Three Key Ways
to Motivate Your Employees
By Timothy I. Thomas
As an executive or manager, you’re probably feeling
increasing pressure to do more and more with fewer and
fewer resources (e.g., time, people, and/or money). Effectively
motivating your employees enables you to maximize your
resources on the people side of the equation.
The good news is that there are numerous theories about
motivation and a great deal of research has been done on
the subject. The bad news is that there is no single motivation
theory that works all the time. You need to understand
each unique situation and the people involved in it in
order to choose an appropriate motivational technique.
Here are three popular techniques to consider:
1. Motivate by Needs.
The idea here is that people are motivated by unsatisfied
needs. So,
linking the achievement of an organizational goal to the
satisfaction of employees’ needs should inspire them
to work more diligently toward it.
The challenge in this is that needs vary greatly from
one person to the next and vary over time for any given
individual. In addition, satisfied needs tend to lose their
motivational potential. For example, suppose an organization
is trying to reach a sales goal by posting a plaque on
the wall with the names of all employees who reach a certain
level of sales. This might appeal to employees who have
an unmet need for recognition or prestige, but it may not
appeal to employees who are seeking job security. And it
would also be expected that once the prestige-seeking people
get their name on the plaque, they may no longer be motivated
to maintain or surpass that level of sales. Using this
sort of motivation technique requires individual customization
of benefits and rewards.
2. Motivate through Job Design.
This type of motivation is based on the premise that the
task itself can be motivating, based on the degree of challenge
involved. Challenging tasks are viewed as more motivating
than boring and monotonous ones, so ensuring a continued
challenge through variety, autonomy or decision-making
authority can enhance motivation. This sometimes involves
expanding the scope of a job to include different types
of tasks (e.g., cross-training an employee to fill multiple
roles) or enriching a job by providing the opportunity
for achievement, recognition, responsibility, or advancement
(e.g., a special project to develop the leadership skills
needed for a promotion).
3. Motivate from the Inside Out.
Intrinsic motivation is based on internal, rather than
external factors. Like needs, intrinsic motivation varies
from individual to individual. For example:
- Some people are driven by a sense of meaningfulness.
They are motivated when they feel they are pursuing
a valuable goal that is worthy of their time and energy.
- Others value a sense of choice and work harder when
they have the freedom to use their own judgment in determining
how to perform their jobs. To tap into their motivational
core, tell them the desired outcome but let them figure
out how to achieve it.
- A sense of competence is important to some employees:
they want to feel skillful and produce high-quality work.
- And to some, a sense of progress is essential. They
must feel like they’re accomplishing something
and moving forward in achieving their purpose.
Employees may also be motivated by some combination of
these factors. The key here is that intrinsic motivation
comes from within the individual: there is nothing you
need to do to create it. But you must spend time and effort
in identifying an individual’s intrinsic motivation.
Then, help them find a way to align that intrinsic drive
with the company’s goals and get out of their way!
© 2008 Timothy I. Thomas
Article Source: http://www.makariosconsulting.com
About the Author
Timothy I. Thomas is the President and CEO of Makarios
Consulting, LLC, a leadership development and business
consulting firm. Makarios Consulting specializes in interactive
training and one-on-one coaching in progressive organizations
in order to equip and empower their leaders to maximize
their own leadership skills and inspire others to accomplish
extraordinary business results. Timothy Thomas is the author
of Creating
All-Star Performers: The Power of Effective Feedback,
now available for immediate download at www.MakariosConsulting.com |
