Do you wish you could find a simple, yet proven way to improve morale and increase efficiency at work? If so, you are not alone. Every company must effectively address morale and efficiency to be successful.

Morale directly affects job performance in any profession. However, the morale and effectiveness of emergency responders is often the difference between life and death.

Most agencies and businesses search in vain for practical, real-life solutions to complex interpersonal and professional problems in the work place. They read books, participate in workshops and attend seminars. They may even hire a highly paid expert to give an in-house presentation to all of the employees, hoping they will learn some cosmic secret for personal and professional success.

Such endeavors often result in the on-going and ever-growing feelings of frustration and failure. Their theories seem logical, but all too often prove to be impractical. They are all too often like wearing shoes that are the wrong size--they would be great for someone or somewhere else, but not for you or your department.

This article will give you some practical, proven, and universal principles which you can apply to virtually any situation. They will enable you to make practical and meaningful improvements—now!

Before I share these simple principles, I feel required to tell you how I learned them. Simply put, it was a painful trial and error process.

A few decades ago I worked at a manufacturing plant which employed about one-hundred people. To make a long story short, I eventually became the foreman of the shipping department. In a few months my team members consistently performed all of our work in half of the time. In addition, interpersonal conflicts and petty divisiveness were practically non-existent.

Soon, I was promoted, given the lofty title of “Efficiency Expert,” and told to increase the production and improve the interpersonal harmony of each of the company’s divisions. I eventually accomplished these goals, but not without making many mistakes along the way.

Those successes and failures taught me many valuable lessons. Over the past 25 years of pastoral ministry and police chaplaincy, I have continued to learn and apply many practical many valuable lessons. 

So, here are some basic principles which you can implement immediately. My hope is that you will adapt them to your unique situation and, even, develop additional principles of your own.

First, honestly examine your motives and attitudes. Why you do something determines how well you will do it. If your goal is to make yourself look good and your method is to “kick butt and take names later,” you’ll make more problems than you can possible solve. However, if you sincerely want to assist, enable and encourage others, you will find receptive hearts and have great success.

If you go in with a “know-it-all” attitude, your will, in a very short time, return in defeat to your office, dragging your deflated ego and bruised pride behind you. Because people will be using their “sixth sense” in an attempt to determine your motives, go with a pure heart.

Get off of your high horse and out of the ivory tower. You will accomplish absolutely nothing by sending out a memo. I suggest that you replace your coat and tie with whatever your employees are wearing, even if it be blue jeans and work gloves. Walk beside your employees and see work from their perspective.

Secondly, help them to understand what you and doing and why. They may see your presence as an intrusion into their territory. Enter with respect for them and their skills. Since they will question your motives, humbly and honestly explain what you are doing, and more importantly, why you are doing it.

Humbly, tell them you are here because you need their help finding ways to make their jobs easier. Acknowledge their knowledge. Ask for their help! Tell them you will never know as much about their job as they already know. Ask for their permission to get to know them and their work better.

Remember this, you will accomplish more one-on-one than you will with the group. Be patient—they will doubt your motives until they are convinced you are sincere. So, you must earn their trust. Give them respect they deserve. They take pride in their work regardless of how insignificant it may seem to others. Remember, every bolt on an airplane is important—even if no one sees it.

Watch them work. Work with them. Ask questions. Learn. Appreciate their skills. Seek more to understand than to be understood.

Here are some key questions: “How long have you worked here? What circumstances brought you here? What could be changed that would make your job easier? What could we change that would make this a better place to work?

Here is one example:

One man told me that he and his team wanted to start working an hour before everyone else. He explained that because his team performed the first step in the manufacturing process, they were perpetually behind the production line. They were perpetually behind schedule. Everybody down the line had to wait for the product to arrive before they could do their work. Their stress and tension caused many unnecessary problems at work and at home.

They soon began working at six in the morning. When the other workers arrived at seven, they had work waiting for them. Everyone, even the company and customers, benefited from this simple change. As an additional benefit, this team also ended their shift one hour before the rest of the plant. Production increased. Morale improved. Everybody won.

Because of the unique services performed by emergency responders, you will need to alter this “coat” in order for it to fit your circumstances. The principles, however, are universal and can be applied in virtually every situation.
 
As emergency responders, we serve others best when we work together as a team.

If I can be of any help to any of you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Two ears, no waiting.

Chaplain Jeff Timlick
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(816) 679-8996