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description does not fully reflect an employee’s primary aptitude
... be open to modifications that can benefit the team! For
instance, a person whose responsibilities are basically clerical
might exercise creative talent by developing a team logo or banner
as time permits. The point is, let your people express their
individuality within the project framework. Not only will you see
tremendous gains in productivity, but staff morale will increase
dramatically as well.
Lack of Motivation Often Reflects Discouragement
When people are not motivated, it’s often because they are
discouraged, not because they are lazy, stupid or ill. Find out why
they’re discouraged. If you can identify that ... and then be
creative in your encouragement ... the missing motivation can
suddenly begin to surface.
How do you find out the reason for the discouragement? For
starters, try the same source that told you about the problem in the
first place. If the source isn’t the individual in question, you must
verify it with the team member personally. However,
discouragement can show itself in many other ways: a decrease in
productivity, less attention to detail, tardiness, absenteeism, etc.
Ultimately, a one-on-one “RAP” meeting is a good way to
confront the problem. RAP is a coaching acronym that stands for:
Review the past.
Analyze the present.
Plan the future.
With this approach, you and the team member can focus on a
review of past performance contrasted with present performance
— and then look together to an improved future. This simple tool
is logical and easy to remember. When the RAP approach is
followed, most coaches have no difficulty keeping track of where
the meeting is going and what progress has already been made.
Another plus of the RAP model is its emphasis on future
solutions. Discussions of the past and present are much less
important than planning for the future, especially since the goal is
to help team members work closer to their potential.
Getting Results Is All About YouR
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