Hundreds of studies over the last three decades indicate that business success and profitability begins and ends with the commitment and enthusiasm of employees. Lior Arussy, author of Passionate Employees – the Fast Track to Revenue Growth, states, "In today’s competitive environment, passionate employees bring a much higher return in the form of more business with higher margin. You must take advantage of every edge you can get. Passionate people are that edge."
Can you inspire commitment, enthusiasm, and passion? Here are five ways to begin:

Provide a sense of purpose.
Whether your employee is a store cashier or a cancer research scientist, knowing that his or her work matters and contributes to something meaningful helps to satisfy the human need to make a difference. Help employees see how their work is important and adds value to the company's success, and potentially to the good of something larger than the organization.

Make expectations clear.
Employees want to know what is expected of them and what they can expect of you. When teaching at the college level, I provide students with a syllabus that outlines exactly what they need to do to succeed. I explain the type of work that constitutes an A for each assignment. Then, I provide them with examples and point them to resources that will help them achieve that A. The focus is on excellence and the means to reaching it. Show your employees how to get an A and provide them with the resources to achieve it.


Acknowledge achievement.
Energy goes where attention flows. In their book, The Enthusiastic Employee, the authors suggest that achievement is one of the key factors to motivating employees. They point out that many managers have trouble giving good, constructive feedback, and that continuous performance feedback is a vehicle for guidance, evaluation, recognition, reward, and direction. In high-stakes sports, such as the Super Bowl or the Olympics, we clearly see the importance of immediate constructive feedback and acknowledgement of accomplishments. It's such feedback and acknowledgement that inspire people to believe in themselves and reach higher.

Foster camaraderie.
Marcus Buckingham, author of First Break All the Rules, writes that employees long to work with and for people that care about them and in an environment where there is a sense of belonging, trust, and fun. Companies such as Southwest Airlines, Google, and Genentech not only encourage camaraderie, but they initiate it from the top and stoke the embers to keep it burning. Fortune Magazine indicates that a "we're all in this together" culture gives meaning to work that money never can. Make social time at work to foster fun, friendship, and bonding.

Enable and Encourage Growth and Innovation.
Passionate people are not complacent. They want to grow, to challenge, and to learn. Leadership guru, Peter Senge, indicates that the learning organizations are the survivors of the future and amidst the threat of increased competition and takeovers. Developing your employees and offering them opportunities to learn, take risks, and to be innovative will fuel their enthusiasm, increase their value, enable the organization to maintain a competitive advantage.

Passionate employees are contagious. They go into motion and create a buzz. Others are naturally drawn to the buzz like moths to a flame. Where there are passionate employees, there are likely to be passionate customers. Ultimately, where there are passionate customers, there is a successful organization.

Deborah Evans Cox is a professional speaker, workshop leader, executive coach, and author. For information or to subscribe to her monthly Leadership Communication Minute Newsletter, contact Deborah at info.ignitespirit.com, or visit her website at: http://www.ignitespirit.com.

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