7. Keep your sense of humor. Uncertain times cause tension to build up. One of the best ways to release that tension is by getting people to laugh. This doesn’t mean making light of serious matters, but if something funny happens, you might as well capitalize on it and enjoy a good laugh. If you’re serious all the time, people sense that something is wrong and get even more tense. But if you can still laugh and have a good time, others will gain confidence and the will to see things through. So don’t lose your sense of humor; keep it and use it. Remember, officers don’t bleed.

8. Shorten the goal-setting cycle. Most firms set goals yearly. In times of change and uncertainty, however, a shorter cycle improves motivation. The reason has to do with the Inverted Motivation Curve. This upside-down U-shaped curve illustrates a curious paradox about motivation. If the probability of reaching a goal is zero, there is little or no motivation to attempt to reach it. Conversely, if success is certain, motivation is also nil. In other words, if a goal is impossible, what’s the point in trying? And if a goal is childishly easy, where’s the challenge?

When you have only long-term goals — quarterly or yearly, say — but a competitive economic environment that changes daily, it’s hard for goals to stay realistic. Suppose the goal is to sell 90 units over the next three months. If only 21 are sold in the first month, and another 10 halfway through the second month, people will quickly see that the three-month goal is out of reach. Their motivation slides to zero for the final six weeks of the quarter.

In this situation, you’re better off setting shorter-term goals. (How short, of course, depends on the type of business and the function of the unit.) With monthly goals, for example, people get a fresh start at a new target every thirty days. If the third week rolls around and it looks like you’re not going to meet that month’s goal, you have only one week of lower motivation ahead. Then everyone can start over with renewed motivation.

9. Readjust goals where appropriate. Don’t expect your employees to hatch hard-boiled eggs. When goals prove unrealistic, adjust them. Get people sitting on eggs they can hatch. This does not mean readjusting every goal you don’t meet or every goal you’re in danger of missing, but if conditions have changed enough to make your original target unrealistic, it just makes sense to set a new target that people can reach. Remember the Inverted Motivation Curve: unattainable goals generate zero motivation.

About the Author

Tom Connellan is a High ROI Keynote speaker regularly used by leading firms such as GE, Neiman Marcus, Dell, FedEx and Marriott to strengthen customer loyalty and leadership practices. When looking for a keynote speaker, Tom probably belongs on your short list of possibilities.