I have seen the inside of many businesses and organizations, and I love to use the analogy that every business is like a family….they all have issues. One of the secrets to running a great company is making the conscious choice to tackle those issues. Other companies will just keep their heads under the covers hoping that whatever it is that’s disrupting will just go away. I am talking about issues with regards to teamwork, communication and motivation.

I’ve had Presidents, CEO’s, and Managers lament to me “I can’t believe this is happening”, or “I have done everything for this employee and still he doesn’t get it”. Unfortunately, just because we want them to “get it”, doesn’t mean they will. Challenges with employees exist in every business. Motivation is a complex thing, as is teamwork and communication.

You just can’t make someone do something, plain and simple. One amazing book that underscores the complexity of human nature is “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. In this book Frankl is stripped of everything and placed in a concentration camp. Here, the Nazis tried to break his spirit, rob him of his desire to live. You would think that would be easy, after all, what did he have to live for? His whole family had been killed, his home gone, and he was robbed of the simple comforts of life. He showed the Nazis, and the world, that when someone has the fortitude to hold onto something, make up their mind to do something, another human being will be hard pressed to interfere. Viktor survived, flourished and founded a very well known type of psychotherapy known as logotherapy.

The power of the human spirit is amazing, and to harness it to accomplish something, to get a job done, can be one of the most rewarding things to an employer. No you can't just tell them to do it. So how do we deal with the age old dilemma of motivating employees to get the job done and reach their potential?

In logging we face all the same challenges with motivation, communication, and teamwork as any business except add the fact that everyone is in separate machines, yelling over loud engines, and working under high stress. We don’t have a spare conference room where we can hold a quick meeting. Our meetings have to happen on the site, in the freezing cold temps with all the pressures of the moment. We are in the business of the urgent. Wood is flowing smoothly, then a hose blows, get everything going again, then the chipper starts choking, quick run and get an alternator, and when the wood is not moving, money starts flowing in the opposite direction. So when you think about finding time to work on motivation, when you need it the most, it’s really not there, no really it’s not. Or is it?

Moving the wood is urgent, but without engaged and motivated employees to move the wood where would we be? Somehow we have to make these things important, we need to peek out from under the covers and face whatever we need to in order to keep our businesses strong. So how do we do it?

One way is to share with others in our industry. I know when we get together we have huge issues to face and work out, but if you have a successful plan that you feel is working with your employees, share it. If you don’t, just start by taking the first step in the direction of giving these issues more attention when you can. Realize that they are a priority, and work at making them so. There are many resources out there. You can start by attending workshops when you have the opportunity, and reading books that will help you focus on how to help your employees reach their maximum potential. There is a great new release that I have just started reading called, 12 The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner & James K. Harter, PH.D. The book starts by emphasizing the importance of employee engagement, and how a disengaged employee has a substantially higher chance of being involved in an accident on the job. When it comes to our industry, this is something we can’t afford to ignore.

Dale Carnegie Training of Maine holds programs around the state that can help tackle some of the issues we face. Check out what they have to offer at www.maine.dalecarnegie.com , or sign up for their newsletter that offers timely management and employee motivation tips.

Be the type of leader that sees that potential in your employees, talk to them and find out what their dreams are. After spending some time with our crew, I knew immediately that there was someone who wanted more. He is a very loyal employee, and he wants more opportunities to grow. The first step I took to help him to prepare for his future promotion was to have him read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. As he steps up to the plate, he will need to accomplish things through the people around him. This book, originally published in 1936, still remains on the business bestsellers list, and is the key to successful human relations.

What makes a great business is the fabric that holds it together, and how strong you want to keep that fabric falls into the hands of the leaders in your organization. Some of the threads that hold the fabric together are motivation, communication and teamwork. If we don’t pay attention to strengthening those individual threads, the fabric that holds our businesses together will weaken.

Timber harvesting is a very high stress, dangerous industry and there are times when we feel like we can’t afford the time to focus on these issues, I say we can’t afford not to. I agree, we have plenty of urgent work that we need to get done now, but take the initiative and move your crews towards a more engaging future with your company. Make sure that as a leader in this industry, you don’t keep your head under the covers. Peek out, stare the issues in the face, and work at moving in the right direction. Just that shift in perspective can have great power, and you will see changes in your employees.

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