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You’d think hard-working people wouldn’t need to be told twice to take a vacation—but you’d be surprised. According to some studies, American workers leave more than half their vacation days on the table. That’s a real problem, because it means workers aren’t taking the time they need to refresh themselves and to invest in their mental health. In very real and harmful ways, this lack of proper vacationing can rear its head in the workplace.

As a leader, it’s important that you encourage your employees to do what’s best for their own mental and physical health. That means motivating them to actually use those vacation days, whether they go to the beach or just take a day to chill out at home. The question is, what can leaders do to motivate their employees in this way?

Encouraging Employees to Use Vacation Time

Lead by example. First and foremost, you need to use your own vacation days—especially during summer and during the holiday season, when it’s most helpful for your team members to step out and clear their heads a bit. Be the change you want to see! Take a vacation!

Educate your employees. Show them the effects of burnout and stress. Bring in some statistics, or even a guest speaker who can attest to the need for vacation time. Let them see how important it really is.

Create some slow seasons. During the summer, try to lighten the workload a bit and shift the focus to things like marketing or strategic planning—internal activities where you can more easily spare a few employees to vacation.

Offer remote work solutions. This isn’t really a vacation, but if nothing else, you can encourage employees to work from home or from a coffee shop from time to time. A simple change of scenery, while not the same as actual vacation time, can still be meaningful.

Provide flexible scheduling options. During summer, in particular—when kids are home from school—your employees might appreciate the chance to work more flexible hours in order to accommodate their family life.

Create a team calendar. Something as simple and accessible as a Google calendar, shared by all employees, makes it easy for people to see when others are planning vacations—perhaps encouraging them to do likewise!

Vacation time isn’t frivolous. It’s a real investment in your team—so help them to use it wisely!

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When you think of employee motivation, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

For a lot of people, it’s money—and not without reason. Money is one of the primary ways to motivate your team members, whether we’re talking about bonuses or salary increases. And to an extent, it’s also one of the easiest forms of motivation.

The problem is, you can’t afford to throw money around to motivate your employees every single day. What’s more, there are other forms of motivation that are powerful in their own ways, and shouldn’t be neglected. I’m thinking specifically of intrinsic motivation.

What is Intrinsic Motivation?

If salary bumps are a form of extrinsic motivation—along with things like PTO—intrinsic motivation is all about helping team members feel recognized; helping them to feel acknowledged and affirmed. It’s about showing them that their work matters and that you’re grateful for it.

The importance of intrinsic motivation can’t be overstated. We all want to make money, of course, but we also all want to feel like we’re needed, and that our work makes a difference. Intrinsic motivation taps into those feelings.

Using Intrinsic Motivation

Knowing how best to leverage intrinsic motivation is somewhat dependent on the employee, and on the situation; with that said, here are some general examples and recommendations I’d offer you.

• Always be clear with team members about the big picture. What’s your company’s goal—and how does each team member’s role help you reach that goal? Help employees see themselves within the overall mission.
• Provide opportunities for learning, development, and career growth. Show team members that you don’t just want to pay them to do their job, but you actually want to invest in them as people.
• Offer gratitude. A simple thank-you can go a long way. Make it a daily habit! Be specific in what you thank people for, too. Provide them with concrete affirmation.
• Provide flexible work hours—showing that you understand the needs of employees with families and other obligations.

Remember that intrinsic motivation doesn’t have to cost you a thing—yet it can make a huge difference in the work your employees do.

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Have you ever met someone who was a total showboater? Always boasting, to anyone within earshot, of his or her own accomplishments? That kind of person can be annoying, to put it mildly, and most of us find showboating to be a turnoff. It’s certainly not the sort of behavior that inspires loyalty, or makes us want to be a member of that person’s team.

For the successful leader, humility is key. That’s because we’re more prone to follow someone who quietly shows knowledge, skill, and vision, rather than trumpeting it from the rooftops.

As an executive coach, one of my own areas of focus is on transformational leadership, and I’ll be so bold as to say that humility is one of the most precious and most elusive traits for transformational leaders. Let me try to explain, in a bit more detail, what makes humility so crucial.

