Estimated time to read is 15 minutes
Science has found that positive emotions are at the root of human motivation. It’s how employees “feel” that will drive the motivation deep within them. To find out what motivates your employees, ask them to take this motivational assessment from Linkedin. Then have a conversation about what they want more of and less of in their role. While the delivery preference will vary - everyone wants and needs recognition - especially from their manager.
Whether you’re new to management or have been at it for a very long time, one thing never changes: Human nature. Knowing how to motivate each person on a team can be challenging. However, it can be done if managers have a basic understanding of human behavior -- what makes people tick. What science has already found, is that positive emotions (how work and culture make employees feel) are at the root of human motivation. We are wired for it.
It is up to you as a manager to acquire the knowledge of what truly inspires employees to enthusiastically perform at a high levels. Below are 7 strategies to help you create the right atmosphere for motivating your people:
Start with scheduling more one on one time.
Leaders thrive when they strengthen relationships with their people by spending more one-on-one time with them to hear their suggestions, ideas, problems and issues as well as talking about performance.
Find out what motivates them.
Do you know what gets your team members out of bed in the morning? What they’re passionate about -- their goals, aspirations, and interests? Great leaders show an interest in their people’s career aspirations in order to motivate them the right way. Once that’s been established, they look into the future to create learning and development opportunities for their people.
Provide the resources they need to do their work exceptionally well.
It’s a simple question, but you’d be surprised how often it is not asked: What do you need right now to do your job better? You may be surprised, or even shocked at the answer. It could be that they need access to more information to make the right decisions. Or they could use more support in cross functional relationship building. Acting on what you find out will be a huge motivational booster.
Give recognition and praise often.
“I don’t like to be recognized,” said no human being, ever. Managers have to get into the habit of praising and complimenting their people for their accomplishments. One Gallup study found that employees who receive recognition on a regular basis increase their individual productivity, receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers, and are more likely to stay with their organization. How regular are we talking? Praise should be given at least once per week, according to Gallup.
Help them develop new skills.
Provide opportunities to learn new skills or knowledge in areas that they can use to leverage their natural strengths for their current role and for potential future roles. Find stretch opportunities for them to grow and develop.
Actively involve them.
Great managers recognize that leadership doesn’t travel one way but is multi-directional. While it can come from the top down at critical times, the best scenario is allowing decisions, information, and delegation to travel from peer to peer &/or from the bottom up, where the collective wisdom and involvement of the whole team can help to solve real issues in real time.
Believe in them.
Just because a person gives you feedback, doesn’t mean their feedback is right. They see your actions but interpret them through their own perceptual screen and life experiences.
The best managers delegate often and give their employees responsibility for delivering challenging work. Give your people the room to branch out to try new things and support them with whatever they need to make them even better.