Welcome to this edition of  Practical IT Manager Tips Newsletter.

This week's article
Have you told your employees you appreciate them today?
It's not all about money, gifts, or financial rewards, you know. Your employees are hungry for a compliment and the little things you can do can have powerful impact on motivation and performance of your team.

Read the article below.

MDE News

2007 IT Manager Institute classes announced

The IT Manager Institute continues to grow and expand around the world. We will be taking the program back to South Africa (our third time) and to Slovenia (a 2nd time). Discussions are being held to take the program to other cities as well, but until they are finalized this option is open to anyone who can help facilitate us delivering the class in a different country.

There are two ways we can deliver the IT Manage Institute program, and the complete program can be provided in 3, 4 or 5 day versions to meet your specific needs.
Option 1  -  Company program  If you want to get all of your IT managers on the same page and managing in a consistent way using the same tools, a Company Hosted Program is what you need. Minimum student requirements are 6 in the US and 10 outside the US. Contact me for information and available dates.

Option 2  -  Open Hosted Class  If you can fill the minimum number of seats and facilitate the classroom needs of a class, contact me to discuss our revenue sharing program. Our hosts in South Africa, Slovenia, Aruba, and Nashville will attest to the value of the class and the opportunities it has to partner with our company. Minimum class sizes are 10 students.

For 2007 scheduled dates and locations, go to www.mde.net/institute .

Schedule an IT Manager Institute in your area for 2007
If you have 6 or more IT managers in your company (10 or more for non-US), or if you are interested in hosting an open class in your city, contact me to discuss how you can bring the IT Manager Institute to your location.

The complete IT Manager Institute and ITBMC certification program can be taught in 3, 4, or 5-day sessions.

We are specifically interested in the following US cities and countries:

Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Honolulu, HI
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
Orlando, FL
Philadelphia, PA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA

Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
England
Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
Saudi Arabia
Scotland
United Arab Emirates

All tools are in WORD or EXCEL to allow you to modify as needed.

CLICK HERE to view  the entire list.

MDE Special Offer of the Month
Every month, we will offer our readers something special. The offer is good until the next newsletter is produced.

This month's special is:

IT Manager ToolKit - 33% discount
My IT Manager ToolKit  includes 80 management tools I developed and used as an IT manager and CIO.
The ToolKit normally sells for $150.00.

Available while this special lasts for only $99.00

Limited Time Offer

Today's article
Have you told your employees you appreciate them today?

If you haven't asked yourself this question in a while, then ask it right now. In fact, you should get into a habit of asking yourself this question every day.

As managers, we don't accomplish much without the hard work and dedication of our employees. IT employees usually have one of two impressions about their manager:
      -  The manager isn't very good.
      -  The manager is good and I like working for him/her.

You don't necessarily motivate IT employees by throwing more money at them. You get a lot more from them when you show them respect and appreciation for what they do and the hard work and commitment they give. IT employees are very bright, mostly hard working, and extremely conscientious and want to do a good job. They are literally starving for someone to tell them they appreciate this effort and commitment.

Too often, IT managers are so busy and focused on what needs to be done that we forget to tell our employees they are doing a good job. It's very easy to get caught up in the challenges and issues that you must face every day when you walk into your workplace. If you do, you may not be telling your employees how much you appreciate their efforts.

I've seen it happen to many managers and when it does you see the morale and drive in the employees simply dry up. Most employees want to work hard and do a good job but when there is no thanks or appreciation for the work, they can become disillusioned and resigned to the fact that working harder doesn't really mean anything.

Don't let this happen to you.

Eleven ideas to show appreciation
Reward hard work and commitment  -  Don't just reward the successes, reward people who exemplify hard work and commitment or who go "the extra mile" to take care of an issue or to help someone on the team. Rewarding behavior aspects that you want to see in your team is very important and reinforces what you want from people. Give them something to recognize the hard work such as dinner for two.

Acknowledge people by name in meetings  -  IT employees love recognition so make every effort to mention people by name in staff meetings, team meetings, and other sessions whenever you can. Your people are sitting in the audience hoping to hear their IT manager acknowledge the hard work they are doing. You probably don't know what a boost to a person's morale this does.

Say 'Thank you'  -  Make it a point to tell your employees (individually and collectively) that you appreciate their dedication and hard work and how much of a difference it makes. It's not only a nice thing to do, it's the right thing to do and it makes people feel better about the long hours and what it takes to succeed in an IT organization.

Tell your manager  -  Write an email message or memo to your boss and copy the employee about a significant event or contribution made by your employee to create a success for the company. This gives your employee positive exposure to senior management and it can be a powerful thing for the employee.

Tell your client  -  When your client or user thanks you for a job well done, be sure to give credit to the employees who made it happen for the client. Ask the client to send the employees a thank you message. It makes a big difference when employees see their manager giving credit for successes to the employees and taking the blame for IT failures.

Treat them to ice cream  -  One of my favorite things to do is to pass out ice cream sandwiches to my employees in the afternoon. It costs very little but goes a long way in showing them you appreciate what they do to support the company. It's also fun.

Hold an organization event  -  Host an appreciation event for your employees by doing something outside the office. It can be an afternoon picnic, a bowling event, tickets to a sporting event, or any number of things that is limited only by your imagination. This builds camaraderie and teamwork.

Give them a gift  -  Spend a few dollars and give your employees a small gift such as a t-shirt, cap, key chain, briefcase, clock, or other item that you have a special logo or theme placed on the item. This is an inexpensive way to reinforce certain initiatives and to build teamwork while showing appreciation. Company memorabilia works, too.

Challenge them  -  Rewards of appreciation can come in many forms. One form can be giving the employee more responsibility or assigning them to a special project. Don't underestimate the value of this type of recognition.

Educate them  -  Education is one of the highest motivation tools you have a your disposal for IT employees. Recognize your employee by sending them to a special class or giving them access to learn new things that develops their skills and positions them for more responsibility. Education is significant.

Send them to a seminar  -  Industry trade shows or technology seminars are excellent opportunities to learn new things that will help your IT organization and great ways to show appreciation for people. Expect a report and presentation to the staff of how to apply what is learned when they get back from the event to share the knowledge gained.

This is just a quick list of things you can do to show your employees you appreciate their hard work and commitment. It's worth the effort because employees who believe in their manager will walk through fire and go to extreme lengths to help the organization be successful, , , and that's what you want in your team.

If you have a hard time remembering to appreciate your employees, put a note in your desk so you see it every day. Fail to appreciate your employees and you will achieve much less than what you should achieve.

Best of success,
Mike Sisco, ITBMC

Our mission at MDE Enterprises, Inc.:
Provide practical insight and tools that help IT Managers of the world achieve more success.


MDE resource links:    Click here
IT Manager Education                 
IT Manager Books and Tools       
Newsletter archive                       
IT Consulting                               
Other resource links                     
IT Manager Institute                     

We appreciate your support and the ability it gives us in providing services to assist IT Managers.
MDE books and tools have sold in over 140 countries and are widely acclaimed as some of the most practical and useful resources in helping people manage technology resources more effectively.

Best of success,

Mike Sisco, ITBMC Founder
MDE Enterprises, Inc.
3300 Stillcorn Ridge Road
Columbia, TN 38401
mike@mde.net
931-490-6932
Invest in your IT Manager to achieve more !
www.mde.net

Help us reach IT Managers throughout the world by sharing this free newsletter.
To subscribe and receive a free IT Management-101 ebook and 7 free tools, go to:
http://www.mde.net/cgi-old/t.cgi?a=400606&e=/free/index.html

Your information is never shared and you may opt out at any time.