Why Humility is Crucial for Great Leadership

Humility is a form of authenticity. We all make mistakes. We’re all, at the end of the day, only human. When you’re humble, it conveys that you’re aware of your own limitations; when you’re a showboater, it suggests that you’re not as aware, and that kind of person just isn’t as relatable. People want to follow a leader who can be real about his or her own shortcomings, and who gives team members permission to be likewise.

Humility leads to a collaborative, team-driven approach. The egomaniac will seize power as a platform for abuse, but the humble leader will delegate, empower, and encourage other team members to contribute their own great ideas.

The humble leader will promote others. Rather than always wanting to be the top dog, a humble leader will help team members rise to new levels of influence and prestige.

Humble leaders are grateful. Humility allows you to step back and acknowledge how much you depend on the other members of your team—and to truly thank them.

Humility suggests integrity. Leaders are more likely to be people of integrity if they rose to their leadership role through hard work and humility, rather than through bravado and self-promotion.

Are You a Humble Leader?

Humility is the calling card of many a great leader—and it can be your hallmark, too. Working with an executive coach can help you develop the best traits for leadership success. Reach out to me any time to learn more!

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It’s a common conundrum—and as a motivational speaker, it’s something I see all the time: Team leaders want to motivate their people, but don’t necessarily have the resources to provide salary bumps or additional PTO days.

I’ve written about this at length, because I think it’s a critical problem to address. My basic argument is this: While you do need to put some money into employee engagement sometimes, there are also some motivational techniques that won’t cost you a dime—and they can actually be incredibly beneficial to your entire team.

Today, I’m going to focus on three of the main ones.

Have a Non-Financial Goal for Your Team to Rally Behind

You should always be laying out objectives for your team members to rally behind. It’s fine for an objective to be financial in its nature—e.g., “let’s have our best sales quarter ever”—but that kind of motivation is innately short-term and fleeting. It’s better to tap into an even bigger and broader sense of purpose: Getting the best customer satisfaction scores in your industry, becoming the recognized thought leader in your space, helping the most people, improving the most lives.

In short: Help your team members to feel like they are working toward a significant goal—not just making more money.

Let Employees Weigh In

Hopefully, your company has a sense of mission—and you choose the work you do based on how it fits within that sense of mission. I would also recommend giving employees a say here. If there is a big project or a new client that your team really doesn’t like—for moral or social reasons, or just because it’s a bad fit for the business—that’s something you should really listen to. Allow employees to know that you care about their buy-in, and aren’t just assigning them work unthinkingly.

Make Your Mission Statement Pervasive

You might be surprised by how often employees simply don’t know the values or mission of the company—because these things are never imparted to them. As a leader, it falls to you to make sure everyone gets the memo. Make printed copies of your company mission statement available to everyone, and review these values together with your team on a regular basis.

A sense of mission should pervade everything you do—and provide your employees with something that’s both unifying and motivating!

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Millennials are widely perceived to be job hoppers, jumping from position to position in an effort to climb the ladder. This is at odds with the way things were in decades past, when loyalty to a particular employer was a much bigger concern than it is today. And for employers, it can cause some unease: You may want very much to include millennials in your team, but how can you truly depend on people who are just going to leave you at the first available opportunity?

Well, the thing is, millennials aren’t simply fickle or disloyal; rather, they’re motivated differently than members of previous generations were. Understanding that can go a long way toward keeping millennials engaged with your team—and yes, that can increase their loyalty, too.

What Drives Millennials?

To this end, I find a recent Forbes report to be helpful. The article goes into detail about the top reasons why millennials quit their jobs—and in doing so, it reveals some opportunities for greater motivation.

Let me show you what I mean.

• The top reason why millennials leave a position, Forbes explains, is because they find a better opportunity elsewhere. This is a problem that companies can address by providing a clearer road map for professional growth; in other words, create in-house opportunities so that your team members won’t have to look for them elsewhere. “It’s not that millennials are inherently disloyal,” says the article. “It’s that millennials want opportunities to grow and develop. Great companies provide opportunity to the best employees so they don’t feel like they have to go looking elsewhere.”
• Millennials employees also leave jobs because they want to go back to school—but here again, there is an opportunity for leaders to truly invest in their younger team members, and to show an interest in their professional development. “If millennials are returning to school solely because they believe it will advance their careers, maybe the company is not doing enough to give employees opportunities inside the building,” says Forbes. In-house training and education can be invaluable tools for employee retention.
• Along the same lines, Forbes says one of the top reasons millennials leave their job is so that they can learn new skills. “Generally speaking, this is a bad reason to lose a good employee,” reads the article. “Good companies help their employees develop and grow. And they allow employees to pivot. Skill, talent, and passion need to meet. When they don’t, something needs to change.”

