I found this listing of 10 ways to motivate your employees. I don't have employees, but when in the corporate world - I had my share of people who worked for me.

1. Communicate both sales goals and reasons why.
2. Offer not only sales strategies, but also specific tactics.
3. Use short, mid and long-term incentives.
4. Set sales goals collaboratively with the team.
5. Reward both team performance and individual effort.
6. Don't dictate activity - only results.
7. Use praise and recognition, never humiliation or punishment.
8. Share sales success stories, not just numbers.
9. Reward peer coaching and mentoring.
10. Create a databank of sales tools and documents.

As a new manager in the 80's with Pearle Vision I likened the experience of store management to a babysitter for adults; taking care of whining people who didn't always get their way.

Now it isn't always like that, but at first the squabbles between people, the finger pointing, and the scheduling complaints did remind me of a family I used to sit for that had six kids.

But then I got the idea of taking them all on as my partner. You see at the time I was in the optical industry working in a state that requires opticians have a license. I did not have a license in fact had never working in the industry and so worked under the license of our optometrist.

What I DID know was sales. And so I sat my staff down - who were appalled that the regional manager had brought in an "outsider" to manager the highest grossing store in the state - and told them that I wanted to be their partner. I hoped they would teach me all they knew about optics and help me obtain my license and in turn I would help them learn how to be more effective sales people.

I was also a new manager and I shared that as I learned about management, anyone on staff who desired to someday become a manager would learn right along with me.

So now I look at the list - which has great thoughts - and I find that the greatest motivator of all appears to be missing: receiving feedback, suggestions, ideas and education FROM your staff.

You see although we may have the title of business owner, manager or executive - our employees have much to teach us. So I would encourage you to review and embrace many of the components of this list, however, consider taking your employees on as partners - let them help you be successful.

By the way, at the end of the year my store increased their gross sales by over 100% and my staff of three had doubled and two went on to be managers. One replacing me as I was promoted just 11 months later to regional manager.

I did NOT get there alone.

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer