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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.

Although introverts make up half of the population, most of them still have to thrive in an extrovert-oriented world. In the workplace, an employee’s ability to lead should not only be characterized by their charisma and likeability. As an organization that cultivates employee confidence and productivity, we believe that with the right supervision, introverted employees can shine in the workplace.

In her book titled “Quiet Influence: The Introvert’s Guide to Making a Difference,” Jennifer Kahnweiler gives us an insight of how introverts can leverage their strengths to become highly effective movers of society.

Who Are the Introverts in the Workplace?

Most recruitment officers would go for candidates who are outgoing and charismatic. By doing this, they have closed their doors to those who might have been better assets to the organization. Introversion is simply a temperament or a preference.

A common negative trait associated with introversion is shyness. In fact, not all introverts are shy. They just happen to be quiet. Workplace introverts are those who do not ask too many questions during orientations and meetings. They are the ones who work quietly, do not engage in small talk and leave the office on the dot to avoid interaction.

How Introverts Can Shine in the Workplace

Quietness is not entirely negative. Introverts value their solitude, which means that they have a higher degree of self-awareness. People who are more self-aware tend to be more sympathetic and compassionate towards other people. Though they may appear passive and apathetic at times, they are actually more pensive; thus, careful and wise with their words and decisions.

Introverts reveal their talents and interests in in-depth conversation and focused dialogue. To inspire introverts to lead, managers should give them tasks that will most likely bring out their creativity. Research links creativity as a common trait among introverts. They tend to be more productive if an activity or a task brings out the inner artist in them. It will come as a surprise that the person whom everyone perceived to be submissive is actually the one to break the status quo and inspire innovation.

Introverted employees usually shy away from public speaking. As an organization, you should not just let them stay in their comfort zones. Give them opportunities to shine and put their skills and talents to good use. Contact us today and help groom them to become effective and confident public speakers and leaders.

Employees enter a new job with high motivation — excited and eager to perform better and do a good job. As months pass, however, motivation starts to wear away. This is not because managers are failing to engage their employees. What actively demotivate workers the most are organizational policies, systems, and management actions.

Managers Can Be the Problem

Sometimes, the managers cause the problems; instead of motivating their employees, they demotivate workers with their actions. Micromanagement or dictating each detail of how a task should be done is one major demotivator. It deprives people of autonomy and communicates that the manager believes employees are incompetent and incapable of making important decisions.

The Unachievable DeadlineMosaic.2013.13

Many managers believe that workers can unlock their potential by giving them extra work with unachievable deadlines. This belief, however, only contributes to employee disengagement. Some workers are willing to work hard to achieve a challenging deadline, as long as there is a reasonable chance of making it. If you give them an impossible timeline, the motivation may dribble away.

Simply Bad Management

Workers become demotivated and then leave their jobs because the management unconsciously makes it difficult for them to accomplish their tasks. Never-ending paperwork, unachievable timelines and high levels of required approvals make employees feel frustrated. Managers also supply inspirational directives, without thinking if they can answer legitimate concerns. Supposedly engaging directives (Failure is not an option, You can do it) do not always solve the problem; they just communicate that managers don’t understand the issue.

Organizational Procedures

Apart from bad management, organizational systems and procedures can drain motivation. Companies always seem to acknowledge that people are their greatest assets, and are important in producing good results. Systems and policies, however, communicate the opposite message. They push people to work hard, without even realizing that it negatively affects employee wellbeing.

There are plenty of ways to engage and keep employees motivated to foster positive relationships. Brad Montgomery believes that employees need proper motivation to perform better at their jobs. As a trusted keynote speaker, he can inspire the whole team and help managers develop close bonds with their direct-reports. Contact him today and find out how he can engage your whole team through motivational speaking.

A team leader’s job is hard work, and it’s even more difficult figuring out how to make those under you follow you. The most common trap most struggling leaders fall into is exerting power and influence over their subordinates in an attempt to have them follow without question.

This is not only ineffective, but counterproductive as well because the people you manage will see you as merely an authority figure instead of someone they’d want to follow. If you want an effective leadership style, you should start leading by example.

Motivation and the Power of Leading

The Chinese military general and strategist Sun Tzu wrote in his book, The Art of War that “a leader leads by example, not by force.” You’re not exactly fighting invasions in the office, but there’s no denying that the workplace can be a battleground if you don’t know how to lead your subordinates.Distech.2012_0190

Leading by example is the simplest and most effective way to get your people to follow you and like you at the same time. They’ll respect someone who can get things done without having to resort to commanding their subordinates, and it motivates them to do their own work properly and efficiently. They also feel more at ease with you and won’t see you as an authority figure that they need to fear to respect.