The bottom line? If you can identify the main things that motivate millennial employees to pursue career change, that gives you a sign of what you can do to keep them on board—to truly motivate them and engage them with your team’s mission.

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Employee engagement doesn’t actually start with your employees. It starts with you, the leader—with the example you set, the culture you build, the commitment you make to inspiring your team members.

As an executive coach, I talk with leaders all the time about the efforts they can make—practical, real-world steps—to boost engagement. Here are a few of the practices I most highly recommend.

How Leaders Can Boost Engagement

Align the Workforce

The members of your team need to be working toward the same thing, headed in the same direction—but how can they do this if they don’t have any sense of where the company is headed, or what you’re all trying to achieve? As the leader, it falls to you to articulate a clear sense of mission—and to make plain how every project, every task, and every employee contributes to that mission.

Empower Your Managers

Those who are in direct managerial roles—interacting with employees daily—are the ones you need to invest in first. Develop their skills of engagement and empowerment. Provide them with direction in how they can listen, set clear expectations, and deliver feedback that is truly constructive. Make sure the managers are all on the same page about employee engagement.

Emphasize Fairness

You can’t afford to have employees disenfranchised because they think you’re playing favorites. In everything you do—from resource allocation to how you make sales—make sure you’re applying principles of fairness.

Create Leaders

Don’t settle for employees who do a workmanlike job every day. Invest in promising talents, and encourage them in leadership development. Help them develop the skills of engaging and motivating other employees, and provide opportunities for them to prove themselves.

Measure!

As the leader of your team, one of your most important responsibilities is measuring results—and that includes the results of engagement efforts. Use surveys and other employee feedback programs to benchmark your progress.

These are some pragmatic steps leaders can take as they look to do their part in enhancing employee engagement.

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As an executive coach and motivational speaker, I spend a lot of time talking about employee engagement. One thing I’m increasingly aware of is that not everyone’s totally clear on what engagement is—or why it matters. Let me break it down in this way: Employee engagement is really just about creating a workplace environment that empowers and inspires your team members to do their very best work.

It’s a win-win. It means you get good, creative, productive work out of your employees, and your employees, in turn, get a real sense of satisfaction from what they do. Engagement is something that every company should constantly be driving toward, though I’ll admit that it’s sometimes hard knowing how to do that.

Let me offer four categories in which there is always room for increased engagement. Hopefully, this will be a meaningful roadmap for you to make some improvements within your own company culture!

Alignment with Goals

Your employees should be aware not just of their daily tasks, but of the big picture—the goals your company is working toward. This is important because it provides your employees with a sense of value in what they do—a sense that they are part of something meaningful, and that their contributions matter. Work to ensure your employees understand the big picture, agree with the overall direction of the company, and see where they fit into things.

Trust in Leadership

You don’t want blind, unquestioning faith from your employees, but you should have their trust—their basic belief that the leadership of the company is competent and stable. Be mindful that your employees are always watching you, and that you have opportunities day in and day out to demonstrate integrity.

Effective Management Practices

All those who are in supervisor or manager positions should be on the same page regarding honest communication, clarity of expectations, constructive feedback, and effective coaching. Make sure your company has a culture of empowerment and motivation—something that starts with leaders.

Employee Value

Finally, be sure your employees feel valued. Affirm them when they do good, solid work. Give them leeway to make mistakes, and offer constructive feedback when it’s called for. Recognize their contributions, and make sure they know that you value them.

These are just four umbrellas under which you can put your employee engagement efforts—and hopefully, they provide you with a sense of the changes you can make right now!

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Employee engagement has been a big focus in recent years—and not without reason. Employers have learned, slowly but surely, that when your team members have an emotional investment in the company, they’re going to do better work. So, working to build engagement isn’t just about keeping peace or making your people happy; it has a real, bottom-line impact.

