Employee Motivation: It?s More Than A Paycheck
Managers often ask, usually with exasperation, "How can I keep my employees motivated? I pay them decently. What else is there?" Offering competitive salaries is certainly important. But a paycheck is what helps people get to sleep at night, not what gets them going in the morning. What keeps them committed to come in on the weekend or stay late or go that extra mile is more than money ? it's the day-to-day 'stuff' like respect, fairness, recognition and feeling in control of their small piece of the world. Here are 10 powerful ways to gain employee's cooperation and commitment to the team, department or organization. Don't play favorites.
People make judgments about what they see in the workplace. Are promotions fair? Is low performance dealt with quickly? Is their equal treatment for the top floor as well as the shop floor? If the answer is no in their eyes (regardless of the 'truth' of the matter ? it's their perspective) then this perceived unfairness will stand in the way of their giving of themselves fully to the job or project. Share the limelight.
When credit and compliments come your way, spread them around to all who helped. And if you think you're solely responsible for that honored achievement, think again. Don't kill the messenger.
When things go wrong, resist the urge to throw a temper tantrum, point fingers or assign blame. In most cases, it's the system ? the processes, procedures and policies- that usually fails, not the people. Most times, people are just carrying out their job the way it was set up to be done. So fix the system, not blame the people. Meet them on their turf.
While you may be more comfortable meeting with staff in your office, it's more valuable to meet occasionally where they are located. Leadership is not about your comfort, but that of your people. The symbolic value of seeing you mingling with the troops improves trust. General Patton used this effectively and won many a battle by the loyalty his troops had for him. Break bread together.
Have an informal breakfast or lunch once a month with a group of workers to find out what's on their mind. Or grab something at the cafeteria, plop yourself down at a table and say: "So, how are things going in your area?" While you may hear some groaning, you will also hear about frustrations that are hindering performance. Listen, acknowledge and then do something about these glitches. Acting on problems goes a long way. Follow-through.
Effective managers remember the promises they make, take the appropriate course of action, and let their staff know what's been done. If you tell Mary that you are going to check on something for her, do it. And if you don't intend to do something, never say you will. Your credibility will go down each time people's expectations are unmet. Encourage a verbal suggestion box.
Ask everyone to come to the next meeting with two questions or two improvement ideas. This opens up two-way communication real quickly. Listen intently, clarify and then follow-up each question or idea. If you maximize employee input, you will get a more productive and committed workforce. Communicate the good, the bad, and even the so, so.
When you're on an airplane and it encounters turbulence or the flight is delayed, you want to know what's going on. Not knowing makes you nervous. Employees also want to know what's going ? what's causing the bumpy ride. If people don't understand, anxiety mounts, trust declines, rumors fly and motivation is shot to heck. The next thing you see is morale plummeting and work not getting done. Catch people doing something right.
Sincere appreciation is powerful stuff - it's feedback, recognition, and respect all wrapped in one. If the little things are done right, then big results will follow. There are ways to say thanks, great job or way to go without breaking the bank. Use two powerful words- Thank You.
You would be surprised how many people feel that are not appreciated because they rarely hear a 'thank you' from customers, co-workers, or their manager. Saying thanks has become a lost art in the frenetic world of '24/7.' It's a morale booster that costs nothing but goes a long way in helping people put forth more effort. Clearly managers today play a critical role in not only motivating but retaining valuable employees. If someone is riding in a canoe, but feels being taken for granted, he can't be counted on to paddle with all heart. However, if workers feel good about themselves, the work they do, and who they work for, it is much easier to gain their cooperation and commitment Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to
http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The High Cost of Employee Turnover Among Project Managers
Imagine for a moment this scenario from a frustrated Senior Manager of a large pharmaceutical organization: "Our organization has experienced a large turnover among project managers in the past year. This creates problems providing ongoing quality and service to our stakeholders. We just don't know what is causing the problem!" Sound familiar? Well you're not alone. I remember that filmmaker Woody Allen once said that "80% of success is showing up." However, the greater challenge is finding ways to keep people there.
