For Gill Crowther, HR director at the registry for all .uk internet domain names, Nominet, a key part of the job is trying to ensure that people love coming to work.
The way to do this, she believes, is to give them roles that play to their strengths, but are also challenging.
But her “love coming to work” philosophy and the attendant goal of getting the most out of staff does not come from reading the latest management tome. Instead it came from a book by well-loved children’s author, Jez Alborough.
The “inspirational” book called ‘Some Dogs Do’ is about a dog called Sid. “When he’s happy, Sid can fly, and if you allow people to do stuff that they love, as much as they can, they will fly,” Crowther explains.
Here are her five tips to help you and your staff fly:
1. Ensure that you’re engaged
If you’re miserable at work, the question is why are you there? It’s important to find ways to do the things that you love in your job and, if you can’t find them in your current role, then move. If you’re motivated and engaged, it will rub off on others.
2. Be yourself
Be yourself as much as you can be. So try to be the best version of yourself possible – and never compromise on who you are.
3. Build relationships
Being friendly and building relationships over time is the best way to engage people, but you also need to be honest and, sometimes, that means being tough.
4. Tell a story
People connect to stories and if you can get your message across in that format, they will remember the meaning rather than the detail.
5. Take people with you
When you’re in an HR role or any leadership position, it’s your job to give your best and inspire people and so you have to find ways to bring – rather than drag – them along with you.
One Response
motivating yourself
Great post. Motivating yourself can sometimes be a very difficult thing, even people who are naturally confudent and assured will find themselves in positions at times when its hard to motivate themselves and those around them. One of the key ways to avoid this is to surround yourself with people and within an evironment that supports your goals and aspirations. Do not surround yourself with people that will negate your drive or dampen your ambition.
David Evans, commercial director at accessplanit, specialising in learning management system and training administration software.