Don’t believe me? Let me list just a few concrete ways in which you can actually measure the results of employee engagement.

Where Does Employee Engagement Matter Most?

• Productivity. An invested and engaged workforce will outperform a workforce that’s lackadaisical or unmotivated—all the time. Study after study confirms that, when you engage your employees, you get more high-quality work out of them, not less.
• Retention. Employees who are engaged with their jobs are less likely to leave for greener pastures. Makes sense, right? And that, in turn, saves you the cost of recruiting and onboarding new people.
• Morale. Workplace happiness isn’t just some pie-in-the-sky ideal. High morale has been linked to both productivity and retention—just what I’ve been saying—while employees who are unhappy are more likely to do sloppy work or to look for new opportunities elsewhere.
• Innovation. Engagement can manifest as creativity. Think of some of the great tech breakthroughs of the last decade. How many of them do you think were engineered by people who were bored and unengaged?
• Communication. Employees who are engaged are more likely to communicate clearly and proactively with their colleagues. Again, it just makes sense, right?
• Recruitment. Employees who are engaged in what they do, and who feel happy at work, will be more likely to recommend the company to others—and that can really help with recruitment.

Employee engagement is not some nebulous thing. You can really track its results—and that makes it something worth investing in.

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A big part of leadership is what you do—the example you set, the initiative you take, the priorities you demonstrate.

But leaders also need to be mindful of what they say, as words have the power to shape perceptions and impact your team’s morale, to say nothing of their trust in your leadership.

In this post, I want to look at a few common workplace phrases that have no place in the vocabulary of a truly great, transformational leader. Ask yourself how often you say any of these things!

Phrases for Leaders to Avoid

“This probably isn’t what you want to hear…”

This is something that’s invariably followed by bad news—but with this qualifier, you’re somehow making the other person feel like it’s on them; you shift the issue to their side rather than owning the decision you’ve made. Avoid it!

“Work smarter, not harder.”

This implies to the person you’re speaking to that a) you think they’re a dummy and b) you’d actually like to see them exert less effort. How is this good leadership?

“It just wasn’t meant to be!”

When your team encounters a failure, there’s probably a reason for it. Find that reason, and work on how you can avoid it the next time. Don’t just chalk it up to fate!

“Feel free to offer your input.”

Don’t be passive. If you value feedback from your team—and by the way, you should—then ask for it directly.

“Failure is not an option.”

Sure it is. If you don’t want people to fail, though, then leave the floor open for questions and brainstorming. This cliché just shuts down dialogue.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.”

Why shut down innovation and creativity amongst your team members? Really, why?

“There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’”

Teams matter, but so do individuals! Don’t make your people feel like they’re interchangeable cogs in a machine.

I’d strike all of these platitudes from your speech—because none of them are doing you a bit of good!

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Meetings can be important.

They can also be wastes of time.

Most leaders know these things to be true. Looking at your own calendar right now, you’ll probably see a lot of time blocked off for meetings. Some of those meetings will be essential—truly productive. Others will be total wastes of time—or, at the very least, they’ll be things you could really handle just fine without a meeting, and save the hassle.

So why do we do it? Why do we load up our schedules with meetings when we know good and well that not all of them are going to be impactful—that in fact, very few of them may turn out to be impactful?

Well, here’s a secret: Not everyone does allow their calendar to get blocked out with meetings. In fact, I think great leaders know how to keep meetings to a healthy minimum.

But how can you ease up on the meetings in your life? Here are some quick rules of thumb.

How to Say No to Unnecessary Meetings

Schedule a Power Hour

Before you block off any meetings, block off an hour of time in the morning for you to focus intensely on an urgent project—putting all of your effort, during that one hour’s time, into getting things accomplished. This is a great way to jumpstart your day, and to ensure that you’re productive even if you end up getting pulled into meetings later in the day.

Have One Meeting-Free Day Each Week

Devote Fridays to being on the floor, working with your team, or interacting with customers—and refuse to schedule any meetings during this time. Having a clean break from meetings, and a full day of protected time, can really be invaluable, and also help you be more rigorous about the meetings you do and do not accept during the rest of the week.

Don’t Accept Any Meetings Without Clear Agendas

“I’m sorry, I can’t commit to the meeting without seeing an agenda up front.” That’s a simple enough phrase, and it will get you out of many meetings that could otherwise turn out to be time sucks.

