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CAPITAL IDEAS UPCOMING EVENTS NOVEMBER 16-17: INNOVATE STRAIGHT TA L K : A C O N V E R S AT I O N ABOUT GETTING ENERGY TECH INNOVATIONS TO MARKET Industry analyst Samantha Stuart (McKinsey & Co.) will delve into the energy value chain and provide valuable industry insights. ■ Where: Global Business Centre (120 8 Avenue S.E.) ■ When: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. ■ Admission: $20. innovatecalgary.com.
FINANCIAL POST
CA LG A RY H E R A L D
C A P I TA L Q U E S T I O N
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN MOTIVATION IN YOUR STAFF? Entrepreneurs share how they keep employees engaged “Making sure they feel appreciated, part of the team, part of decisions and empowered to make change. This is all part of being a good leader and motivation comes from following a good leader.”
Lisa Genovese, president and CMO at BottomLine Marketing, BottomLine Marketing, bottomlinemarketing.ca
“I tend to stay away from the low hanging motivational techniques such as monetary gift certificates and vouchers. Money is one thing; a corporate culture that is built around accountability, empowerment and long term visibility fosters productivity and creativity is another. What employees want to know is that the leaders in their company have a long term vision, a realistic strategy to support this business vision, and a tactical plan to implement.”
DECEMBER 2: A L B E R TA B O O ST R STA G E P I T C H E V E N T Watch Alberta’s social entrepreneurs pitch on the BoostR Stage. ■ Where: Theatre Junction (608 1 Street S.W.) ■ When: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ■ Admission: $20. More info at albertaboostr.ca.
Franck Besseat, President of Savoir-Faire Consulting, savoirfaireconsulting.com
“Alignment and engagement. It starts by hiring the right people and freeing up the wrong people. Then, make the vision crystal clear, so they know where you are going. The right people want what we want already. They are motivated to begin with. Next, engage them in defining the short term priorities needed to move down the path towards your bigger goals. Finally, celebrate success once you get there and hit repeat. You ultimately have an aligned team that is engaged in the outcome. If they are the right people for the company, that is what keeps them motivated. You don’t have to do it for them!”
For more great events, visit capitalideascalgary.com/ calgaryevents.
Chris Jones, professional EOS implementer at Strategic Traction Inc., eosworldwide.com/chris-jones
COMMUNITY QUESTION
How do you take your business idea to market?
“I don’t, and neither should you. It’s not about motivating my team. Motivation must come from within. People must be self motivated. It’s the leader’s role to inspire and lead by example, and to provide the best possible environment for their staff and team to succeed. Whether I was in the military, playing rugby for Calgary, or a contributor in a business - no one motivated me to get out of bed and do my job because I was inspired by my leadership’s vision for a better tomorrow.” “Communication is key. We find that when staff are kept in the loop
and all working towards a common purpose, everyone stays engaged. Quarterly fun team building events (they don’t have to be expensive) always help too.” Jennifer Kirby, principal at Vital Partners Inc., vitalpartnersinc.com P H O TO BY: C H R I S ST UT Z CU S TOM PH OTOG RAPH Y ( C H R I S S TU TZC U S TOM P HOTO.COM )
Many great business ideas have blossomed over a simple conversation or have evolved from a scribble on the back of a napkin, which is why Kari Gordon, executive director of Startup Calgary (startupcalgary.ca) would like to hear from you: How do you take your business idea to market? You can answer the question in two ways: Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member or visit capitalideascalgary.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on November 19.
“Make sure your team knows that you have their back as their leader, and while that statement sounds good, you need to back it up with actions. This counts doubly when something goes wrong. Don’t spend time assigning blame or writing up the faulty party. Instead, engage your team in solving the problem, and then discuss how it can be avoided in the future. Don’t single anyone out. Shoulder the burden (as any good leader should), be proactive, and move on. Actions like this will add stability, trust, and truly empower your team.” Michael Tighe, managing partner at Solid Site, asolidsite.com
Vince Fowler, chief challenger of the status quo at Vested Interest Group Inc., vestedinterestgroup.com
“Keep your team informed, knowledge isn’t power, knowledge should be shared. I have a team that works across multiple time zones and we use Bitrix24 to ensure everyone knows the status of each project, and also to give clear accountability and responsibility. Ensure everyone shares in the success of a project, and that as the team manager you take responsibility if anything goes wrong. Keep it fun, celebrate every success, and find ways to de-stress during tough times.” Victoria Bennett, principal of Bennett Milner Williams Consulting Ltd., bmwconsults.com
“Praise, praise, and more praise. Appreciation, respect, acknowledgment and encouragement. More than compensation, perks, benefits, or even a promotion, these forms of public recognition can motivate and inspire individuals to give their all to their team.”
Kris Hans, strategist at Market Grade Ltd., marketgrade.com
These answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take: “If there’s one recurring theme that I’ve heard from entrepreneurs over the years, it is that money doesn’t buy motivation. The pursuit of a goal, the enunciation of a dream and the inspiration provided by a mission always seems to trump almost any other source of motivation. It’s not to say money isn’t important, but if you’re looking for a highly motivated team, give them something to believe in.” R O U N D U P : R E C E N T P O S T S F R O M C A P I TA L I D E A S M E M B E R S
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Find the full posts on these members’ LinkedIn profiles or at their website. We’ll curate a selection every Friday in our LinkedIn group, Capital Ideas Alberta. To bring yours to our attention, email it to hello@capitalideascalgary.com or post to LinkedIn with the hashtag #capitalideas.
From “Free ways to promote your mobile app” by Ryan Hnetka, founder of App Guys Inc. (appguys.ca):
“Once you’ve built your mobile app, you obviously want people to download it. Since you’ve just finished investing financially in the development of your application, you may want to explore cost-effective or free ways to promote your app.”
From “LinkedIn updates: MIA features, micromanagement, and LinkedIn asking for your phone number” by Dave Byrnes, owner of Easier Networks (easiernetworks.com):
From “Generate word of mouth 101” by Bruce McGregor, business coach at WBRC Solutions (wbrcsolutions.com):
“Do you want your customers to say positive “If LinkedIn detects things about your busiunauthorized access to your account it will chal- ness to other people? I’ll bet you do, because lenge the login to proas we all know “word vide the phone number of mouth” is one of the you supplied. This will most effective and low prevent someone from cost ways to find new getting access to your customers. The most account even if they have your username and effective way to generate “word of mouth” is to password.” provide extraordinary customer service.”
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