The secret to consistent and successful employee motivation is (at best) a challenging and elusive topic! The secret may seem obvious, but sadly for most organizations it isn’t.
Have you ever heard of inside customer service? Are you providing the best customer service to your own employees? Think about that.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but here are some bottom lines. People want to feel involved. Meaningful involvement creates the connection that causes employee motivation. If you want to motivate your employees consistently, begin by creating the right environment.
How hard your employees work and how motivated they are to perform their work depends on the commitment they have to you, their boss. Commitment is influenced greatly by you, the working environment, the proper person in the job, and the freedom to get the job done. To make sure your employees become and stay motivated, as a manager you need to know three things:
- Communicate clearly what needs to get done and be as specific as possible as to your expectations. Sharing your expectations with employees will give your staff much of what they need to know to be successful. They need to know how they can contribute and why their job is meaningful to your organization. When people know how meaningful their work is, a sense of ownership is developed. A sense of ownership is key.
- Hire the right person or recognize that you have the wrong person in the job and do something about it right now. This is one of the most critical elements to the bottom line of any organization. Human capital. You need to be very careful in the hiring and selection of every single employee. There must be a strong job match in terms of cognitive abilities, thinking style, behavioral traits, interests, work experience and cultural fit. Never fear to replace someone who is not meeting the needs of your organization. The cost of keeping someone that is not the right fit can do more damage to not only your organization fiscally but to the morale of your existing team.
- Micro-management seldom works. It is incumbent upon you, their boss to create a work climate that promotes a high level of freedom, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity for everyone. This leads to employee fulfillment. If you have clearly communicated your needs and if you have the right people in place- let them be. Of course your employees need to know that they are being held accountable, but it’s crucial to offer the respect and freedom to be creative to your people.
Any questions or comments? I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com