| Recap of this week’s Leader Quick Tip: Turn to common solutions when you need to do some confidence building. |
Sometimes we (Martha and Thad) get discouraged. We wonder, for example, if we take a new idea to market as quickly and successfully as we want, or if we can turn around a particularly low performing team in a really short timeframe. Sure, doubt gives us a quick slap in the face every now and then. This happens to everyone.
There is a problem when dips in confidence, for ourselves and those we lead, go deep and linger there too long. It holds back employee motivation and employee performance improvement.
The solution is to see the problem quickly, get a grip on what is causing it, and hang in there until you find a solution that matches the cause(s).
Matching gets the problem solved quickly, with little time and effort on your part. If you want to know how to motivate employees, this kind of matching is sure to do it.
So how do you get matches?
You may know more than you think. Take this quick test and see.
Match solutions with the causes below:
| Causes of confidence problems
Negative self-talk Wrong person in the job Put downs/criticism at work Inadequate skills Unrealistic expectations Inadequate resources/authority History of failure Over-demanding management style |
Solutions that build confidence
Skill building Modify expectations, find new waysto meet expectations Adequate resources and authority Opportunities for small successes Positive self-talk Supportive management style Encouragement rather than criticism Job matching |
To find out how well you did, see the correct matching below. Here are the solutions that match each cause:
| Causesof confidence problems
Negative self-talk Wrong person in the job Put downs/criticism at work Inadequate skills Unrealistic expectations Inadequate resources/authority History of failure Over-demanding management style |
Solutionsthat match (and work)
Positive self-talk Job matching Supportive management style Skill building Modify expectations, identify new ways to meet expectations Adequate resources and authority Supportive management style Opportunities for small successes |
Can you see, it’s not that hard. In fact, it is easy. You can view this matching as a performance management tool.
Want to make it even easier, and fool proof too? Here’s all you have to do.
Remember, you can identify causes. And yes you can pick a matching solution. But there’s a hitch.
You’re not the most qualified person to do this. Here’s why.
The person whose confidence is sagging is the one who lives with the problem . . . every day. He knows it! He knows what is causing it. He knows a solution that will work for him.
If you want to fix a confidence problem, and get it right the first time, go to the source. Go to the expert. Go to the person with the problem. You’ll see a spike in employee job satisfaction as well as employee performance improvement!
It’s simple. If you want to know, ASK!
Getting the person involved always pays off. It’ll be their solution. They’ll make it work.
Confidence problems rarely get better when left alone. And if they do, it takes time. That means lots of lost opportunity. Lots of drag on performance and business results.
Okay, so you don’t feel comfortable asking someone to get involved with solving their own problem. Well, maybe you’ll just want to get over it, because it works, time and again!!!
If you want to know the best way to solve a problem, just ask the person who lives with it every day…just think of it as your own personal employee motivation program!
Let us know your thoughts about this week’s BLOG by leaving a comment. To leave a comment, click on the title of the blog post (above), scroll down and you will see the comment section.
