Note: This resource is part of our Moving the Bar in Your Career and Your Life, a unique approach to professional development series: Optimizing Employee Performance. Click here to see the entire series.
If someone were to ask you to take MORE time to do something, you’d think they were crazy. You don’t have enough time as it is, right? And that wouldn’t be very efficient, right? Well, good managers DO take more time to do certain things: those things that have a positive impact on their employees and their performance. So, think about how much time you take doing the items on the following list and, if it’s not enough, then take more!
1. Take time to be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is contagious. Do everything with enthusiasm. You will find it an inspiration to your whole organization.
2. Take time to plan. Plan your work in an orderly way and you will find work goes more smoothly – not only for you, but for every fellow worker.
3. Take time to listen. You will not learn while you are talking. Listen and acquire knowledge. Listen and become popular with your fellow workers, customers, and prospects. By listening, you let people know you are interested in them, their ideas, and their problems.
4. Take time to praise. Go out of your way to compliment them for an outstanding job. This is the spirit that makes people want to succeed by making them want to try harder.
5. Take time to say thank you. Make it a habit to say thank you to everyone: to customers and fellow workers whenever they do something for you. Everyone appreciates it, and you will find it does something for you, too.
6. Take time to smile. Smile when you’re giving instructions or explaining an operation – smile when you talk to people. It is the best known way to win friends and cooperation.
7. Take time to explain. In talking to others about their work, be specific, be clear, say just what you mean, and give the reason why. We all do our best when we understand what is expected of us.
8. Take time to give orders cheerfully. Everyone who works has to take or give orders. But we all respond better when they are given cheerfully.
9. Take time to do it now. Don’t put things off. The longer you do so, the more difficult the job becomes. Let people know they can depend on you to get things done.
10. Take time to think. You will find this the shortest, surest way to success. It avoids many costly mistakes. Think and you will find your work more interesting and less tiring.
So, go ahead and take MORE time when it comes to these areas. You will be amazed at how well others respond (your employees will thank you) and your own performance and results will improve. Just take time and see!