Fresh Tracks in Financial Times on Motivation
It is widely believed that fear is the greatest motivator, or should that be de-motivator. Many would agree that there is much to be frightened of in these recessional times. This breeds uncertainty and that can have a devastating impact on productivity.

As leaders we can't ignore this and according to an article in this weekend's Financial Times it is more important than ever to be thinking of ways of removing this de-motivating fear and replacing it with motivating messages. The article featured founder of Fresh Tracks, Dan Collins, and suggested some low-cost ways of boosting morale. We've summarised four key points below:

Praise
It costs nothing, but makes a huge impact especially when delivered well. Write a personal, hand-written thank you card to each team member, specifically praising their unique contribution to the business, then post it to their home address.

More public recognition can be given in the form of light-hearted Office Awards - categories might include 'Best Idea of the Week' or 'Best Attitude In Spite of Everything'. Nominations can come from any team member, with the award (a laser printed certificate will suffice) presented just before home time on Friday.

Time
Whilst financial rewards and incentives may have been cut we are all still 'time poor' so a two hour lunch break or a 'duvet morning' will be greatly appreciated every once in a while. If someone has had a tough week the gift of a couple of hours in their garden on a sunny afternoon could revitalise their flagging morale.

Creativity
Most work is not very creative and boredom is certain to drive motivation through the floor. Why not use these leaner times to involve more staff in creative activities? All you need is a flipchart to record ideas and a good open question such as "How could we improve our service?" Anything goes in terms of suggestions because often the wacky ideas lead to the best workable solutions. As Henry Ford said, "With every pair of hands, comes a free brain".

Vision & Purpose
If you asked every member of staff "Why are you here?" would you get the same answer? There's a well-known story of three bricklayers who, when asked that question, responded very differently. The first said, "I'm laying bricks"; the second said, "I'm building a wall"; the third said, "I'm creating a magnificent cathedral that will be known throughout the world".

As leaders it's our job to spell out this vision so that people know exactly why their work is valuable - it will make the world of difference to the way they do their job. To read the Financial Times article please click here.

Trust Unpacked
Our book Trust Unwrapped, A story of Ethics, Integrity and Chocolate, continues to sell well. It seems well-timed as so many organisations strive to regain the consumer trust lost in recent months. In addition to the book we have designed a half day workshop that brings the book's principles to life with practical learning that can immediately be applied back in the workplace. Readers of Fresh Tracks Team Talk can be the first to experience the workshop during a special preview day on 20th May. Simply click here to register your interest.

Fresh Tracks on TV
If you missed our appearance on The Paul O'Grady show last week, facilitating (and we use that word advisedly) possibly the fastest ever bridge building task, then you can watch it again here.

Most weeks our founder Dan isn't on TV and in the Financial Times but he does get up to some interesting stuff which he tells the world about through Twitter - if you Tweet follow him by clicking here.

Some Recent Fresh Tracks Events
Facilition with Team Tasks and The Team Machine - Facilitated team development with Thales
SDI, Team Tasks and Cooking Up A Storm - Focused 2 day team building programme with Roche
Facilitation and Lights, Camera, Action - Team analysis and filming fun with Trading Screen
Black Cab Chase - Fun team building with Trading Screen
Facilitated Conference Team Building - Team development with a tasty challenge with LIME

If you are planning a staff conference or team building event, or simply need some ideas on how to motivate your group, please feel free to contact Tom Vaughton on 01920 822 220 or visit www.freshtracks.co.uk.

Fresh Tracks
Team Building, Conferences, Motivational Activities
Web: www.freshtracks.co.uk
Tel: 01920 822 220
Email: mail@freshtracks.co.uk

‘teams that play together, work together’