Posts

motivational speaker

 

Qualities of Employees in Successful Companies

The highs and lows of companies rely on their people. A business thrives if its workforce has a positive outlook. It suffers when they have low morale or a negative attitude towards their work.
Your employees are a determining factor to the success of your company. It is important to foster positivity in the workplace.

Leaders

A good company makes a leader out of all their employees. They know how to initiate and finish tasks without as much as a push from their superiors. Teach your employees to become leaders. Let them develop the necessary skills, experience and attitude to go beyond their self-imposed limits.

Selected Posts from Brad’s Past

We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.  

 

Happy

Cheerful employees tend to be more productive. They are also the ones who will most likely stay in your company for a long time. Keep them happy by conducting activities that promote employee engagement. Let them share their feedback and suggestions regarding the improvement of your company. Recognize their achievements by rewarding them from time to time. Give them opportunities to advance their career in your company, which will encourage them to stay longer.CPAE hall of fame speaker

Committed

Successful companies stay that way because their people remain committed to the growth of the business. Their employees help the company achieve its goals. Share your company’s vision and mission to your people. Emphasize how they are important in reaching your goals. Give them challenges and rewards to encourage them to participate. Be open to your employees; transparency will help them know the company’s direction and their role within the organization.

Quality employees will help businesses go where they want to be. One way of fostering quality employees is through motivational speeches. Brad Montgomery is a renowned speaker who understands that people are your greatest asset. Hewill help you motivate your employees to drive your company towards greater heights.Get in touch with him to know more about transforming your company through motivational speaking.

Brad Montgomery's Funny Motivational Seminar

Employees leave their jobs for many reasons. Sometimes it’s because of the money, but most of the time it’s not. Proper compensation is excellent, but managers and business owners should understand that employees need more than financial growth. Let me explain to you the four reasons good employees leave.

Read more

In my career of over 25 years, I have heard dozens of managers cry about how their employees don’t perform well and don’t feel driven. In most cases, the lack of productivity comes from low morale. And there are many things that contribute to this. Off the top of my head, I can think of three factors:

Lack of Contribution

It’s easy to tell others what to do, but this can be too much in some cases. When your employees have no say whatsoever in every company decision, they feel like they have no input at all. This would leave them no opportunity to voice out what they think should change. Over time, this will take its toll on your employees and they will have a terribly low morale.IMG_3436

Micromanagement

Another factor to avoid is micromanagement.  Won’t you feel annoyed if your boss keeps nagging you about the tiniest details? Of course you would! Nobody likes being micromanaged, because it ruins your own pace. Once the task is finished, the result is the effort of the boss who micromanaged the whole thing instead of the employee hired to do that particular job. This is definitely a bummer for employee morale because they don’t feel they accomplished something.

Zero Appreciation

Some people don’t realize how important appreciation is. Your employees work hard and they don’t get some sort of appreciation? Come on, that will surely annoy them.

Sometimes, employees feel demotivated because they don’t get rewarded for all the good things they do. If this happens 8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, of course your staff wouldn’t like it and will see no sense in excelling at what they do.

But you know, low employee morale isn’t the end of the world. It’s possible to turn this around with some help – my help. It’s easy to see when your employees feel down, and that’s the right time for me to do my thing. I’ll hype up your staff and make them feel awesome. I have a million ways of motivating your workforce. Trust me, whatever I come up with will be great.

The name is Brad Montgomery, and you can learn more about me by browsing my website, BradMontgomery.com. If your workforce feels down and needs some motivating, I’m the man to call. Bookmark or browse through my blog for more posts like this or contact me for more information about my services.

Companies often learn early on that they’ll need to choose which kind of management style they’ll need to go with when handling employees. Some businesses go with the tough love approach, while others prefer a softer, nurturing style of management. Psychologists recommend using a combination of both for the best results. How will managers know when it’s the right time to switch styles?

Don’t Switch, Mix

The first thing that managers need to know is that using a combination of both hard and soft management doesn’t require them to do any kind of switching at all. It may be difficult to believe, but it is possible to combine these seemingly opposing styles and create a friendly environment that also holds people accountable for their responsibilities.

