In Lesson 8, we reviewed Motivation in the Workplace.  Here are some practical tips on how we can enhance our staff's self-esteem to create a motivating work environment.

• Act with high self-esteem.  Your behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, and example are a powerful role model for staff members.  How you look, talk, present yourself and act send the most powerful message possible to all staff members.
• Practice personal integrity and fairness.  Model it and expect it from others.  People who feel they can tell the truth, without fear of reprisal, grow as they experiment and experience success and failure.
• Provide frequent feedback that reinforces what people do well and corrects the approaches that need improvement.
• Learn what staff members feel good and positive about doing.  Maximize their opportunity to contribute in these activities.
• Provide assignments that stimulate growth.  Ask people to stretch beyond what you have observed them doing in the past.  Challenge staff members.  Negotiate goals which are realistic, yet a stretch.
• Provide positive reinforcement and recognition to reinforce the standards and practices you believe your staff members are capable of achieving.
• Create an environment in which people practice self-responsibility. Show that you trust them to report required information, deal with employees who are not contributing to the team effort, and succeed and/or fail at implementing new ideas.
• Demonstrate that it is okay to disagree with the supervisor.  Allow the implementation of new ideas that would work in your environment, even if they are different than yours.  Praise when the approach works and ask the employee to implement more good ideas.
• Provide clear expectations about performance standards to all employees and express your sincere belief that they can meet or exceed these standards.