December 13th, 2010 
jvremec
How to Motivate Staff and Increase Productivity
Author: Kev Woodward
Managers are first and foremost motivators. Better motivated staff means greater productivity. Greater productivity means more profits. Job done! The problem is that many managers are not good motivators; in fact some are exactly the opposite. There are many ways of motivating the people for whom you are responsible; one of these is to deliver a team building session.
Early attempts at team building inevitably involved problem solving activities – get from A to B using only C,D and E. The problem was that many of the activities were exclusive. By that I mean that only a few people were actively involved at any one time. So early team building days tended to be a bit boring and were a de-motivator.
Team building companies gradually realised this and their activities evolved. The activities were wrapped in a theme such as espionage or combat games, escape and evasion style – hunter and hunted. But many of these were very male orientated and involved a degree of discomfort such as being outside in cold and wet conditions. But how could these adventure games be brought in from the cold and be made universally appealing? Simple, set up a series of time sensitive themed tasks that can be arranged in a series of rooms within a hotel.
Then there is the problem of actually delivering the core skills development. For that, the tasks need to be set up so that the teams have to communicate, think and act as one in order to achieve success. Take for example an activity such a mock diamond heist or other robbery. A video is created that is allegedly taken by the CCTV in the establishment that has been ‘robbed’. It is shown to the whole team, the team then have to assemble an image of the thieves on the video using photos of various facial features. No single person will be able to remember or even spot the different clues on the footage. So the successful teams will have pre-planned a strategy for example, each team member focuses on a different feature – hair, nose, mouth etc. The team members will then need to communicate and co-operate in order to successfully recreate the faces they saw in the video in a short time slot.
The team’s ability to deal with the unexpected can be set up in various ways, for example via an adventure game using lasers and a room filled with disco smoke. The task is actually carried out individually. The team are invited into the room one at a time and have no idea what is coming. They then have to cross the room, under and over the laser beams without blocking them. Each time one is cut, a buzzer sounds and the team loses points.
The full range of core skills can be covered by activities such as bomb disposal. The team needs to crack a code to work out, within a given time frame, the correct sequence of unplugging the wires, they get only one go at it. This involves working under pressure, a few minutes planning a division of labour will pay real dividends and teams that plan will almost certainly have a greater chance of success.
Such tasks, carried out in the comfort of a hotel, will be enjoyed by all staff and generate a real buzz in the office for weeks after. Staff will have developed the habit of planning, communicating and co-operating on the day and it is then up to you to ensure that it continues in the workplace. But that is the subject for a whole different article …
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/team-building-articles/how-to-motivate-staff-and-increase-productivity-1094440.html
About the Author
Do you want to motivate your staff? Take a look at these great spy themed adventure games used for team building.
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What is a good activity to develop teamwork/communication for our staff development day?
i have the morning booked already with speakers and seminars, but the afternoon is still wide open. i need a good group activity (50 people)….a way to get people to have fun, get to know each other, work together, communicate, etc….
Shout out …..”the first one to get naked wins”!…….?
what are good activities for staff development?
seminars/trainings/workshops for office staff in a school setting
Staff development for paraprofessionals and office staff at a school could include trainings/workshops on computer skills, advanced training for a computer application they frequently use, safety/CPR/first aid training, a community relations seminar, workshops that focus on positive interactions with students, a book study on “Educating Hearts and Minds,” mentor training program, appreciating diversity, public speaking, etc.
One of the core values of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is?
One of the core values of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is
a. to adapt curriclum for cultural diverstity
b. to invovle community members in the program’s policy decisions
c. recognition that the best way to understand a child is to study the context of the child’s whole life including the society as a whole
d. the need for professional development activities at all staffing levels in an early childhood education program
Never heard of the NAEYC, but they sound like Commie’s
“Early childhood education” = social conditioning
Kinda like what Chavez is doing in Venezuala, indoctrinate the children with the Socialist government propaganda, and if the schools refuse, he shuts them down.
