How do you motivate others? Does it take a cheerleader's yell or an inspirational speech? Do you hold out a carrot or a stick? The answer: None of the above. People must motivate themselves. Your mission as their leader: Create the kind of environment in which self-motivation can thrive.

Helping People Help Themselves

The ability to make others do their best is the essence of leadership. The leader's mission is to find what will motivate others. Personal satisfaction? Monetary rewards? Greater responsibility?

But it's not enough simply to press the right buttons. The leader's role is to foster a climate that encourages and rewards self-motivation. There are 10 qualities an environment nurturing of self-motivation needs to have. Here's what they are and how to create them at your own workplace:

1. Clear Expectations. Ensure that your team members know what is expected of them, in general and on the specifics of the project. Be clear when you give them instructions or outline the results you expect.

2. Meaning. People need meaningful work. Nothing can kill a good employee's spirit faster than an overload of useless duties. Variety and responsibility keep workers motivated and teams high in morale.

3. Laissez-Faire. Stay quiet. Listen to the opinion of others. Give them due respect and listen to every word. Don't think silently about why they are wrong or what you are going to say next.

4. Praise. Praise people for their efforts, even if they fall short of your expectations. Explain what should be done better next time.

5. Inclusion. Include everyone who is appropriate in the decision process. Ask others for their advice and opinions. Give credit where it is due.

6. Feedback. Encourage your people to make suggestions for improving the workplace. Then implement those suggestions whenever possible.

7. Respect. Respect your co-workers. Consider everyone's job and everyone's feelings to be as important as your own.

8. Recognition. Recognize accomplishment adequately. Be sure your people know that you have noticed they have done a good job.

9. Opportunity. Provide opportunities for your people to learn new skills. Back them up when they ask for help with education, both inside and outside the company.

10. Encouragement. Encourage others to do their best and to reach for their personal goals. Remember, people do things for their own reasons, not yours. Get to know what they are.

Conclusion

Your best bet is to set the pace with a good attitude toward your career and the people who work with you. The payoff is a motivated team working hard for its own reasons to attain its goals and, ultimately, yours.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
Results From the Emergency Response IQ Test and Contest

By Catherine Jones

Last week, we invited you to take an Emergency Response IQ Test. The results are in and the majority of you did very well. But out of 374 respondents, only 12 of you - just over 3% - got a perfect score.

Here are the questions, the correct answers and the percentage of correct responses: (Note: These questions are based on information from the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross.)

1. If there is an unconscious adult victim at the scene of an accident, you can assume that you have permission to treat him.

True. Permission is implied if an adult victim is seriously injured, unconscious, or mentally impaired and not able to provide expressed consent. (80.8%)

2. If someone has an injury that is spurting blood, you should use a tourniquet to try to control the bleeding.

False. Tourniquets are not recommended to control bleeding. Instead, apply pressure to the wound and to the nearest pressure point on the body. (79.4%)

3. When someone burns his/her arm badly, you should apply ice to the burn to speed cooling.

False. This burn should be cooled with cold water, but not with ice, which can cause heat loss and damage delicate tissue. (89.3%)

4. When a person is unconscious, lay rescuers should check for breathing and a pulse before beginning CPR.

False. Lay rescuers check for breathing, but do not check for a pulse when administering CPR. (10.0%)

5. Someone is choking on an object. You apply abdominal thrusts, but nothing happens. You should next give rescue breaths to try to expel the object.

False. You should continue with abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled or the victim loses consciousness (at which point you should begin CPR). (87.4%)

6. If a chemical has gotten into a person's eye, the eye should be flushed with water for 15 to 20 minutes.

True. Flush the eye with water (away from the uninjured eye) for 15-20 minutes or until EMS takes over. (94.3%)

7. If someone has a broken leg, you should try to realign the leg to its normal position before immobilizing it with a splint.

False. Do not straighten a broken limb. Splint it in the position it was found and with as little manipulation as possible. (91.6%)

8. If someone is having a seizure, you should place something in the person's mouth to prevent them from biting or choking on their tongue.

False. Placing an object in the person's mouth has not been shown effective in eliminating tongue biting and may cause injury to you or the victim. (82.1%)

9. You should not move an individual with head/neck/spine injuries for any reason because of the risk of further injury or paralysis.

False. Although you should refrain from moving someone with possible head/neck/spine injuries, it may be necessary to do so if the scene is unsafe or if you need to position an individual to do CPR or maintain an open airway. If movement is required, you should follow specific guidelines to stabilize the head and neck while positioning the person. (33.7%)

10. If someone gets heatstroke while working outside, you should offer a large, cold drink to help him or her cool down.

False. Someone experiencing heatstroke should not be given anything to drink, if nauseous. If he/she is not nauseous, you may provide small sips of water. (80.9%)

Thank you to FirstVoice™ (a product of Think Safe, Inc.) for this Emergency Response IQ Test and especially for its donation of the contest award, First Voice ResQR software.

The Winner Is ... SafetyXChange Member Amanda Storlien, EHS Compliance Manager for CHS Oilseed Processing. Amanda achieved a perfect score on the IQ Test and won the draw. Congratulations and very well done!

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