Always Ask for Shorter Meetings

This may not work for everyone, but I’ve met some executives who always counter meeting invitations with a request that they be shorter. So, if someone invites you to an hour-long meeting, respond that you can only give them 45 minutes—and then stick to it! After 45 minutes, politely excuse yourself, saying you have another commitment.

These are just a few strategies you might try to redeem some of your meeting time.

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He’s all talk! Talk is cheap! We’ve all heard these phrases, and we all know what they mean: There is a limit to how meaningful words can be, and actions ultimately speak much louder.

And yet, as every leader knows, the words you say are by no means irrelevant. In fact, they can go a long way toward shaping morale, providing a sense of purpose, and unifying the members of your team.

That’s why I recently blogged about the things that transformational leaders should never say—and it’s why, today, I’m turning my attention to three things leaders really should say to their team members.

What Every Transformational Leader Should Say

1. Look ahead. Far too often, employees get caught up in their short-term goals. Will I get a pay raise this year? What’s the next step of my career? How can I prove myself with this project? All of these are important questions to ask, but not when they distract from long-term thinking. What are your ultimate career goals—and how can your actions today pave the way for long-term success? That’s the kind of forward-thinking mentorship you should be giving your employees, because it shows them that you’re really invested in them.
2. Own your career. Another way to show you’re invested in employees? Encourage them to invest in themselves. Make sure they know that they are in charge of their careers—and advancement is really all up to them. Encourage your employees to spend some time making themselves better at what they do, reading and learning and studying up on the industry. If you can provide them with educational programs or on-site seminars, that’s all the better.
3. Be curious. One more thing: Advise your team members to be curious. Ask questions, and don’t take ‘I don’t know’ or ‘that’s above your paygrade’ for an answer. Dig deep into the company and the industry and expand your horizons.

When you say these kinds of things to your employees, it shows them that you want them to be the best they can be, long-term—and, it provides them with a road map for making that happen.

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Every business goes through difficult seasons. Perhaps it’s due to sales drop-offs. It might even be due to the departure of a beloved team member. Or it may simply be the natural ebb and flow of morale. These rough patches will come, and regardless of their cause, leaders must remain proactive in motivating their employees.

Of course, it’s typically much easier to motivate employees during the good times than during the bad—but that’s not to say there aren’t ways for leaders to set a positive tone.

How Leaders Can Motivate During Challenging Seasons

Here are just a few possible approaches:

Lead by example. You’re not going to be able to motivate your team members if you’re not somewhat motivated yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to put on a smiley face and pretend like everything’s fine, or deny that times are tough—but it does mean remaining enthusiastic, hopeful, and committed to the work that must be done.

Offer incentives. During hard times, a little extra reward can go a long way. Tracking the progress of your team members, and offering some sort of incentive to those who meet a certain performance threshold, can be a meaningful way to encourage action.

Look for the downers. Be alert to the team members who tend to be downers—the ones who tend to complain or to drain the enthusiasm out of the room. Be proactive in counseling these employees and urging them to shift their attitudes—and if they don’t, consider whether you really want to keep them on the team at all.

Focus on development. One thing that can encourage employees is the chance to develop themselves and advance their own careers. During stormy seasons, consider what you might do to offer those changes at professional growth, and to show that you are invested in your people over the long haul.

Remember: Even when times get tough, the leader’s job is to unify, engage, and ultimately motivate the team.

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Statistics prove time and time again that bad leadership drives employees away; indeed, it’s one of the most common reasons for job transfers and career changes. But when you’re actually experiencing bad leadership, day in and day out, you can’t simply up and run. You’ve got to weather the storm, at least for a little while, and remain productive in your work.

That can be easier said than done, but I have three quick guidelines that I hope will help.

You Be Responsible for You

It’s important to acknowledge the problem without adding to it. Yes, you may have a bad boss, and yes, he or she may make it difficult for you to do your best work. But there are still things you can control—and one of them is your own response. Rather than complaining—which can sap the enthusiasm from your teammates, and also compound your own problems with motivation and productivity—own your part of the situation. Do everything in your power to focus on your projects and to do the best with the resources you’re given.

