A Practical
Guide to Employee Motivation
By Timothy I. Thomas
Motivating your employees is key to the success of your
company. Here are seven ways you can effectively increase
your employees’ motivation – starting today!
- Ask each of your employees
for what and how they’d like to recognized. Do
they want to be recognized for the quality of their
work or the quantity? For the way in which they do
their work (cheerfully, efficiently, innovatively)?
Do they want to be recognized individually or as
part of a group? Publicly or privately? Look for
opportunities to boost motivation by providing the
recognition that each individual is seeking. For
many people, a simple “thank you” in
the form of a note on their desk or a voice-mail
message will go much farther than a monetary reward.
- Evaluate the roles/jobs in
your organization. Do they involve a variety
of challenging opportunities or have they been distilled
into boring, repetitive tasks? Take advantage of opportunities
to expand or enrich jobs/roles to increase variety,
autonomy or decision-making authority.
- Seek untapped resources. Ask
your employees what skills/interests they possess that
they are not currently using on the job and/or what skills/interests
they would like to develop on the job. Look for ways
enhance or enrich specific roles/positions to capitalize
on this untapped potential and increase opportunities
for challenge and variety.
- Identify what employees find
fulfilling. Ask them about their ideal workplace
or job – they will typically describe an image
that taps into their intrinsic motivation. Help them
find ways to build elements of their ideal into their
current job.
- Review organization policies
and practices. Determine if your organization
enhances or inhibits employee motivation. What outcomes
do employees receive? Do they value these outcomes?
Do these outcomes encourage employees to put forth
greater or lesser effort? Adjust practices, policies,
and/or outcomes as appropriate to positively impact
employee motivation.
- Define expectations. Work
with your employees to establish clear, measurable goals
for their roles/tasks. Link these goals to the overall
objectives of the organization and ensure that feedback
is available to help employees track their progress toward
their goals.
© 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 |
