Peer to Peer Magazine

BEST PRACTICES • Self confidence. Self confidence helps build motivation. Set goals that you can reach, be prepared, focus on successes, and believe in yourself. • Find inspiration. Quotes, poems, books and movies are all great tools for motivation. Whatever works for you, use it. You can surround yourself with plenty of sadness in the world, or you can surround yourself with things that inspire you. The choice is yours. • Be professional. Try not to take things personally in the workplace. Feedback is about your job performance — not you as a person — and it can be an important motivational technique when received the right way. • Get in the zone. There will always be those life interruptions that will distract you and make you think that everything can wait till tomorrow. Do not let distractions ruin your concentration. • Remember those most important to you. Striving to give your family the better things that life has to offer can be a great source of motivation. MOTIVATION TECHNIQUES FOR LEADERS Leadership is about motivating others to get things done. The following are some techniques you can use to motivate your employees. • Lead by example. Character forms the foundation of everything a leader says and does. If employees do not trust you, they will not allow you to motivate them. Leadership is more about what you do and less about who you are. Lighten up and don’t take yourself so seriously. Be humble and don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. • Encourage others in their work. When people enjoy their work and feel they are contributing to a greater cause, they find a way to motivate themselves. Identify employees’ strengths and interest areas. This is one of the most powerful motivational techniques out there. • Create a supportive environment. Provide your employees with an environment where they can learn new skills and be challenged. Provide flexibility 12 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer Steve Skidmore is the IT Director at Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP. He has over 20 years of IT experience and has been involved in legal technology for over 17 years. Steve is a frequent speaker at industry events. He has served on several ILTA conference committees and has co-chaired the 2005 and 2006 ILTA conference events. Steve was the ILTA New York Regional Vice President and is currently serving as the RVP Liaison on the Board of Directors. He can be reached at SkidmS@mcblaw.com. so it is easier for them to balance work and family. Be sympathetic when your employees call in sick. • Provide financial incentives when possible. Keep the merited raises and bonuses coming. Money is the driving force for most employees and can be the biggest motivational factor for them. • Acknowledge good work and effort. Let your employees know when they are doing a good job. Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the back to “Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the back to motivate someone.” motivate someone. Giving them credit for their work, especially in front of your boss, is huge. There is nothing worse than a leader who always blames others for failures. You will find it hard to motivate your employees if you are this type of leader. Finally, when your motivation wanes, and you need a little inspiration, watch the movie “Rudy.” It’s a great testament to the power of self-motivation. ILTA

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