The saying goes; It’s better to give than to receive. And though we all probably like to receive a thoughtful gift, deep down we know that we also love to give. That happy face of your partner when you surprise them with flowers or tickets to see their favorite team play. And when you’re a manager, what’s better than being able to tell your employees that they deserve a bonus?
Even if it’s the end of a long day, doesn’t that give you an energy boost and a spring in your step?
As a manager or CEO, you’re always looking to keep your energy up and for your business to perform optimally. And giving instead of taking might be the way to accomplish that.
Sounds counter-intuitive? Let’s show you how it’s done.
Give power to exercise
The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen… Source: Pixabay
Being healthy and in decent shape requires daily exercise. Be it going for a run, a game of tennis or hitting the gym. However, this means, first giving energy and power. Working out will tire you, but then right afterward you feel so much better. Your body is releasing endorphins, and your mind is clearer and more relaxed than before. Furthermore, you can be proud of yourself that you exercised even though you felt tired and didn’t think you had the energy.
Give compliments
A compliment is entirely free! Source: Unsplash
Everybody loves a compliment, and the great thing is that they’re entirely free to give. When you have a meeting with your team, try it. Compliment individual members on a good job or an idea. When an employee is wearing new shoes or a nice suit, let them know you notice. You’ll feel the energy in the room changing and your work environment becoming more buoyant than ever. Your team will feel more confident and happy.
For a manager, what’s more energy-boosting than working with a team of motivated and excited people? We can tell you now; it will have a significant impact on your business results as well.
Give gratitude
As a hard-working manager, we can get caught up in our hectic schedules full of meetings with clients, guiding your employees, searching for new products, keeping an eye on the competition and so on. You’re running a company. This is a considerable charge that can get the best of us, even the highest performers.
At these times, when you feel exhausted or stressed out, you tend to forget why you’re doing what you’re doing. We don’t realize anymore how thankful we are for being in such a fantastic position to do what we love and for which we tried so hard to accomplish it. Take time out of your day to be grateful for what you have and feel pride in your successes. Take a moment to realize again why you love what you do.
The legendary Steve Jobs said:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
If you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s time to make a move. This shift will require a big drive from you, but in the end, your energy will return once you’re enjoying your job again.
Give yourself and other boundaries
Just say no! Source: Unsplash
To give energy and operate optimally, you need to give yourself and other boundaries. This means daring to say ‘no’ to things you really can’t or shouldn’t do. Sometimes, by being an open and positive person, people can take advantage of your goodwill and will ask too much of you. Setting limits will give them clarity, and you control. This is hard in the beginning, but you and your business will perform better for it.
Give people space to fail and learn
You want to show your employees that it’s ok for them to fail. That for you, it’s more important that they dare to try out a new idea and if it doesn’t work, analyze the data and figure out why it didn’t work and learn from it. Do this by setting the right example.
Give a bit of yourself by sharing some of your own past failures and show how you grew from these. Make the famous line ‘It’s better to try and fail than never to try at all’ your motto.
Facilitate an environment where people dare to express their opinions, share mistakes and give feedback.
Listen to others, ask for their thoughts, help develop their talents and fully employ their skills. You’ll see that people proactively start sharing new and innovative ideas for your business. They do so because they feel personally involved, more confident, safe and appreciated. They’re self-motivated.
Talented people will want to work for you since they recognize it’s better to work for a giver than a taker.
Your innovation level will increase as will your performance as a company. By giving, you’ll be leading yourself and your business to further success. To help you cultivate a mindset of giving, contact us. We have many years of experience in successfully mentoring CEOs and senior management.