Culture Management and Creativity
Many concepts in the fields of managing creativity are very much applicable to culture management in general. The same concepts that foster creativity and innovation also maximise human capital potential, increase productivity, reduce costs and maintain competitive advantage etc. Some of the many commonalities between culture and creativity management follow.
Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams
For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady growth can become nothing more than a mirage once company cash flow problems begin to heat up. Most will struggle with the timing of payment from clients or customers at some point, all while attempting to pay their own bills in a timely fashion. With all of the best laid plans for rapid flowing cash streams evaporating down to just a gurgle in the ditch, the potential risk of joining the ninety-percent of businesses that fail within their first three years of operation becomes a very sobering possibility.
People Literacy
Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why one management approach that works beautifully with one employee is ineffective with another. That's because what we think would be motivating isn't always motivating to someone else.
Mantra for Managers
What do organizations look for in a prospective employee with special reference to fresh MBA graduates? The two key assets that an organization looks for is the potential of the individual and ability to pursue his goals in all situations. Every organization expects its team of fresh recruitees to grow into top quality Managers and therefore it is very important to evaluate the potential of the fresh graduate.
Strategic Clarity for Communication Management
Over the past few weeks I've been developing plans for a communication project, a media relations campaign.
The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Competitive, Not Complementary Action
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Coworker and Caretaker
This article relates to the Coworkers competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of a coworker whose performance consistently facilitated effective cooperation, collaboration, and communication between the employees within one organization. While the Team Dynamics competency focuses on relationships within a single group, this competency targets coworker topics spanning the entire organization over multiple work units. This competency investigates your organization's ability to successfully work in partnership on projects with one another and between groups to reach the common goals of the organization.
Burger on a Bun Decision Making
When approaching any decision, it's important for individuals to maintain the healthy state of openness called for by WYSINWYG (what you see is never what you get). Remember that there is always more going on than simply meets the eye. Calling on all the skills, strengths and resources that are accessible, though not immediately apparent will produce vastly better results. Secondly, individuals should strive for balance in both their data gathering and their decision-making. Many factors can influence a final decision, not the least of which is emotion. Strong emotion easily clouds the process and can result in extreme solutions. Sometimes extreme measures will be called for, but generally they are not. Decisions that weigh both objective and subjective data and strike an effective balance are likely to succeed. Finally: keep it simple. Begin with what you know. Reduce the complex to the direct. Set clear goals and implement straightforward plans. Whether making decisions as an individual or as a team, the three principles provide the foundation for creating effective solutions.
Change Behaviors, Change Performance
Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance enhancement, that one thing that, if it were changed even slightly, would push the productivity of a company way beyond the current level.
Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines Part I
Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines ? Part I
Five Habits of Highly Effective Conflict Resolvers
Steven Covey had the right idea. There are discreet skills and
attitudes, habits if you will, that can elevate your conflict
practice to a new level. This article shares a selection of
habits and attitudes that can transform a good conflict resolver
into a highly effective one. By that I mean someone who
facilitates productive, meaningful discussion between others
that results in deeper self-awareness, mutual understanding and
workable solutions.
Managing Workplace Conflicts
Kinds of Workplace Conflicts
Organizational Culture and Creative Blocks ? the Similarities
Few Decision makers see the link between between creativity and innovation management, as performed by MBA's in firms, and creative endeavours such as screenwriting. In fact, there are very strong linkages.
Finding the Right Way to Motivate Your Employees
Fear, Incentives and Growth
A Man and His Razor
It is vain to do with more what can be done with less.
6 Ways to Keep Things Simple
Six Ways to Keep Things Simple
Innovation Management ? Time to Market or Time to Success?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Best Workplaces
The Best Workplaces report (Financial Times, April 28, 2005) notes many factors in common with Managing Creativity and Innovation.
Creativity and Innovation - Large Firms Versus Small Firms
There is a pervasive assumption that small firms are more creative and innovative than larger firms. That is, they identify problems and generate ideas (creativity) and idea select, develop and commercialise (innovate) those ideas to a greater degree than larger firms. However, there is a large degree of untruth to this assumption:
|
