Introduction:
Learn how to identify causes of low morale, then apply proven techniques to motivate employees, prepare individual action plans to solve on-the-job problems and improve overall employee behaviors. The Process of Motivating Your Employees
- Understanding Motivation
- Assessing Your Approach
- Identifying Manager’s Role
- Applying Techniques
- Measuring Success
What to Expect:
Motivation is one of the primary concerns and challenges facing today’s manager. This Business Builder will help you learn techniques for creating a proper motivational climate. You will learn how to apply proven techniques for motivating employees, prepare individual action plans to solve on-the-job problems, and identify causes of low morale and techniques for improving overall employee behaviors.
Why Do You Need To Know About Motivation:
- Your employees are the key to your successful business.
- Motivation affects employee performance, which affects organizational objectives.
- Satisfied employees lead to satisfied customers.
- Motivated employees make your job easier.
Criteria for Success:
To be a successful manager/motivator you must first understand that you cannot motivate anyone. You can only create an environment that encourages and promotes the employee’s self motivation. Someone once said that motivation is getting people to do what you want them to do because they Want to do it. The challenge is to give them a reason to want to do it; doing it will satisfy a need they have. You have to tune in to their need, not yours. Secondly, you must also know what kind of behavior you want the employee to demonstrate. In other words, what do you want the employee to do differently?
Goals:
- Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals.
- Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects.
- Socialize with others of similar interest. Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a loser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.
- Learn how to learn. Dependency on others for knowledge supports the habit of procrastination. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams.
- Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.
- Increase knowledge of subjects that inspires. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.
- Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.
The Process of Motivating Your Employees:
Motivation falls into five categories
- Understanding the Concept of Motivation
- Assessing Your Approach to Employee Motivation
- Identifying Manager’s Role in Motivation Process
- Applying Motivational Techniques (Creating the Environment)
- Measuring Success
Understanding Motivation:
Can you motivate someone? The answer is an emphatic “NO!” Motivation comes from within the individual prompting an action. Motivation is a function of individual will. We do things because the outcome is appealing and serves as an incentive. Motivation is directly related to morale, that is, the attitude of individuals and groups toward their work, environment, management and organization as a whole.
Assessing Your Approach:
You may find yourself puzzled by an employee’s apparent lack of motivation. You pay a decent salary so you can’t understand why this person isn’t grateful just to have a job. The first step to real understanding is to accept that what motivates you may or may not motivate your employees. Take a moment and rank the following motivating factors according to what is important to you: Job security, Adequate compensation, Company benefits, Pleasant physical working environment, Recognition for doing a good job, Loyalty and fairness of management, Participation in decisions that affect me, Interesting and challenging work, Opportunities for promotion and growth, Friendliness of people I work with, Clear understanding of what is expected of me, Feeling of personal accomplishment
Identifying Manager’s Role:
At this point, you might be asking yourself, “What is my role as a leader in the motivation process?” Your responsibility in motivating employees is to create the environment that promotes motivation within the individual. Someone once said that good leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. Therefore, you must first understand employees’ needs and then show them the benefits of moving them from where they are to where you want them to be. In other words, point out the
Applying Techniques:
If you want to become an effective leader, use the following techniques to create an environment in which people want to work:
Use Appropriate Methods Of Reinforcement. Rewards should be tied directly to performance. If you have determined that delivering quality service is important, then the employee’s performance in delivering that service should be rewarded.
Provide People With Flexibility And Choice. Whenever possible, give employees a chance to make decisions particularly when they affect them in some way. Choice and the personal commitment that results are essential to motivation. People who are not given the opportunity to choose for themselves tend to become passive and lethargic.
Provide Support When It Is Needed. One key characteristic of the achievement-oriented person is the willingness to use help when it is needed. Employees should be encouraged to ask for support and assistance; otherwise, they will become frustrated. Asking for help should never be considered a sign of weakness; it should be considered a sign of strength. When an employee comes to you for help, be careful not to turn him or her off with comments such as “You still don’t know how to do that? I thought I explained it to you.” Instead, ask, “Tell me where you are having problems. What can I clear up for you?”
Encourage Employees To Set Their Own Goals And Objectives. Let them participate actively in the goal-setting process. People tend to know their own capabilities and limitations. Also, personal goal-setting results in a commitment to goal accomplishment. In setting sales goals, for example, ask your sales person to come up with a realistic monthly goal and a plan to reach that number.
Then the two of you should sit down and evaluate the goal by applying the following criteria:
- Is the goal specific? Write the goal so that anyone would be able to identify exactly what you are going to accomplish. Is it measurable? Identify the deliverable.
- Is it agreed upon? All those involved must agree. In most cases, this means the manager and the employee who make it happen.
- Is it realistic? Make sure that you have the appropriate resources (time, skills, equipment, environment, money) to successfully meet the goal.
- Is it timebound? Set deadlines, interim reviews and target completion dates.
Think of an employee you would like to involve in the goal-setting process. Then outline how you are going to approach him or her. What will you say to communicate the reasons you are asking the employee to set his or her own goals? Are there any guidelines or parameters he or she should consider?
Establish A Climate Of Trust And Open Communication. Productivity is highest in organizations that encourage openness and trust. Trust and openness are created by the way we communicate. Do you use phrases that build people and get things started or ones that destroy ideas and chloroform creative thinking? Review the following lists. Which do you use more frequently?
- Killer Phrases
- “A great idea, but”
- “It won’t work.”
- “We don’t have the time.”
- “It’s not in the budget.”
- “We’ve tried that before.”
- “All right in theory, but can you put it in practice?”
- “You haven’t considered”
- “We have too many projects now.”
- “What you’re really saying is”
- “Let’s put it on the back burner.”
- “Let’s discuss it at some other time.”
- Killer Phrases
- Igniter Phrases
- “That would be interesting to try.”
- “I’m glad you brought that up.”
- “Good work!”
- “You’re on the right track.”
- “That’s the first time I’ve had anyone think of that.”
- “I have faith in you.”
- “I appreciate what you’ve done.”
- “See, you can do it!”
- “Go ahead, try it”
- “I never thought of that.”
- “I’m very pleased with what you’ve done.”
- “We can always depend on you.”
- “We can do a lot with that idea.”