Many managers
mistakenly think that money is the prime motivator for their employees.
However, according to surveys by several different companies, money is
consistently ranked five or lowers by most employees. So if money is not the
best way to motivate your team, what is?
The three most
important issues according to employees are;
respect a sense of accomplishment, and recognition. Yes, money
is important but it is not as critical as these other components. Taking these
into consideration, let’s explore best ways to keep your team motivated:
Involve them.
Many employees want to
be involved in the ongoing development and progress of their company. Plus,
they often have insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the
company. And when they are involved, they buy-in faster and resist less. This
means you can implement the change(s) more quickly and easily.
Communicate.
Very few businesses can
be accused of over-communicating. A frequent axiom in business is, “No news is
good news.” However, employees want regular updates on the progress of the
business and their personal performance. Use memos, email, telephone, and
one-on-one and group meetings to keep your team apprised. Talk to your team
members regularly, have lunch or coffee with them, Let them know if the
business is on track. Tell them what challenges are currently being faced (they
may have suggestions). It is also important that you give them feedback on
their performance. If you have a concern with a specific component, tell them
and give them the opportunity to correct their behavior.
Celebrate individual and team performance.
Catch people doing
something right and focus on recognizing excellent performance. On an
individual basis you can provide positive reinforcement, issue awards, use a
corporate newsletter to highlight specific achievements. Send thank-you,
birthday, and anniversary cards as well as congratulatory notes. Make personal
phone calls, and send emails. Better yet, if you work in a large organization,
have a senior executive send the email or make the call.
To recognize team
efforts, post performance charts on the wall or throw an impromptu
get-together., Treat them to lunch or a pizza party, post team pictures on your
Intranet and in their work environment or give them plaques, certificates,
coffee mugs, etc.
Ultimately, the more of
these approaches you incorporate into your motivation strategy, the more
energized your team will become. Make it a point to recognize someone everyday.
Set challenging goals.
My experience has
taught me that people strive to achieve what is expected of them. If you set
challenging goals your team will work hard to accomplish them, providing of
course, they are realistically attainable. It is amazing what people can
accomplish when they are given the opportunity to perform. Communicate these
goals and keep your team informed on the company’s progress.
Give them the tools to succeed.
No team will stay
motivated if they do not have the necessary tools required to do their job.
This includes; equipment, internal support, inventory, marketing materials,
training, etc. Simple things annoy people. Many years ago I worked in a
restaurant where the owner refused to give the servers trays to carry drinks
because he thought it was an unnecessary expense. Frustration ran high when
servers had to make more trips to and from the bar.
Manage poor performance.
Your team expects you
to manage individuals who do not perform to standard or contribute fully to the
efforts of the team. However, many managers ignore poor performance because
they are afraid of the potential conflict. Instead, they hope that the
situation will resolve itself. It never does and this “blind” approach affects
profitability, causes higher turnover, and contributes to low morale in the
workplace. While poor performance and conflict are seldom enjoyable to deal
with, you have a responsibility to your team and the company to manage it. Here
is the B.E.S.T. method of dealing with these situations:
Begin with the
situation. “Pat, when we receive a shipment and you expect the others to put it
away…”
Express the result.
“…it causes friction because everyone is expected to pitch in.”
State the desired
change. “In the future I need you to cooperate with the rest of the group to
ensure that the shipment is stored quickly. This means I want you to stop
whatever you are working on and help put away the stock.”
Tell them the
consequence. “If you don’t help with this task I may be forced to take additional
action.”
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