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MOTIVATING YOUR TECHNICAL STAFF 31

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NAP1214

MIS
Dec 25, 1999
6
US
FIRST OF ALL CONSTANT PRAISE FOR A JOB WELL DONE IS GOOD!&nbsp;&nbsp;ALSO, STRESS HOW IMPORTANT THERE JOB/POSITION IS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN END-USERS, TECHNICAL TEAM AND MANGER/SUPERVISOR STAFF.<br><br>IT'S JUST LIKE BELONGING TO A SPORTS TEAM NO ONE PERSON CAN FUNCTION WITHOUT THE CORPORATION OF THE OTHER TEAMMATE.&nbsp;&nbsp;EVERYONE HAS A PART TO PLAY AND THE JOB CAN GET DONE IF EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME TEAM AND GOALS ARE GENUINELY THE SAME.<br><br>(COOPERATION/COMMUNICATION PLAYS A BIG ROLE!!!)<br><br>ALSO, INDICATE THAT SOMETIMES MISTAKES HAPPEN AND NOT TO BE AFRAID TO MAKE A MISTAKE.&nbsp;&nbsp;BUT MOST OF ALL NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK A QUESTION OR TO SIGNAL WHEN YOU NEED A HELPING HAND.<br><br>THAT'S MY ADVISE FOR HOW TO MOTIVATE MY TECHNICAL STAFF! <p> SHERRY MCKEOWN<br><a href=mailto:NAPHIRA@AOL.COM>NAPHIRA@AOL.COM</a><br><a href= > </a><br>
 
Doing education the way your company does is not the best way to do things, but I also don't think you are right.

My staff always want to have education, especialy in a warm place this time of the year. The amount I have for education is know to them, what skills we need they know and then I plan education together with them.
Eg. I have two on firewall. I don't have money to send them both on all they want so we split it as even as I can (always remember both what the company need and the people need) So what I do is sending them to different courses and they can learn from each other. That way both the company and they get most out of the money we have.

But remember that education is a lot more then taking some kind of courses.
I try to educate my people almost daily. I have been in IT for 23 years now and have been working with a lot of stuff that I never got any formal education in.
Learning by doing, learning by mistake, asking other people and reading a lot has worked for me.

I remember when I had to take my MCSE I got some books, some Trancender tests and took 4 tests (and passed) in something like 3 weeks. It can be done and a lot of people does it.
 
I am a fairly laid back personality who takes work very seriously - goof off on my own time but when it comes to the job, let's get it done and no screwing around. I motivate myself to do the best that I can because I do not like NOT doing my best, but I understand that is just me and do not expect others to follow or often even notice that kind of action. However, that said, the group that I work for right now is by far the best group of motivators I have ever worked with/for and they (as a group, not necessarily the company, per se) will have my undying loyalty and motivation for a long time.

During the course of the last year, I have been provided with unstinting support on the application that I have been working on, no outside interference and plenty of help when I have needed it. Due to a family crisis during this time, I was also given flex-time and time off when needed to take care of the family issues. Additionally, there has been no lack of encouragement and support when needed (and I have never said anything to prompt such actions).

When my project went live into production last week (and I was sick on top and had to leave early that day), my immediate boss stayed late that night to ensure there were no outstanding issues (he's been the only other person working on the application with me). Then, to show their thanks for my/our work, they left balloons and a banner congratulating us on the application going into production. A small token of appreciation that doesn't mean much in the big scheme of things, but never has someone done something like that for me just for doing my job! And to top it off, while the company has forbidden bonuses this year, my boss gave me a small bonus from his own personal funds! In an era where finding a job, let alone a good job, is so difficult, I feel extraordinarily blessed and lucky to find a job where I am constantly motivated to do my best not only by my own personal standards but by the people I work with/for!

In summary, motivate your staff by:

- caring about them personally
- allowing them flexibility to manage both home and work life
- offering small bits of encouragement along the way
- supporting them when conflicts come up

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&quot;If you can't explain something to a six-year-old, you really don't understand it yourself.&quot;
-- Albert Einstein
 
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