Building Employee Self Esteem for Bottom Line Results

By Bob Urichuck

Self esteem is a sense of worth, not only in inner confidence and self-respect, but also outwardly in the actions one takes towards contributing to the Bottom Line.

Employee recognition is ranked the number one motivating factor when it comes to employee motivation in the workplace. If you want to maintain motivated employees, and encourage others to do better, recognizing them will help build their self esteem, while maintaining a loyal and motivated employee.

You may find it hard to believe, but recognition is the most powerful employee motivator of all because it builds one's self-esteem. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition (building of one's self-esteem) than there is for sex and money. Now, that says something about building self esteem and employee motivation.

Why is building self-esteem through recognition so important?

When someone gives you a compliment or recognizes you for doing something, how do you feel? Imagine, for a moment, being complimented by all your family, friends, staff and customers all day, every day. What would it do to your self-esteem, your self confidence and your self respect, and ultimately your self-worth - the bottom line?

Building self-esteem through recognition is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement of actions gets those actions repeated. Recognition and praise reinforces our beliefs about ourselves and helps make us think we are better than we thought we were. That is how to build employee self-esteem.

Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcements is what builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is the way we see and feel about ourselves either internally, through our own beliefs, or externally through what we accept as the beliefs of others.

If we feel good about ourselves and we believe others feel good about us, we perform better than we would when we see the opposite side of the coin. Employee self esteem starts from external recognition and when accepted as being sincere it builds self esteem from within, which then translates into external actions leading to bottom line results.

People perform in a manner that is consistent with how they see themselves conceptually. So, the key is to help people build their self-esteem. That is the foundation of employee retention motivation and loyalty.

Unlike money which is an external motivator and never lasting, ones self- esteem is internal, and internal motivation is everlasting. In order to build a healthy self-esteem one needs recognition and praise, both from one's self and from others.

You can help build someone's self-esteem and self-motivation through recognition, but also through advancement and responsibility where that person can obtain a sense of achievement and personal growth.

The problem is that in today's society we are deprived of positive feedback. Compliments, recognition and praise are not part of our day-to-day culture. For some reason, many people find it difficult to give compliments, recognition and praise. This does nothing for one's self esteem.

My assumption is that it is hard to give something you don't have to give. How can you give someone else a compliment if you can't compliment yourself first? This goes back to our own self esteem. We must first feel good about ourselves, and tell ourselves that, before we can feel good about somebody else, and tell them that. It's a vicious circle, but it all starts within each of us. How do you feel about your own self worth - your self-esteem?

Another problem is, we live in a society that has influenced us more to look for the things people do wrong, instead of the things they do right. How do you think it impacts someone's self esteem if they are always recognized for the things they do wrong? Can you see them looking for the good in others and praising them accordingly? More likely they will find something to criticize in others.

We, as society, are to blame for this sort of behavior. It is up to each of us to change our self esteem from the inside - out.

These same influences have had an impact in our self-talk too. We tend to criticize ourselves for the things we do wrong. But how often do we praise ourselves for the things we do right?

Let's tap ourselves on the back for the good that we do. The more we do it to ourselves, the more our self esteem grows and the more our self esteem grows, the more confident we feel, which in turn helps us to give more confidence and praise to others. Building our own self esteem allows us to then give growth to the self esteem of others.

You are the leader and you must set the example by demonstrating the appropriate behavior. The appropriate behavior that we are talking about here is recognition and praise to yourself first and then to your employees. The bottom line is, for you as a leader, to build employee self esteem

Bob Urichuck is an International Speaker, Trainer and Best-Selling Author. Learn personally from Bob in the areas of Sales, Motivation, Leadership and Team Skills. Bob presents a series of great ideas and strategies with combination of facts, humor, and practical concept in a high-energy and self-discovery process that you can apply right away to achieve results. Subscribe to Bob's Free Newsletter, worth $297, visit http://www.BobU.com Now!

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Four steps to a new approach of enhancing self-esteem.

By Emmanuel Segui

You have the power to run your own thoughts and to decide to increase the level of your self-esteem. Here is a new approach on self-esteem using the kind of states and emotions you experience every day: acceptation, appreciation and esteem. You will use these feelings or states of mind to increase your level of self- esteem whenever you want.

Practicing these four steps to enhance your self esteem will change the way you see yourself and the way you feel about yourself.

1. A state of acceptation. First, access an experience of acceptation of an outside event, for example a traffic jam or the weather. It is something you may not necessary like but you can accept it. Feel the emotion and notice your posture, your sensations and how you look. What are you thinking and how are you thinking it? Notice the tension in your muscles. Are you relaxed?

You will now amplify this state and emotion inside of you until it reaches 8 or 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. Let the feeling of acceptance build and make an anchor by touching your left wrist, or whatever part of your body that seems ok for you.

2. A state of appreciation. Secondly, access an experience of appreciation for something outside of you, for example your baby, a sunset or your health. In the same way, notice your posture and your sensations in your hands head and body? Let this feeling of appreciation build as well and make an anchor by touching the same part of your body as in step 1.

3. A state of esteem. Third, access an experience of esteem of something marvel about, someone you admire, something you honour and esteem highly. Notice your posture and the sensations in your body. What do you look like when you are standing in awe? How is your breathing? Let this feeling of esteem/awe build as well and make an anchor by touching the same part of your body as in step 1.

4. Apply to Self and Your Life. Now, you're going to think about yourself and touch the part of the body you selected in step 1. And as the process of "esteeming yourself" continues, notice how your thoughts and emotions change about yourself because you can now easily feel appreciation for your skills and abilities; you can feel acceptance about those things in your life that you may not like; you can feel esteem for yourself as a human being.

Finally, every time you are tempted to feel critical of yourself, you can do this! It's up to you!

The fact is that you're important and it's like the world tries to pull you down by saying "you're not enough good…thin enough…smart enough…" The fact is that you are somebody and you have value. Your contribution to the world is important. This exercise helps you so you know it emotionally and not just intellectually.

Learn proven techniques to master your life and go for your dreams. Stop living in your dreams and feel depressed or angry but discover now the top 5 secrets that EVERY highly successful person will teach you on how to turn your dreams into reality and create the life you want. Check out at http://www.vision-to-action.com/5secrets

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