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Have you ever interviewed an applicant for a position and walked away thoroughly excited at the prospect of employing them – only to be terribly disappointed by their performance? Do you find yourself wondering why the staff that you know are full of potential are not applying themselves and their work is sloppy, they’re unenthusiastic and it seems like a real effort to even turn up for work? Chances are your first impression and your gut instinct about the person are right. They are probably extremely capable and competent and with the right incentive will actually exceed your expectations. I know you immediately think “I can’t afford to pay more” but the truth is money is not always the desired incentive. There are many ways to motivate employees, increase their enthusiasm and inspire them to achieve greater results for the business. It starts with being made to feel important. Every employee must know they have an important role in the business and the role that they play is a vital contribution to the end result. Now you might be thinking “but what they do is not that important”, but I challenge you to give further thought to each and every role in your business because if every employee is not vital in producing your end product – why are they in the business? A receptionist, for example, is a critical person in many businesses. Although most, when you ask whether they play an important part in the company, will respond with “no I just answer the phone”. That couldn’t be further from the truth. A receptionist is the first point of contact for the company and if a prospective customer rings that business what could be more important than first impressions. Did you know it is the first 4 seconds of any interaction that has the greatest impact – now is a receptionist important? The simplest way to make employees feel important is to make them feel valuable to the company and you will be amazed by the change in a persons commitment, loyalty and dedication when they feel like their employer values their contribution and their presence.

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How many people actually understand what ‘soft skills’ are? This is something I often wonder. The truth is, until a number of years ago I had never heard of the concept of soft and hard skills. I was asked the question ‘what are soft skills’ in some University coursework and I was baffled. Since then I have continued to investigate the power of ‘soft skills’ and the more I learn the more appreciation I have for ‘soft skills’. These are the skills that really distinguish a person’s ability to excel. Think about any person you know that is really exceptional in their job, and their life, and I bet they have spent time and energy honing their ‘soft skills’. A person can be highly skilled in their trade or profession but without improving their soft skills they lack the ‘polish’ to become truly outstanding. That’s not to say that every persons soft skills need improvement. Every person is different. But it goes without saying – every person can benefit from improving their ‘soft skills’. We see the proof time and time again. We’ll look into some of the benefits and improvements we are seeing in a later post.