by Hal Mattern
NASHVILLE—Managing and motivating employees is more important than ever in today’s rapidly changing workforce, the head of a business-consulting firm told attendees of a Motorcoach EXPO education session.
Andi Gray, president of Connecticut-based Strategy Leaders, said motorcoach operators should give their employees the opportunity to take control of what they do “and show them they can grow.”
“You need to delegate and let them loose,” Gray said. “Owners can’t do everything themselves.”
She suggested that employers focus on what they can accomplish quickly.
“Look at specific key performance indicators,” she said. “Where do we hit and where do we miss?”
Gray said other actions employers can take include building a list of what’s urgent, encouraging employee engagement, setting goals and writing out a daily plan to get there and building a system that drives and reinforces behavior.
When hiring, operators should look for people who are consistent performers, who deliver bottom-line results, who are willing to pitch in whenever needed, who are optimistic and forward thinking, who are responsible and accountable and who look to improve things rather than make excuses, she said.
“You should encourage people to come up with solutions,” Gray said.
Rewarding employees for good work is more effective than penalizing them for bad work, she said. For example, owners could tell drivers that every week they bring buses in without any damage or other problems, they will pay them $20.
“Do something that’s tangible and gets their attention,” Gray said.