Remember: The Company is Bigger Than the Boss

When you can’t look to your boss for leadership, look beyond—to the company’s mission statement. Think about the ultimate goal of the business, and what your role is in advancing that goal. Focus on the things you can do to deliver value and to get results, inching your team closer and closer to that objective.

Start a Dialogue

Returning to what I said about owning your part of the situation, one thing you can do to try building bridges is to reach out to your boss and ask for feedback. Respectfully ask for some things you’re doing well and some areas where you could improve. You might be surprised by how disarming this can be—and how effective.

Nobody likes having a bad boss, of course—but don’t let it stop you from trying, or from doing the best work you’re capable of.

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It goes without saying that some employees—and some leaders—are more productive than others. The age-old question is, what separates the high achievers from those who are middling and average?

A recent article from Fast Company has an interesting answer. According to the article, the high-achieving leader is distinguished by a single weekly ritual.

Weekly Re-Alignment

“They keep a sacred, non-negotiable meeting with themselves every week to re-sync, get current, and align their daily work and projects with their priorities,” explains David Maxfield, in the article. Maxfield leads research for VitalSmarts, and bases his comments on a study of some 1,594 high-performing managers and leaders.

Note that the average person begins with something like a to-do list, creating a list of things that need to happen and working up from there. What Maxfield is suggesting is something rather different—taking a top-down approach where overarching goals and objectives are used to bring the little, daily stuff into perspective.

As Maxfield explains, it’s all about determining what kind of person you want to be, and how you want your career to go, then working backwards from there.

Starting a Routine

The best time to conduct this ritual, Maxfield explains, is on Sunday evening, before all the noise and clamor of the new work week sets in. Find some quiet, private time to think about the big picture.

And what exactly should you be thinking about during this Sunday evening ritual? There are three basic areas of focus.

1. Consult your gut, simply ensuring that your life and career are aligned with your personal and professional goals. Check with the items on your calendar and ask whether these items are really in alignment with your goals. Review your achievements over the past week, and be honest about whether they really reflect who you want to be—or whether it’s time to make some changes.
2. Get organized for the coming week, capturing and filing loose documents, getting close to inbox zero, writing down any stray ideas or to-do items that are floating through your head.
3. Think through long-term goals—the things you want to do some day—and be creative about what you might do to get closer to those goals.

This is really all about leading a life of purpose—and taking stock of everything in your life to make sure it furthers that purpose. Give it a try; for leaders looking for direction, this ritual may be clarifying and energizing!

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Do you remember the last time you had to choose between two job offers? Or, perhaps, the last time you had to choose between staying at your current job or accepting a new position elsewhere? Do you remember how you made your decision? Which factors you considered?

There are some obvious ones—salary, benefits, career progression. But when all of these things are more or less equal, how do you determine which job will make you happiest?

It’s important to think about this question because it can provide some insights into your own employees. The factors you value may very well be the factors they value—and as such, you can use them to increase workplace morale as well as retention.

Let me run through a brief list, including some of the main perks that really make employees happier. This is based on data I’ve collected in my time as an executive coach and motivational speaker, working with companies of all types, all over the world.

What Keeps Employees Happy?

Some of the key factors include:

1. Flexible work environment. Do your employees get to work from anywhere in the world? Are they allowed to spend a day outside the office, perhaps working from a coffee shop, or even from the beach? The ability to work from home, or on the road, is something today’s employees treasure.
2. A culture of wellness. Do you care whether your employees are healthy, energetic, and focused? Do you make your workplace an environment that promotes healthy decisions, like stress management, physical activity, healthy snacks, hydration, and sound mental health practices?
3. Recognition. People like to be praised and affirmed for their good work, and they like to see their co-workers recognized, too. Weekly “high five” programs or simply a habit of public praise for great work can really go a long way.
4. Support for co-workers in need. What can you do to help a team member who’s going through a hard time? Access to counseling, or simply some additional PTO, is an invaluable way to show you care—and employees notice and appreciate it.
5. Education. On-the-job learning and career development opportunities show that you want your employees to keep getting better—and that you’re investing in them over the long term.

These are all things that employees prize—and when you implement them, it can lead to a happier and more loyal team.

