a situation to see it from multiple angles.  Soliciting feedback can offer different perspectives.  It also provides staff with an opportunity to actively participate in company planning and changes, and allows you to experience different aspects of them, and vice versa.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."  What you see when staff are working, relaxed, celebrating, or operating to meet a deadline are the scenes that truly describe how your organization works.  The ways in which people act (and interact), speaks volumes about an organization.  Observing, allows you to see what's working, and where change may be needed.

5.       Cross-training

Walking a mile in someone's shoes not only allows you to experience what they experience, but it can be the root of empathy.  A cross-training program allows workers to experience other responsibilities and departments within the organization.  It also prepares the organization for staff shortages, and allows workers to take a break from the routine of their regular tasks. 

6.       Relate to individual goals

Organizational goals can often be in alignment with the goals of individuals within the organization.  Support individuals toward attaining their goals.  The direction they are headed, may be exactly where you have a current or future need.

It is important for staff to feel they can communicate their suggestions, concerns, successes, and misses, without fear of retribution.  Assure staff they will be heard, acknowledged, and supported.  Then, make sure you do exactly that.

8.       The Final Piece

In a recent study conducted by Nelson Motivation Inc, "78 percent of employees indicated that it was "very" or "extremely" important to them to be recognized by their managers when they do good work, and 73 percent said they expected that recognition to occur either "immediately" or "soon thereafter."  Of the top 10 recognition factors staff ranked as important when they did good work, 4 were types of praise - personal, written, electronic, public - generated by those they hold in high esteem." 

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