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10 Tips For Motivating Your Employees
10 Tips for Motivating your Employees
1. You can't actually motivate your employees. What??!?? I know
this first tip seems a little counterproductive, but bear with
me. You see, motivation is internal, not external. You can
motivate people with carrots and sticks for a while, but it
can't last. Long term, people need to motivate themselves.
You're not powerless, however, because motivation comes from
inspiration. So offer your people inspirational goals and
they'll take on the job of motivating themselves.
2. Create a motivating environment. What's it like at your
business? Do people hit the ground running on Monday mornings,
or do they live for the weekends. Your working environment has a
greater impact on your productivity than you may think. The
thing is, every business has a culture. But most have evolved
through happenstance and that's far too risky a way to grow your
company. Everything from your office décor to your meeting
schedules will effect your environment, so evaluate the impact
of every move you make on your culture and watch your
productivity soar.
3. Involve your employees in decisions that affect them. Your
employees don't just want a job; they want to be part of
something more. So let them. It's a win-win scenario for
everybody. Your employees win because their work becomes
fulfilling, and the company wins, because it benefits from the
contributions of more than just those at the top of the
organizational chart.
4. Share your plans for the future with your employees and get
them involved in the process. If inspiration is the key to
employee motivation, then keeping your employees in the dark
about your plans for the future is a sure-fire way to kill your
company's potential.
5. Hire motivated people. Brian Scudamore, president and founder
of 1-800-Got-Junk?, says "we don't motivate our people, we hire
motivated people". Screen candidates carefully, and look for a
history of productivity. Technical skills alone are never a good
enough reason to give someone a job.
6. Encourage independent thought, creativity and initiative. At
Wardell, we have a weekly meeting to discuss our progress as a
company. Everyone is expected to participate and contribute. For
example, one of our agenda items asks each consultant to teach
something of value to the rest of the group. Not every idea is
going to be as helpful as the next one, but by encouraging this
type of "teaching environment", we keep everyone growing in the
right direction.
7. Profit share. In general, money is a poor motivator if you've
got nothing else going for you, but it can be a great supporting
tool once you've got your people on board. Profit sharing,
of
course, is only one of many ways you might do this, but used
properly it can be extremely effective. Whether you offer your
employees company shares, options, a bonus based on clearly
defined goals, a percentage of your margin, or a percentage of
your profit, what matters most is that they don't feel powerless
to affect its outcome. The goal of a bonus is to support your
employees feeling of ownership for their work.
As an aside, avoid the dreaded "Christmas Bonus" if at all
possible. Any amount of money given in this fashion will be
appreciated the first year, but will eventually be seen as an
entitlement. Then, should you have a bad year and cannot afford
to offer it, instead of understanding, you'll get resentment.
8. Offer varied and interesting benefits. Benefits, unlike
bonuses, form part of an employee's compensation package. And as
such, represent an opportunity to impact your working
environment. Certainly, standard benefits such as medical and
dental insurance can be part of the package, but think outside
the box as well. For example, perhaps you can negotiate a
discount for your employees at a local fitness club or
restaurant. One of our clients has even negotiated a discount
for his employees at a local golf course.
9. Fire unmotivated people. It's as important to get the right
people on the bus as it is to get the wrong people off the bus.
It may sound harsh, but if you have anyone working for you that
you would not re-hire given the opportunity, get rid of them as
quickly as possible. It's the right thing to do. If you're not
happy with them, chances are they're not happy either.
This is not to say you shouldn't give people a chance, but don't
get into the trap of trying to motivate someone who simply can't
be motivated. If an employee is not inspired by a future with
your company, free them to find a place that suits them better.
10. Thank your employees for a job well done. For a hard
working, dedicated employee little is more important than
genuine appreciation. Show them that you notice how hard they
work and they'll go to the mat for you each and every time.
Never underestimate the value of a "thank you". If your
employees don't feel appreciated, they'll leave as soon as
someone offers them more money, but if they really love their
job, it will take more than a few dollars to lure them away.
About the author:
About the author:
Mark Wardell is President and Founder of Wardell Professional
Development, a business consulting firm, focused on the unique
needs of small/mid sized growth companies.
Wardell Professional Development http://www.wardell.biz Email:
info@wardell.biz Phone: (604) 733-4489
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