Motivating employees

Motivation is an internal drive that makes us do what we do. A manager does not provide the initial motivation - that comes from inside the employee. It is already there and is based on a combination of genetics and character traits that were formed in the early development years. But what a manager can do is first acknowledge that different employees have different psychologies and are therefore motivated differently. A good manager will also be able to identify their employee's different motivations and then try to influence them in the workplace.

 

FOr most of us, we do our best work when we take the projects personally, thus motivation comes from an internal drive. However, there are certain factors outside of us that can influence our internal needs and desires. Finding and using these external factors for each employee under their supervision is the manager's job.

 

Perhaps the most commenly used method to influence an employee's motivation is by providing some kind of reward. This may ne in the form of salary, bonus, incentive, non-cash recognition, training, mentoring, rotational assignments and other developmental opportunities. This can be effective but only temporary as it may influence behavior for a short time but then the influence goes away and the employee seeks a new reward to improve performance. As a result, the manager's challenge is to learn what their own employees are motivated to do. Once you acknowledge this and want to be a motivational manager, you might consider the following international best practices with your own employees:

• Compliment employees on their work
• Show patience and concern
• Let employees share responsibility for improving the work process
• Appreciate the quiet workers - not just the outspoken ones
• Share your vision often
• Encourage employees to do things for themselves
• Tie salary raises to performance - not just seniority
• Encourage innovation
• Explain often how an employee's work helps the company
• Communicate corporate strategies and new policies