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Nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news—and when you’re a team leader, delivering grim tidings can be especially difficult. After all, bad news about the state of the company—or about an error you’ve made—can have a direct impact on the morale of your employees, on the solidity of the company, and even on their employment status.

So whether you’re fessing up to a big fumble or letting someone know of a pending layoff, it’s worth knowing how to deliver bad news well. Here are some tips you can follow.

How Great Leaders Deliver Unwelcome News

Don’t Lead with an Apology

“I’m sorry, but…” is never a good way to start bad news. It may seem like it will make you appear empathetic, but actually, it makes you look weak and uncaring—like you could or should be doing something to prevent this bad thing from happening, but all you can muster is a rote apology. Skip the apology—or at least, save it until a more appropriate time—and get straight to the news itself.

Don’t Be Cursory or Flippant

Another bad way to begin bad news? “Well, since I have you here…” If you’re sharing news that come impact people’s lives and livelihoods, you don’t want to come across like it’s incidental. Plan a time to sit down and talk; give some heads-up that you’ve got news to share.

Don’t Beat Around the Bush

It’s always best to get right to the point. Overloading your audience with background information or unnecessary lead-up makes it seem like you’re nervous about sharing the news itself—and that puts people on edge. More to the point: It undermines your authority.

Don’t Lie

If you’re asked to provide facts, provide them. Don’t tell people you don’t know the answers to their questions unless you truly don’t. This is definitely a case where honesty and transparency are the best policies.

Don’t Be Ill-Prepared

Finally, make sure you spend some time thinking about what you’re going to say before you say it; trying to riff or improvise your way through bad news is the surest way to stumble into some of these other issues I’ve brought up.

Leadership is critical during difficult days or challenging seasons. When you have bad news to deliver, make sure you rise to the occasion.

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When it comes to motivating your employees, are you the good cop or the bad one?

Or, to put it another way: Do you tend to rely on the carrot, or the stick?

For a long time, there has been disagreement over how best to engage and inspire a team—and while positivity has become increasingly favored, there’s still a sense that it’s really just a matter of subjective, personal opinion.

I’m here to tell you that that’s not the case.

The Science Behind Positive Motivation

In fact, there is scientific research that confirms that supremacy of positive motivation—and you can read all about it in a recent article from Entrepreneur.

According to the article, which cites a Harvard Business Review study, “Positive reinforcement actually motivates employees better than punishment. Not only is it more effective at motivating change, but it’s also less damaging to the employer-employee relationship.”

And it makes sense, right? In an environment where bosses punish rather than praise, it’s only natural to feel like you’re not really trusted or valued.

Different Forms of Positive Motivation

Now, it’s important to be clear that, when I talk about positive motivation, I’m not merely suggesting that you give VISA gift cards to every employee who produces good work. Perhaps there is a time and a place for that sort of thing, but it’s important to be aware of other, equally valuable (but more budget-friendly) forms of positive motivation.

Continually reminding your employees of the big picture and their role within it—the company’s goals, and how their job contributes to that goal—is essential, and doesn’t cost you anything.

Providing each team member with a sense of purpose, and a way to use their strengths in a way that moves the team toward the goalpost is a must.

And allowing employees opportunities to learn, develop, and grow—showing that you’re invested in their futures—is a powerful form of positivity.

There are many ways you can be the good cop to your employees—and if science is to be believed, you’ll get much better results that way than you would otherwise.

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The annual employee review process is nothing new; it’s been a staple of the workplace for generations, and it remains widely practiced.

But does that mean it’s effective? Not necessarily. According to new data, 72 percent of U.S. employees find annual reviews to be time-consuming. More than half of employees say reviews have no impact on how they do their jobs.

So to recap: Time-consuming, ineffective, and potentially demoralizing, to boot. Does that sound like something you need to invest in?

The good news here is that, even if you have a review system in place, there are ways you can change it, make it more meaningful. Here are some recommendations.

