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Are your employees feeling appreciated? Do you and your managers understand what motivates your people? Is your organisation stingy when it comes to rewarding your people?

A number of recent surveys of employees working in SMEs have highlighted some key points about employee engagement. Here are some of the results:

• 62 percent of employees have rated their managers as "Very Poor", "Poor" or just "Satisfactory" at delivering specific and timely praise.
• 52 percent of employees say not receiving any recognition would be a contributing factor in their decision to leave their organisation.
• 40 percent of employees are actively considering leaving their current employer.

So what does it take to keep your good employees happy?

Broadly there are three factors (desire, cost and obligation) which influence an employee's level of engagement at work.

An employee's desire to engage is based on their level of emotional attachment to the organisation. If a staff member can personally identify and align with the vision and goals of the organisation they will feel engaged in their role and provide products and/or services to clients in the best way possible. These employees can be further engaged by positive feedback, career advancement and training and development.

The costs of leaving from an organisation might be viewed as being harmful to an employee. In other words, an employee thinks that by leaving, they may lose their friends/colleagues, high paying salary, bonuses, accrued leave, etc. Staff incentives such as long service leave or flexibility in working arrangements can help engage these staff members.

Some employees feel engaged through a sense of obligation to the organisation. This happens when employees feel a level of indebtedness. In other words – they are engaged because they 'ought to be'. Offering ongoing training and development programs and personalised bonus structures can help engage these staff members.

"A business coach can help identify the ISSUES in your business and provide practical SOLUTIONS so that you can reach your business goals faster"

Do you want to boost your business performance? Do you seek to gain more control of your business? Are you open to ways of improving your business?

During this article you are going to discover the benefits engaging a business coach can bring to your business.

Most businesses are started or purchased by people who are good at what they do. Unfortunately, many of the courses and practical experiences that have helped people become a great dentist, lawyer, graphic designer, etc have NOT equipped them with the essential knowledge and skills to run and build a thriving business. Often the business experiences come from hard-fought first-hand lessons, which can be both costly and stressful for the business owner.

Sometimes business owners get swamped by all the tasks of running a business, which causes them to lose focus and feel overwhelmed by problems such as:

• A lack of purpose;
• Fluctuating sales;
• Inconsistent cash flow;
• Inadequate profit and
• Staff management.

Businesses who suffer from any of the above issues can benefit from the services of a business coach. However, some people think that only a struggling business would engage a business coach. The reality is that many successful businesses use business coaches as their secret weapon.

What is a business coach? Every great athlete is surrounded by coaches, mentors and advisors. Therefore in a business context, think of a business coach as a mentor or advisor who can help you set goals, implement strategies and track your progress so that you can reach your goals in the shortest possible time. You also benefit from a non-emotional objective view of your business and their experience in handling a vast range of situations.

Business coaches represent a great investment when you consider the financial return and other benefits of their advice. Starting from as little as a few hundred dollars per month, a business coach can help you:

• Increase your marketing effectiveness and sales conversion to grow your revenue.
• Improve your expense management and grow your profitability.
• Increase the level of customer satisfaction which can fuel your word-of-mouth promotion and ensure ongoing revenue for your business.
• Attract, manage and retain quality staff.
• Create efficient and effective processes and systems which will result in a smooth operation.
• Develop control reporting systems so that you gain feedback about your business performance.

In addition a business coach can help you:

• Clarify your vision and purpose
• Solve your business problems or frustrations
• Identify and take advantage of opportunities
• Navigate through a changing market or economy
• Develop and refine your ideas
• Become more accountable
• Design a plan of action
• Communicate more clearly and confidently
• Become a more effective leader

Business coaches won't work for everyone! Typically clients who get the most out of the process are:

1. Ready mentally, physically and emotionally for change;
2. Are willing to make the financial investment and
3. Are 100% committed to achieving a great result.