Encouraging Ongoing Improvement

In my Edible Arrangement store I encourage my manager and employees to seek constant improvement. It’s easy in a work environment, on a team, in a class or in any group for members to get comfortable and just cruise along. When they do, the slip backwards.

People rarely maintain the same level of performance. They either wax or they wane. It’s up to their leaders – managers, coaches, teachers, parents, etc. to motivate them to grow. Here are three ideas to do this:

1. Tap into people’s competitive streak by referencing the success of others. People often resist attempts at improvement under the false belief they’ve maximized what’s possible. Show them high performing examples and challenge them to surpass their results. When my employees hear about how many fruit baskets another store was able to complete within a short period of time, they feel compelled to prove themselves by doing even better. When my manager hears about another store’s lower labor costs, it encourages her to sit down and rethink the weekly schedule.

But be careful about comparison. It can easily make people feel bad about themselves. We’re not trying to determine a person’s worth or make them feel inferior. The point is to see what others are doing well, determine how they’re doing it, and then replicate and improve upon their performance.

2. Ask group members to set specific goals. These goals will become increasingly ambitious as they make progress. The key is for these goals to be set by the group members themselves. This will ensure they have maximum investment in the process.

3. Create incentives. This doesn’t necessarily mean raises and bonuses. It could be a free lunch or an afternoon ice cream social. Maybe everyone gets a Starbucks gift card. By tempting your group with some symbolic prize, you will make the process of improvement more like a game they’ll be happy to play.

Most people have room for improvement. Celebrate their accomplishments, but keep leaning on them. With each accomplishment comes additional knowledge, ability and potential.