To engage employees in seemingly mundane roles, like cleaning factory tanks, leadership must clearly connect their specific task to the company's success. The Novonesis CEO emphasizes that explaining this critical importance and frequently expressing simple gratitude is key to maintaining a motivated workforce.
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Most managers are conditioned to spot errors. A more powerful strategy, inspired by Ken Blanchard, is to actively "catch people doing the right thing" and praise it. This builds an emotional bank account, reinforces desired behaviors, and improves culture far more effectively than constant correction.
Many companies neglect simple acts of gratitude. However, personal, unexpected, and heartfelt 'thank you' gestures are one of the most effective and underutilized marketing tools for building loyalty and generating referrals.
To stay connected to frontline operations and customer sentiment, former EasyJet CEO Caroline McCall made it a ritual to help cabin crew collect trash on every flight. This simple, repeated act provided invaluable, unfiltered feedback from both employees and passengers that she couldn't get in the office.
To motivate and retain employees, especially in a challenging market, leaders must shift their perspective from 'they work for me' to 'I work for them.' This servant-leadership approach involves genuinely caring about your team's well-being and success, which fosters loyalty and improves performance.
Pandora's founder kept employees working for two years without pay by framing their work not as data entry, but as a magical, culture-shifting mission. Great leaders make everything bigger than it is, transforming jobs into purpose-driven crusades to sustain motivation.
When you express gratitude, it often comes back to you, providing a sense of being seen and appreciated. This feedback loop, even from a small number of people, can be a powerful and sustainable motivator to continue your work, especially in isolating roles like content creation.
To sustain sales team hunger, leaders should prioritize small, daily recognitions over waiting for major milestones. A quick Slack message acknowledging good work reinforces positive behavior and connects daily effort to the bigger picture, making people feel their work is appreciated.
To build a loyal and effective team, leaders should constantly make "deposits"—helping employees advance, improve, and do their jobs. This builds goodwill, so when a leader needs to make a "withdrawal" by asking for something, the team is happy to oblige. This applies to customers, employees, and government stakeholders alike.
Your ability to serve clients depends on your internal team. Sales pro Steve Munn built strong relationships with his distribution center staff, treating them with respect ("more with sugar than you do with salt"). This rapport ensured they would go the extra mile for his clients during critical moments.
Leaders who use public platforms to specifically name and praise behind-the-scenes contributors build a stronger, more motivated team. This public acknowledgment demonstrates that all roles are integral and valued, fostering a culture where people feel seen and are motivated to contribute at a high level.