Are there any activities/lessons I can do to go along with Temple Grandin Movie?
I’m holding a staff development day for my nonprofit staff (disabilities field). I have a guest speaker in the morning and in the afternoon I would like to show the HBO movie about Temple Grandin. I’d like to plan an activity to go along with the movie – do you know of any or can you suggest any?
Thank you!
put ‘em in a squeeze machine!
Here is my resume, how come nobody wants to hire me?
LEADERSHIP IN UNIQUELY CHALLENGING SITUATIONS
Dynamic, result oriented leader with a strong track record of performance in turnaround and high paced organizations. Utilize keen analysis, insights and team approach to drive organizational improvement and implementation of good practices. Superior interpersonal skills, capable of resolving multiple and complex (sales, human resources, legal, financial, operational) issues motivating staff to peak performance. Additional areas of expertise include:
•Strategy, Vision and mission planning.
•Sales & Marketing leadership
•Profitability and cost analysis
•Programs, services and products
•Billing, collection and cash management
•Contract negotiations & strategic Alliances
•Finance, Budgeting & Cost management
•Public relations & media affairs
•Policy and procedure development
•Licensing and trade mark
•Team building and Performance improvement
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
PRESIDENT 2007 MANUFACTURING CORPORATION… ERASED MA
President of a Food and Beverage manufacturing company that specializes in vitamin fortified teas and juices. It is an emerging leader in the food and beverage industry.
Notable Accomplishments:
•Oversaw that manufacturing and production are completely in compliant with government regulations
•Conducted new business development activities as a way to promote the company’s products and services and build a relationship within the community and consumers
•Developed New product ideas for future trends and healthy consumptions to satisfy customer wants and needs
•Generally responsible for all aspects of marketing, Advertising and sales of company products
•Enhanced business infrastructure resulting in improved performance and cost reduction
ACCOUNT MANAGER/CONTROLLER 2005-2007 BANK CORPORATION…
Account controller of the leading provider of financial services to institutional investors. Their investment services include and not limited to research, investment management, trading services and investment servicing.
Notable Accomplishments:
•Responsible for ensuring full compliance of divisional daily core operation standards, operational and client-specific procedures
•Monitored amount of income and post daily expense accruals based on client direction
•Calculated cash availability accurately to meet performance standards for limited complexity portfolios
•Work with fixed income and hedge funds
•Participated on a team responsible for merging multi-million dollar, complex companies. Project was transparent to customers with un-interrupted service
•Maintain daily/monthly supporting documentation for all outstanding items and records required for fund audits
•Calculate Net Asset Value per share
•Maintained heavy load of accounts; kept each account balanced and ready for daily investments
PERSONAL BANKER 2002-2005 FINANCIAL GROUP….
Banker for a $167 Billion commercial bank holding company. One of the 10 largest Commercial banking companies in the United States. Owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Notable Accomplishments:
•Opened new business and personal account
•Prospected for new business and personal clients with high net worth’s
• Responsible for closing loans approved by the loan officer
•Involved in setting up the new banking branches in the city
EDUCATION
erased College … Business Administration Management conc, Minor in Marketing
MEDIA RELATIONS, APPERANACE AND RECOGNITIONS
THE LYNN ITEM: (HEADLINE) ….erased…… Launches Manufacturing Company
BEVNET.COM: (HEADLINE) …………………………………….erased…….. super-premium line for today’s health-conscious consumer… YEARS ERASED
Letter of recognition From Massachusetts State Senator,:
1. Way to long – it needs to one page.
2. 1st paragraph is full of wordy jargon – get rid of it.
3. Tailor your resume for the company that you are sending it to. What kind of experience do you have that they looking for? If they are are a marketing company say what kind of sales and leadership you actually performed instead of saying “sales and leadership”.
4. Limit the banking job to one or two lines since the banking job isn’t pertinent to the sales and marketing job.
Hope this helps