Welcome to Tony Richards Messages

09 Building Morale

Welcome to this week’s message on leadership, self-confidence, and how to feel good about yourself everyday as you interact with people, in safety and comfort, at home and work.

Last week’s message was all about Critical Step 5, Application, and how to best utilise it.
If you wish to be reminded of that message, it is also available back on the message page.

This week’s message is an item of Special Interest, based on an often-asked question about a loss of morale in a workforce, and what to do about it.

If you look in the Oxford Dictionary you will see morale is defined as “the level of confidence and good spirits in a person or group of people.” As confidence is defined by trust, respect and reliance, that is what you need to develop.

The weekly messages I send have been heavily weighted on Self-confidence and Leadership for the individual. It is appropriate, as it has been requested, that I provide assistance for those in groups who are having difficulties as well. As I limit the size of my messages, to avoid being too boring, I will touch on some principles required, and expand on those if I am contacted.

There are three main reasons for low morale in a workforce. The first, and most common, is a loss of personal self-confidence by individuals because of external, or work factors, that first need to be identified for correction.

That is a situation that privately, by consultation and investigation, I can correct.

The second is a loss of confidence by employees in the management, reflected in how fairly they perceive they are dealt with. The third is a belief by employees that management has lost confidence in them.

Apart from working personally with employees, and external factors that management can’t always change, there are systems that can be introduced to assist employees to feel confident at work. That, in turn, raises morale. Maintaining high morale is a good leadership skill.

Management should consider introduction of programs that promote personal involvement of employees in the operations of the business. That includes opening lines of communication where employees see, and feel, they are being heard. Asking, and importantly listening to individual employees, determines which areas employees have an interest, or concern, for.

An employer who maintains and enhances the self-esteem of their employees gets the results they want from each person. If things don’t appear to be going well, ask for help from the employees, individually, so they become part of the solution. They will want to help.

Listening is another good leadership skill. One of the skills I have exercised for many years is to offer a manager to exchange their less supportive employee for any one of my own subordinates.

This was quickly accepted as my employees always appeared to be so cooperative. You then talk to your new team member to determine what motivates them to even turn up for work. Once you have discovered their currency, use that to encourage them to fit in.

And to add to their motivation, find something they have an interest in, on the job, that they could be made responsible for. That could be preparing the roster, assisting with annual leave rosters, replacement and ordering of consumables, safety inspections, or just housekeeping of a particular work area. Employees should always have involvement in company Vision Statements and policy discussions.

There is always an area that can be utilised to the benefit of the team, the employee, and the business. I have NEVER found an employee who didn’t thrive on having a little responsibility.

That doesn’t mean they considered it a promotion, and I never had to pay them more money.
What turned them on was the personal involvement that provided them with the correct perception of their importance to me and our business. They had become, rightly so, an integral part of the success of the team.

The next phase to concentrate on is recognition of their performance. This has to be handled carefully, as it can be harmful to team cohesion, if individuals are singled out for recognition when they have performed as part of a team. I’m sure I have written this before in one of my messages but it is worth repeating. ‘We can achieve anything if we don’t care who gets the credit.’ That is one of my favourites for motivating teamwork.

It then requires genuine praise for the team’s efforts. That could be a tool box talk where you can, using the above examples of involvement, comment, “We’ve had a great week. There have been no problems with the roster, everyone’s annual leave has been sorted, we’ve had all required consumables replaced and ordered, and the work area has been kept safe and clean. We are obviously the top team in this company. Well done.” Praise works best however when employees are taken aside and it is done individually. Personal recognition is the best reward.

If you are a manager or business owner, how often do you genuinely praise good performance? Please don’t believe your employees will do their job to your standards because they’re paid to.

Studies have shown that behaviour that is reinforced by positive consequence tends to continue or increase. Good behaviour that is not reinforced in any way tends to decrease over time. Nobody continues to perform well unless you reinforce their motivation to do so. That’s life.

Most managers have a habit of around four criticisms to one praise. And yet it is imperative that you provide that ratio the other way around. Four praises to one criticism. If you get it right with personal involvement and recognition, you not only have a happy motivated work force, you also have them doing most of YOUR work for you. That’s as close to win – win as you can get.

There are many other processes that involve training, product or work knowledge, experience, environment, social interaction and internal competition with other teams, that are great fun tools for motivation to raise morale, but they will have to keep for another message.

Please email me on any specific ways you have overcome poor work morale, or seen how it is overcome by others. W.C. Fields (1880 – 1946) once commented on poor morale in his relationships with the quip, "I was in love with a beautiful blonde once. She drove me to drink; that's the one thing I'm indebted to her for."

That is not recommended as the preferred method to overcome poor morale, but it may be a start if all else fails. You may have an interesting remedy you could share with the rest of us.
Your stories – even short comments – are of great value to inspire others, and I would like to take the opportunity to include your stories, or comments, in upcoming episodes of ‘Special Interest Items’. They will be included as they fit into the theme of the message for that week.

Do you know anyone you can help with leadership issues, or just feeling good about themselves? Forward this message to friends and work colleagues; print it out and place it on notice boards, and give copies to those without computer access. Printing out, and compiling each weekly message in a folder, is a good way to build a total knowledge of self-confidence and leadership. It will provide certainty in dealing with every aspect of your life.

Next week’s message is an in-depth explanation of Stage 1 of ‘The Cycle of Confidence and Leadership’ that you were born with.

Until then, please continue to see yourself as a unique and remarkable person, who deserves to feel good about yourself every day.

Tony Richards.

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