I think I am a pretty good boss. I have one full-time employee, and my mother works for me on Fridays. My secretary is great at what she does, but she doesn't have the time to do all of my legal-related work and pay the bills, deal with vendors, etc. Therefore, in the next two months I will be hiring at least two more part-timers, including a business manager to help me run my firm, and a customer-relations/marketing manager to help me keep my clients happy. I do not want to hire any more full-time staff only because I can attract a higher-caliber person if I am able to be flexible with work hours and scheduling. I told this to my secretary (who has become a close friend) last week. Though she seemed OK with the idea, I worry that she will feel a bit shoved aside when I delegate some of the tasks she is presently performing to someone better suited to do them.

Here are some tips on motivating employees that I ran across in an article on Training Zone (registration may be required).

Step 1: Set achievable targets. Targets must be realistic, fair and relevant to the individuals’ job responsibilities. If a significant uplift in performance is required, it must be justified. The best way of setting targets is often to ask individuals to set their own. This frequently results in figures greater than originally specified by the director. This approach means that commitment to achieving the target is greater because the figures are ‘mine’ not ‘yours’. They actually become ‘ours’.

Step 2: Have lots of winners. Nothing succeeds like success. Being able to recognise and reward all those who have succeeded provides a more positive environment than one with lots of losers

Step 3: Make rewards frequently. Make awards frequently throughout the programme. If the campaign is for a year, shorten the payout horizon to monthly or quarterly. The award values need not be huge, but the motivation value is. This keeps interest levels high.

Step 4: Have a 'most improved' award. A participant who has a poor performance in a month or a quarter, can be re-vitalised by the opportunity to qualify for an award in the next period, based on improvement. This method encourages participants to keep trying,

Step 5: Have an employee of the month. In a sales environment, it might be for the most orders taken or new accounts opened. This allows Mr/Mrs Average to compete more fairly.

Step 6: Encourage sustained effort. Nothing de-motivates Mr/Mrs Average more than to see Mr High-Flyer streaking ahead from the start, leaving all in his wake. However, if everyone starts afresh each quarter, or each month, with plusses and minuses wiped out, everyone has a chance to compete on equal terms.

Step 7: Present the awards with style. Do not under-estimate the power of public presentation. Mr/Mrs Average will value the experience of being recognised by you and his peers.

I hope that I can keep everyone happy. One thing that I will be doing is letting my secretary sit in on the interviews. I will solicit her feedback before making a hire. Thanks to The Nub for the link.