The best way to illustrate the point of how this can be done is through the application of criticism. There are ways for managers to criticize their employees without pushing them away, but what most people don’t recognize is that the path to constructive criticism begins with proper praise. Building employees up is good when they did something right, managers just need to watch the kinds of words they use.

motivational speaker

Change Management Speaker

Talent Versus Skill

Astute managers never say words like talent, or natural when praising their employees. Equating the quality of a person’s work with their inherent ability rather than their hard work makes an employee vulnerable to self-doubt when they run into adversity. Here’s how it works: if an employee is successful because of talent, then they will think a task is not right for them every time they fail.

This severely cuts the confidence they have in their work, making them sensitive to even the softest of criticisms. The best employees aren’t necessarily the smartest of the bunch, but the ones with the most confidence when performing their tasks. Building that confidence takes more than just nurturing or pressure to achieve, it’s knowing the timing of when to hold back on both praise and criticism.

There are more techniques companies can use to help them build positive relationships with their employees. If you want to learn more or take advantage of such techniques, contact us today. We love talking to people in general, just as long as we know we’re helping them become better.

As an employer, it’s important that you keep your employees satisfied and motivated at work to keep their performance levels high. This high level of productivity is necessary for your business to become a success. But with all the things you need to keep an eye on, you may be ignoring some significant issues.

Calling for Unnecessary Meetings

Your workers are evidently more productive if they spend a sufficient amount of time on their work. You may not notice it, but meetings are one of the biggest time-wasting activities in a company. As much as possible, limit meetings only to the most important discussions and keep it to the point to avoid wasting time.Distech.2012_0190

Overlooking Output Deadlines

Setting deadlines is already a norm in companies, even in schools. But if you set target dates for their output, make sure you don’t resort to too many extensions. Chances are, your employees may slack off and your business will pay the price. Every minute wasted in the process is a loss of profit also.

Going Over the Boundary of Work and Life

Commitment is a key to productivity. But dedication to work is good to a certain point only. If your employees blur the boundary between work and life, they are more prone to stress and burn-out, which decreases efficiency. Devoted workers are a gem, but over-dedication may also cause unproductivity.

Hiring a Keynote Speaker

You shouldn’t ignore these common productivity problems; rather, you must handle them immediately or even before they happen. There may be a lot of solutions, but the most effective one is to take your employees to the same page you’re on. Make sure they also have the mindset to increase their performance level.

With the help of a keynote speaker, you can achieve this goal. Studies show that employees who attend such presentations learn to be engaged at work. A keynote speaker has the tools essential in shifting the perception of employees towards their performance in a good way, leading to better productivity.

Productivity is one of the main components that lead a business to success. It’s essential in keeping the company performing well and achieving greater heights as an organization. Here at Brad Montgomery, we offer presentations for productivity to help your company attain increased levels of efficiency. Contact us now and let us teach your workforce the means to be more fully invested in their work.

Imagine this; Paula is a talented employee, but she has little patience for others in the organization. Whenever someone makes a mistake that affects her work, she immediately gets intensely frustrated, and fires accusations – which border on insulting – at the offending party. On the other hand, she rarely ever admits her own shortcomings, or acknowledges the contributions of others.

She is always intensely negative and has a habit of “keeping score”; why should she help out a different group when they haven’t done anything in return? She might even go as far as to badmouth the other departments to her own people, widening the rift and creating more unnecessary enmity within the company. Talk about not being a team player.motivational speaker

This attitude has started to demoralize everyone that comes into regular contact with her, and more people are coming to you to complain about it. Is it time to let her go, despite her valuable skill set? While most managers would agree, you might want to hold off on that decision for a while longer.

Dealing with Frustrated and Negative Employees

Paula might be a fictional person, but I’ve met plenty of managers who talked to me about similar problem employees. Dealing with a person who has an uncooperative and belligerent attitude is always difficult, since they don’t really think that they are doing anything wrong. Sure, they might admit that they are a bit “blunt”, but they believe that they are simply saying what needs to be said.

You have to keep in mind that these people are not always intentionally malicious. They might simply struggle to find common ground with people from other teams or departments, and feel like they are carrying an unfairly large burden on their own. A common sentiment among the chronically angry is that they think that they are the only ones who care about getting things done right and on time.

