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Mentor Model: Encouraging Your Good Employees

Often the best employees are the ones you trust enough to let alone and accomplish their work independently, where they often yield positive results. However, even top performing employees need recognition for the great job they’re doing.

A great way to encourage your employees and keep them happy within your company is to use the M-E-N-T-O-R model:

M – Motivate – If you cannot motivate someone, you can certainly create a motivating environment. Gain an understanding of what motivates people and take the time to incorporate different leadership actions that will match each individual’s needs.

E – Empower – At the risk of sounding cliché, it is very true that when people feel empowered they are likely to thrive. Conversely, when they feel constrained, they will not have the energy and vision to give their best. Make sure you create an empowering atmosphere. But how?? Build trust, evaluate competence, and stretch people a little at a time, beyond where they are today. Give them room to make mistakes. Never blame. Use everything as a learning experience.

N – Nurture – Great Leaders help cultivate the creative spirit of those around them, so focus on nurturing the creativity of everyone. Many people don’t feel creative, yet we all have a creative side. Take the time to be creative yourself and nurture the idea-generation of others. Have sessions where everyone brings, generates or shares ideas, and make it a fun-oriented environment to get the creative juices flowing. Help others think in possibilities. You may be surprised with what people can create.

T – Tap hidden Talent – Star performers don’t want to keep doing the same thing. They need interesting work and a chance to expand. Uncover their hidden talent. We all have latent talent. Help them grow so they add real value to themselves and the organization.

O – Optimize Values – Get to know not just what people do well, but what values drive their desire to achieve. When people are working in alignment with their value system, they find great satisfaction. First know how your company lives its values; that will set a framework for having a conversation about the individual’s values and how you can assist in enhancing how the person lives those values at work.

R – Recognize Accomplishments – In our fast paced society, it is so easy to do a quick ‘thanks’ and move on to the next thing. Take a minute to pause and customize the way you recognize the accomplishments of others. This goes a long way! And don’t do it just once. Assure that you recognize these accomplishments in a couple of different ways, and you will make someone’s day. True recognition builds strong commitment.

About the author:
Diane Allen, PCC is a professional certified coach, leadership development consultant and founder of the Strategic Leadership Academy (www.strategicleadershipacademy.com). She has spent the past twelve years helping senior leaders and middle managers build success by building their personal and organizational leadership skills. For a complimentary Tip Sheet on the 7 Keys to Motivating Others, please send an email to: info@strategicleadershipacademy.com and put “7 Keys to Motivation” in the subject line.

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