Entry_13 #20500687 :)

Motivate Your Employees Like Jack Welch
-Follow the former GE CEO’s advice and energize your staff by helping them believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it

Why this article?
The idea of motivating employees of company has been such an important part of company management. Besides, it holds the keys to be a successful company. Among many critical issues that company’s CEOs have to take care of, motivating the employees perhaps is the most fundamental step to build a strong company.



Summary
Carmine Gallo introduces this article with Jack Welch’s management skill. Gallo mentions the statement that motivation starts with employee engagement, and engagement begins with effective communication skills.
Jack Welch says, “No company, large or small, can succeed over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”
This quotation implies the three secrets to motivate employees; “energized,” “believe,” and “understand.”

Believing in your mission
Companies put great effort in team-building event such as a whitewater rafting trip. Sometimes they reward employees with high performance all-expense-paid trip abroad to praise their accomplishment. What employees really want is compliment. Psychologically people desire public recognition in front of peer workers and there is no exception. As employees have not doubt to believe in company’s mission, it is up to them from now on.

Reinforce the core mission
Domino Pizza in India has a strong mission that is simple enough to understand for all 4,000 employees. Gallo provides some tips for how to manage later communication reinforcing the core mission statement to the employees. Companies can reinforce the core mission through weekly emails to all staffs, monthly brown-bag lunches with lively discussion, and quarterly visiting the global offices.

Opinion
I think the employees in the company are the most important element in management. This article actually draws two issues, the significance of motivating employees and of establishing the company mission. Top managers should recognize the significance both and design the most effective plans to put it into an action. As Jack Welch mentions about how to motivate employees, I totally agree with his point as if I were an employee of some company in near future. The company wants “energized” employees desperately since this is the key to success I believe. Companies have to know the employees’ job satisfaction including working environment, payment, and treatment. Rewarding system is highly recommended as well as team-building events to encourage employees. In sum, it is not difficult to catch what employees really want but to put it in to action is indeed difficult. This might distinguish whether the company is on the way of success or not.

Annotation
Carmine Gallo, Motivate Your Employees Like Jack Welch, BusinessWeek, May 23, 2008

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2008/sb20080523_761806.htm?chan=search