This is not an excuse for their poor behavior, but seeing things from their perspective may help you get through to them. Sit them down for a one-on-one meeting, and ask what’s really bugging them. Talk about their biggest frustrations, and what they wish would change. Before tackling their problematic behavior, making them feel like you are hearing them out first can go a long way.

Sometimes, letting people go really is the only option, but you would be surprised at how much good the right words can do. Do you need further help in making your staff happier and more motivated? Give me a call, and I would gladly help.

Whether we like to admit it or not, money is one of the reasons we come to work. We get compensation for the work we do. “I’m only doing this for the money” is a phrase I hear many unmotivated, uninspired employees say.

Money, however, can only go so far in motivating people to come to the office, work, and be happy with what they’re doing. Yes, employees need fair compensation to avoid creating any unneeded contention about not being valued, but overpaying does have its pitfalls. It does little to motivate people to work hard in achieving company goals.

Sometimes, money just isn’t enough. When that happens, here are a few alternative techniques to motivate employees to keep everyone engaged and interested when pay doesn’t.!Montgomery.photo for event materials1

Words of Appreciation

Appreciation is one of the greatest motivators. In my years of experience working with hundreds of companies, I know that a few kind words go a long way. Simply showing appreciation for an employee’s hard work, initiative, enthusiasm, or work ethic incites more of that positive behavior.

I’m not saying managers and business owners don’t appreciate their employees enough; it’s that the management often forgets to express that appreciation. A simple, heartfelt “thank you for your hard work” can do wonders in motivating people.

Meaningful Reward

When it comes to rewards, a well-thought-out gift is always better than a random one. Rewarding employees for a job well done through a gift that’s deeply personal and meaningful shows them you care. You put in the effort to get to know them and you cared enough to know their favorite something. That is more valuable in motivating them than a measly raise.

Free Reign

Managers and owners who are controlling often make employees less productive. You’d be grooming them in a way that makes them afraid to move forward without constant approval.

One way to boost motivation here is to let go. You’d be surprised to see people working harder when you let them work on their own terms. Don’t throw out office and company guidelines, but know that it’s okay to be lenient from time to time.

Lending an Ear

One great compliment I can always instantly give is lending an open ear to the people around. When was the last time you really listened to your staff? Sure, you had a meeting this morning but was it really a collaborative meeting, or one where people just sat around the table and listened as you barked orders?

Listening to the ideas of other and implementing when appropriate is a big step in empowering employees.

Money may make the world go round, but there’s a lot more to happiness and motivation than green paper. If you’re having trouble with company morale, productivity, or any related issue, I’m the guy to call. My name is Brad Montgomery and I’d be happy to lend a helping hand. Connect with us today and know more about the power of motivation.

Behind the success of every company are people who are not just talented and experienced, but also happy.

Have you ever wondered why your employees are no longer performing as well as they did? You feel they have the technical skills and years of background to excel in your field, but why do they still fall short?

Happiness is the key, and the problem is most companies underrate it.

Science tells you that smiling is highly connected to producing. Tons of research have shed light on the connection between happiness and success—improves productivity by 31%, task accuracy by 19%, and sales by 37.

If you don’t pay enough attention to the level of engagement or contentment your employees have at work, chances are your top talents would exit the door and take with them the endless possibilities they could bring to your organization.motivational-speaker-1

Don’t let negativity hurt your business; bring out their full potential through proper motivation. These few tips will get you started and eventually turn the tide for your best interests:

Workout for the Mind

Rewire the brain to be optimistic at work. Good things and bad things happen to everyone every day, but they can develop a positive attitude if they focus on the upside.

Ask them to write down the things they love about what they do. Discuss the positive things your team has accomplished in the past 24 hours every morning. Feel free to tailor these exercises according to the nature of your business. The point is, you have to train them to look at the bright side. And it takes about 21 days to develop these constructive habits.

Sense of Ownership

Most people don’t want to fail if they know the work is theirs, right?

Make your employees own their work. Tell them they’re responsible with what they do, as if their name is tagged on to the product. The logic is they earn the reward when the customer is satisfied and are accountable otherwise.

