It is hard to motivate employees, especially during tough economic times. They worry about losing their jobs, and this fear diverts their attention from producing at the levels needed to succeed.

You must help your employees discover the best course of action to stay focused on producing results for the company. My experiences have taught me that there are four areas of emotion that help people move from disabling fear to empowering action. These are:

Control Optimism Purpose Engagement

These techniques will help you guide your employees away from feelings of fear to empowering COPE feelings.

1. Control

One of the reasons that the current situation is so frightening to so many people is because it feels as if our economic well-being is out of our control. As human beings, we don’t like it when we aren’t in control. Leaders can help employees deal with uncertainty by helping them regain a sense of control.

It’s true that many parts of our current economy arte difficult to deal with, but there is really nothing to gain by worrying over something that is out of our control. It would be much more productive to concentrate on empowering your employees to improve productivity and customer service, specific areas that they do have an impact on and control.

You, as a leader, may have to give up some of your control so that your employees can feel properly engaged with the decisions that affect their lives. If you give the impression that “you know best”, you will only foster mistrust and disengagement among your employees. You need to help them to get involved in those areas that they can control.

2. Optimism

History has proven time and again that good leaders use optimism as a core strategy in re-igniting faltering organization, motivating troops and even changing national policies for the better.

Leaders in a company must be able to inspire their employees to be positive and give their best on a consistent basis. It has been proven by countless studies that creativity, innovation, and other qualities needed to cope with the current economic factors are best fostered when the workforce feels positive emotions such as optimism and hope. The leader who can motivate employees to face challenges with a “can-do” approach will be much more likely to solve the business problems they need to in order to be successful.

3. Purpose

The performance of mundane daily tasks make it easy to lose sight on the ultimate goal and let short term stress take over. Find ways to keep your staff reminded of the reasons and purpose for their work and the organization they work for. Merely reminding them that their work makes a difference can give them renewed energy and motivate them to take action.

According to the Sr. Vice President for North American Operations of H.B. Fuller, Jim Owens, senior management’s job is to be clear with the employees as to what goals they, and the company as a whole, should have, as well as to provide a positive way to achieve those goals. Jim stresses that it is critical for a manager to make sure the employees are not left to interpret their and the company’s purpose and fill in the blanks themselves.

4. Engagement

Engagement is the last remaining element of the COPE model. An employee who is engaged will pay attention to what is happening to the company as a whole and will want to be involved in seeing it succeed in the future. In addition, they firmly believe their role is key to helping the company to succeed over the long haul.

By actively including your staff in problem solving strategies, they become engaged in the organization. If your company is facing challenges you need to solve, include the employees in the problem solving sessions. This will give them a greater sense of control, but will also bring all team members together and provide a larger pool of possible solutions for your organization!

Denver-based Sashco Sealants recently invited employees to submit cost-savings suggestions. The dozens of suggestions they received were shared in weekly “huddles” with representatives from each function and unit. Each team was encouraged to implement the ideas and then report back on results. The company is already reporting significant savings.

In summary, by following the COPE model, you can use positive, proactive leadership to get the best out of your employees, and to create a great workplace environment that breeds innovation, focus and productivity.

Wendy Mack is a professional advisor, trainer, and author focusing on leading and communicating change. Contact Wendy at, or get her free e-book, Transforming Anxiety into Energy at www.WendyMack.com.

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