Knowing Your Weaknesses

An important part of leading by example is being open to criticisms, especially from the people you manage. This may be off-putting to some, but remember that the difference between you and your ‘subordinates’ is that compared to them, you only have more responsibilities.

Your status as a leader shouldn’t give you any reason to ignore your weaknesses and potential failings; in fact, you should be more open and accommodating to feedback. The people you manage know from experience the qualities you may lack that you may be unaware of, so make sure you establish a quality of openness.

My name is Brad Montgomery, and I know how difficult it is to become an effective leader whom the people you work with will follow and respect. Contact us today to learn more about our motivational talks that will help you lead by example.

Are leaders born or made?

That is one of the most talked about matters in the corporate world. Many have raised the question, but only a few have answered it the right way. Some people confidently answered that leaders are born, and that there are individuals meant to lead and who have the natural capacity to take up bigger responsibilities. Read more

Organizational culture plays an integral role in the well-being of your employees. Your company’s culture represents the personality of the business and showcases the treatment of your workers.

Adopting a toxic work culture can hurt your employees. A bad organizational culture can result insignificant churn, reduced productivity, and a lack of business performance. If your business fails to promote good culture within its four-walls, your workers are at risk of demotivation.Mosaic.2013.93

Because your employees lack the will to do well, they experience a progress slowdown. Demotivation leads to decreases in productivity, which can affect your sales. Employees lacking motivation tend to seek greener pastures in the arms of friendlier companies.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to uplift your employee’s morale while maintaining good office culture. Rid your company of these negative corporate culture habitsand watch how it lifts your workers’ motivation:

Lack of recognition in the company

Some employers take the advantages of recognition for granted. Employees are paid to work; whatever they do outside the range of their capabilities are necessary. Why is there a need for recognition when you pay them to do the work?

Lack of recognition demotivates employees easily. Why work harder when no one notices? One of the best ways to achieve success in a company is by convincing your workers to give their best. In order to do so, your company should recognize employees for their outstanding contributions.

Poor Communication Skills

Communication is everything in terms of motivating your employees. If your workers always lack information and end up guessing at leadership’s intention all the time, they will become frustrated, especially if they end up being chastised for their efforts. A company that fails to communicate clearly with its people will demotivate people with initiative and stifle any motivation to go above and beyond.

Make sure you have an avenue to communicate back and forth. This way, you save your employees from unnecessary information research.

Bad leadership habits

Leadership is the best indicator of the organization. Your workers inherit what you practice; leadership’s bad temper and lack of collaboration affects employees through every level. Some employees suffer demotivation when they feel that the leadership is a failure.motivational-speaker-2

Practice what you preach. Motivate your employees by showcasing proper leadership habits, which they will pass onto others in the future.

An employee’s motivation dies due to bad office culture. Motivate your workers by purging negative habits that create a negative corporate culture. If you need further help, Brad Montgomery can provide talks to help begin the change in negative company habits. Call us for more information.

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Each person has some kind of goal in life. Everyone aspires to become successful in a specific field for different reasons. Some who are fortunate and were able to achieve higher education wish to climb the corporate ladder or establish their own business to give justice to the hard work they had to go through in the academe. Others strive to improve their financial stature and get past poverty and live more comfortably.

Throughout the whole process, people who wish to make a difference in their life would generally start out strong. The sense of urgency, along with the enthusiasm to transform, is high during the first few steps. They eventually become tasked to lead others and even the whole business. As time goes by, these leaders become fatigued and they start to doubt themselves. This is where the “quit” in a person usually presents itself.

So, what causes people to suddenly stumble and prevent them from reaching their goals?business-speaker-about-about-happiness

Burning themselves out

People fail to sustain the high level of energy they show in the early stages of the process because they burn themselves out. They do more than they can possibly accomplish, which takes away a lot of their energy. Once people tire themselves, they grow impatient and think that their efforts are wasted.

Lack of plan

When people get ahead of themselves, they usually crash and burn. It is important to plan prior to engaging into various activities to reach your goal. This will prevent any unnecessary utilization of important resources. Having a plan will help you focus all your energy on things that are relevant, which will make it easier to be where you and your business should be.

Losing motivation

The lack of desire to finish something you have started is deadly. People who don’t see the purpose of continuing their journey is a product of lack of proper motivation. Even the most regarded of leaders fall to this conundrum. One of the best ways to counter this is to find a person who will motivate you to be the best leader that you can be.

Brad Montgomery believes that better leaders inspire loyalty, reap higher performance from their teams, and develop closer bonds with their employees. As a leading corporate speaker, he can motivate managers and other business leaders to inspire the whole team. Get in touch with us now for a consultation.

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.

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.