Of late have you been facing performance issues with your team? When the performance numbers of your division don’t measure up it is definitely a cause for concern. What do you think you should do to overcome your worries?
According to expert advice, the first thing you must do is to remove the frown from your face and replace it with an attractive smile.
Simplistic and counterintuitive as it sounds, it is known to work wonders in bringing about an instant turnaround of bad situations.
According to research, the simple act of being nice towards your colleagues has a significant impact on their productivity. It is here that your smile comes in handy.
Your smile pulls people towards you. It tells people that you are affable, approachable and caring. Along with the smile, you may try saying or doing something nice that brightens their day. A small compliment can go a long way in making people feel happy and energetic.
A smile, like any other emotional expression, is highly infectious. So when you smile, your colleagues smile too.
Harry Paul and Ross Reck, the authors of the book Instant Turnaround, point out that “employees regulate the amount of effort they are willing to put into their jobs based upon how they feel they are being treated.”
It goes on to add, “If they feel they are being treated well, they will become excited about giving their absolute best effort, which means they will work way beyond their job descriptions. If they feel their efforts are unappreciated, they will pull back and do just about what they have to do to keep their jobs. And if they feel they’re abused, they will get even by figuring out a way to sabotage their performance numbers, or they will look for a job somewhere else.”
Unfortunately, team leaders are often so preoccupied with performance numbers that they completely ignore paying positive attention to their colleagues. So, if you want to turn around your division’s performance, start focusing more on the people and less on the numbers. When your equation with people improves, numbers will automatically go up.
A leader must know his subordinates well and have empathy for them. He must step into their shoes so that he can learn how to best motivate them and lead them. If you are leading people at the workplace, it would make a great difference to know them better on a personal level.
Therefore, smile and do the following to motivate your colleagues to work better:
Show them that you have faith in their abilities and let them understand that you are on their side.
Focus on their needs instead of yours. Understand their concerns and address their needs promptly.
Reach out to your people and work alongside in order to understand the issues they face.
Listen to what your people have to say and actively seek their opinions on things that matter to them. It shows you care for them. When colleagues feel valued they will be only too willing to give more than 100 percent to their jobs.
Turn work into fun. By introducing a bit of laughter and smiles you can make routine jobs more interesting.
Prof. V. G. Thyagarajan
Remember, most of all, that a smile doesn’t cost you anything. On the other hand, it brings you loads of benefits. It makes you likeable. When people like you, they trust you. And when they trust you, they work hard for you.
Your smile makes people around you feel good about themselves. And happy colleagues are undoubtedly the most productive ones.
When the entire workplace is characterised by contagious excitement, it translates into a win-win for everyone – for you, your team, and your organisation and for your clients.
So, don’t frown over failure. Keep your frown upside down, as they say, and see your smile power you to success!
