Motivation..Book 1
Tips For A More Effective Prayer Life
by Inez Haythorn
Christian Family Treasures
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
So many people underestimate the importance and power of prayer. Some tend to view it as a short recitation at meals. Others see it as a last resort. "There's nothing we can do now but pray," we often hear stated.
But prayer is so much more than either of these. If Jesus felt the need to give prayer such a priority, then how much more should we depend on it? If it wasn't powerful and effective, Jesus wouldn't have spent so much time in prayer.
So how can we make prayer a more active part of our lives? How do we fit such an important practice into our busy schedules? Here are a few simple tips that may help.
1. Make prayer a priority. I always tell my boys that going out the door without prayer in the morning is like riding in a car without seatbelts. Prayer shouldn't be just something on your "to-do" list. It should be the first thing on our list. It is essential to cover our lives and our families in prayer.
2. Make it a discipline. We are not always in the mood to pray. We get busy and side-tracked. So we have to discipline ourselves to pray just like we discipline ourselves to wash dishes, clean the house, and do laundry.
3. Pick a quiet time and place. "Sure," you say. "When would that ever be?" This can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. With babies, young children, or even teenagers, it can be almost impossible to find a minute to yourself. But try to find some time in the day when you can have a few moments alone. It could be early morning, the baby's naptime, when the kids are off to school, or at night when they are all asleep.
4. Spread your prayer throughout the day. If you can't manage one solid block of time at once, divide your prayers into smaller segments several times a day. This keeps us in an attitude of prayer and in close contact with our Heavenly Father. He understands our time limits and demands.
5. Keep a prayer notebook. This has been extremely helpful to me. Writing down your praises, thanksgiving, requests, and burdens has several benefits. It helps you to stay focused and on task. It's so easy for your mind to wander, just when you sit down to pray! Recording your prayers enables you to remember all the things you want to cover. Maybe the most important aspect of all, is that you can look back over the months and years, and see how God has faithfully answered. There have been times when my sons would question whether God really answers prayer. I would take out several years of prayer journals and point out many instances of proof of this. They were amazed!
With a little planning and preparation, we can have a more fruitful and fulfilling prayer life. This daily investment of our time now, will reap great rewards - both now and eternally.
Inez Haythorn is a Christian wife, mother, elementary school teacher, pianist, and freelance writer. She is the publisher of Christian Family Treasures, a website full of resources for women, moms, parents, and families. Her goal is to glorify and honor God, and bless and help others. Copyright 2003. All rights reserved.
http://www.christianfamilytreasures.com
16 Des'07
7 Ways to Keep Your Team Motivated
by Kelley Robertson
Many managers mistakenly think that money is the prime motivator for their employees. However, according to surveys by several different companies, money is consistently ranked five or lower by most employees. So if money is not the best way to motivate your team, what is?
The three most important issues according to employees are; respect, a sense of accomplishment, and recognition. Yes, money is important but it is not as critical as these other components. Taking these into consideration, let’s explore seven ways to keep your team motivated:
1. Involve them. Many employees want to be involved in the ongoing development and progress of their company. Plus, they often have insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the company. And when they are involved, they buy-in faster and resist less. This means you can implement the change(s) more quickly and easily.
2. Communicate. Very few businesses can be accused of over-communicating. A frequent axiom in business is, “No news is good news.” However, employees want regular updates on the progress of the business and their personal performance. Use memos, email, telephone, and one-on-one and group meetings to keep your team apprised. Talk to your team members regularly, have lunch or coffee with them, Let them know if the business is on track. Tell them what challenges are currently being faced (they may have suggestions). It is also important that you give them feedback on their performance. If you have a concern with a specific component, tell them and give them the opportunity to correct their behavior. When I worked in the corporate world I was always surprised how many employees did not receive feedback of any kind pertaining to their performance.
3. Celebrate individual and team performance. Catch people doing something right and focus on recognizing excellent performance. On an individual basis you can provide positive reinforcement, issue awards, use a corporate newsletter to highlight specific achievements. Send thank-you, birthday, and anniversary cards as well as congratulatory notes. Make personal phone calls, and send emails. Better yet, if you work in a large organization, have a senior executive send the email or make the call.
To recognize team efforts, post performance charts on the wall or throw an impromptu get-together., Treat them to lunch or a pizza party, post team pictures on your Intranet and in their work environment or give them plaques, certificates, coffee mugs, etc.
Ultimately, the more of these approaches you incorporate into your motivation strategy, the more energized your team will become. Make it a point to recognize someone everyday.
4. Set challenging goals. My experience has taught me that people strive to achieve what is expected of them. If you set challenging goals your team will work hard to accomplish them, providing of course, they are realistically attainable. It is amazing what people can accomplish when they are given the opportunity to perform. Communicate these goals and keep your team informed on the company’s progress.
5. Give them the tools to succeed. No team will stay motivated if they do not have the necessary tools required to do their job. This includes; equipment, internal support, inventory, marketing materials, training, etc. Simple things annoy people. Many years ago I worked in a restaurant where the owner refused to give the servers trays to carry drinks because he thought it was an unnecessary expense. Frustration ran high when servers had to make more trips to and from the bar.
6. Manage poor performance. Your team expects you to manage individuals who do not perform to standard or contribute fully to the efforts of the team. However, many managers ignore poor performance because they are afraid of the potential conflict. Instead, they hope that the situation will resolve itself. It never does and this “blind” approach affects profitability, causes higher turnover, and contributes to low morale in the workplace. While poor performance and conflict are seldom enjoyable to deal with, you have a responsibility to your team and the company to manage it. Here is the B.E.S.T. method of dealing with these situations:
Begin with the situation. “Pat, when we receive a shipment and you expect the others to put it away…”
Express the result. “…it causes friction because everyone is expected to pitch in.”
State the desired change. “In the future I expect you to cooperate with the rest of the group to ensure that the shipment is stored quickly. This means I want you to stop whatever you are working on and help put away the stock.”
Tell them the consequence. “If you don’t contribute to this task I may be forced to take additional action.”
7. Lead by example. If you want your team to treat each other with and dignity, you need to set the tone. If you expect them to be motivated and enthusiastic it is critical that you behave in this manner. As an owner, manager or business leader, your team looks to you for direction and guidance.
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, and employee motivation. For information on his programs, visit his website at http://www.KelleyRobertson.com. He is also the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers.” Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine at his website.