Giving, Not Receiving

Peer support is paramount, but the real question is who’s giving and who’s receiving. A CNN article explains that those employees high on provision of support are more engaged at work tenfold and have a 40% greater chance of getting promoted in four years.

Happiness is a decision. Your employees can choose to be happy if they want to, but they might not like the status quo that’s why they choose not to.

Let Brad Montgomery plant the seed and help you grow the culture of positivity in your office. Contact us today and have one of the best motivational speakers on board.

Making employees work longer is never a viable solution for improving productivity. With this kind of strategy, any management is risking unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Companies are always looking to increase their bottom line from the ground up. They key is to get people working in harmony at maximum efficiency. But, how do you do that?

Hire Wisely

There are people whose true calling is to work, while some are content doing bare minimum for a day. A great recruitment process will enable you to identify the former, the ones you want to hire. With a scheme like this, you can steer clear of the coasters. It doesn’t always have to be a workaholic: someone with a positive attitude is always a welcome addition to any team.

Employee Rewards

It’s no secret that financial dividends motivate employees to maintain their current run of form. It also helps them to stay in the same organization for a long time. Any company would like to retain their most skilled workers, and with rewards, you are one step closer in attaining their loyalty.SDA 2014 Conference 1

Adopt Remote Working

Taking a break doesn’t always have to be on the beach or somewhere far away. Sometimes, an employee just needs a change of scenery. Maybe it’s because he or she is in a rut or the current office environment is too toxic. It’s good to let them work at a remote location. Whether it’s their home, a coffee shop or a quaint restaurant, let them get back on their groove on their own terms.

Better IT Support

It can be frustrating working on a computer that doesn’t have enough power and capabilities. Employees are stuck running only two programs at once. More often than not, it gets stuck. Getting competent IT professionals and top-of-the-line PCs or laptops will cut downtime and increase productivity.

Encourage Teamwork

Having one brilliant employee is fine, but a team is better. Collective effort will solve problems faster. Put the brilliant employee and let that person distribute helpful knowledge that could help everyone.

You can also rely on Brad Montgomery to motivate your personnel. He takes pride in speaking to the heart of the matter, in terms of greater business productivity, leadership and goals, but also directly to the people involved in making the products, fulfilling the orders, managing the office and getting business done.

For more useful motivational tips, turn to Brad Montgomery. Get in touch with the top professional keynote speaker today to learn about different ways of enhancing every level of your company.

As we spend more time in our workstations, we work even harder to achieve that mythical “work-life balance.” We take lunchtime walks, adjust our time commuting to avoid traffic, switch jobs to ones we actually like, and make changes (big and small) just for the sake of being happy.

Many do not realize, however, that the biggest mood booster could be sitting in the workstation right next to you.

For the Love of Work

A recent study by Virgin Pulse identified what employees love most about their jobs. Respondents said it’s not the office or the work, but the company we keep that makes the 9-to-5 gig enjoyable. Nearly 60% of the respondents said their positive relationship with employer boosts their focus and productivity at work, and 44% say it lowers their stress levels.Mosaic.2013.11

The results of the study reinforces something many have long been following—that showing some love to employees and making it clear the company cares for them is a great way to boost engagement and win them over for the long haul.

This is what our presentations always emphasize. We give talks during meetings and events to help organizations improve in terms of leadership, marketing, motivation, and productivity. We do this because we understand that a happy workplace is a productive one; that the secret to having a competitive edge relies on how well your team performs; and that a little motivation can go a long way.

Time Spent Well

The average American worker spends about 47.5 hours a week in the office, with some spending more time with co-workers than with friends or family. This just shows the importance of keeping everyone happy and motivated in the workplace.

Social connections are essential to our health and well-being, especially at the office. Employers are starting to see the importance of these connections, with many taking steps to reinvent the workplace and make it more productive.

Camaraderie and motivation at work have been found to not just make for happy employees, it also makes for a more effective business. Employees that share closer bonds have an easier time dissolving dissatisfaction, which then makes them more likely to work productively and stay in their current position longer. This is one of the things our services can help you with.

We may log more hours in the office than we do at home, but at least we have colleagues who make it worth our while. Giving them a morale boost through our presentations could definitely make it worth their while.

Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help in making your organization a happier one.