Making Your Review Process Count

1. When you do offer feedback—whether during an annual review or simply on the fly—make sure you don’t base it on a single instance. Criticizing an employee for being tardy when he or she showed up late just one time is unfair, and naturally makes people defensive. Focus more on the big picture, rather than wringing big conclusions from isolated incidents.
2. Prepare for your reviews. Put some effort into gathering data, input from other managers, and whatever other information might help you hone in on personalized feedback. Again, look to the big picture: Try to focus the conversation on what the employee wants to learn, and how he or she wants to progress in the coming year.
3. Remove the threat of cut salaries or lost bonuses. The review process should not include adverse impact on compensation. If it does, that’s all employees will be thinking about. Make it clear that the process is about helping your team members grow and develop—that and nothing more.
4. Don’t think of yourself as a reviewer. Your job is not to offer a simple verdict. Think of yourself as a coach. You and your employee are on the same team, after all, and you want that employee to succeed. Center the entire process on that idea: What you can do to help drive success for everyone

These tips can help you redeem your annual reviews—and make them truly worthwhile for your team members.

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Employee engagement remains a lively topic among today’s leaders, coaches, and HR professionals—a topic that invites plenty of nuanced discussion, but also demands a big-picture view.

Let’s start with some simple facts and figures: About what percentage of the workforce would you say is truly engaged? According to a recent Gallup survey, the picture is pretty grim. Forbes summarizes: “According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, only 15 percent of employees worldwide are engaged in their jobs – meaning that they are emotionally invested in committing their time, talent and energy in adding value to their team and advancing the organization’s initiatives.”

And that’s not all. “More Gallup research shows that employee disengagement costs the United States upwards of $550 billion a year in lost productivity,” Forbes continues.

These are obviously not very good numbers. Employees represent a company’s most precious assets—and if your employees aren’t engaged, it means you’re neither taking care of them properly nor getting as much out of them as you could, plain and simple.

It might help to consider employee engagement across a few different categories. First, there are engaged employees—roughly 15 percent of the workforce, if Gallup is to be believed. These are the team members who are emotionally committed. They excel at what they do, and their talents are leveraged fully.

Then there are those who are simply not engaged; Gallup estimates that about 67 percent of the workforce fits into this category. These are the employees who do the bare minimum. They don’t cause problems, per se, but neither do they have any sense of mission or of goals.

“They are less likely to be customer-focused and are not concerned about productivity or company profitability,” Forbes says. “These team members are both a threat and great opportunity – because with the proper approach, they can be transformed into engaged employees that thrive in the organization.”

Finally, representing about 18 percent of the workforce, there are those employees who are actively disengaged—those who have basically checked out. They are negative, they are toxic, and they are probably not redeemable; frankly, you’re better off removing them from your team as soon as you can.

It’s worth considering your own team in this light. How would you categorize each employee? Are their employees who are not engaged, but could be brought around? Are their employees who should simply be terminated? Or are you already doing a great job keeping your team inspired, motivated, and emotionally invested?

Take some time to think about the answers to these questions. That will provide you with some direction for your future efforts at employee engagement.

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There’s an old saying: Hire behaviors, train skills. Even for those employers who live by this adage, and who hire team members based on their cultural fit, there may be the occasional behavioral issue on your team. It doesn’t even have to be that people are behaving badly, either; sometimes they’re just not quite aligned with the values or productivity model you’d like to uphold.

This is nothing to panic about; it’s natural for employees to fall into ruts or to develop little habits that you’d rather break. And as a leader, there are some simple steps you can take to bring about positive change.

Start with Numbers

The first thing you should do is to measure the behaviors you’re trying to change—quantifying them, if at all possible. For instance, say you have a problem with tardiness. Keep a record of how many employees are tardy over a given span of time; you can convert that into a ratio—for instance, you might find that 15 percent of your employees are tardy to work at least three days out of each week.

Having some real data to work with, to show that you’re not imagining things, is a helpful first step.

Track Progress

So let’s say you take that data to your employees; let them know their tardiness has become an issue, and that you hope to see some improvements. The next step is to monitor their progress. Pay attention to the employees who make an effort to improve their behavior—and perhaps even post the results to show that their good efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Make it clear that you’re paying attention—and that you appreciate good efforts being made.

Create Consequences

Finally, hold people accountable. I don’t necessarily recommend big, sweeping statements—the next person who does this is fired! What I do recommend is taking note of repeat offenders, and counseling them privately about their behavior. Work with them individually, and brainstorm some ways you can help them bring about that positive change in their own daily behavior.

That’s what this is all about—positive change. And as a leader, that starts with you.