[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]
For more information contact: Anita Zinsmeister <anita.zinsmeister at dalecarnegie dot com>
We often talk about employee engagement as a tool to keep your staff engaged on the job. Along with this is the role of a leader being able to motivate his or her team members. Doing so will create an intangible spark for people to get things done.
Six Tactics To Motivate Your Team:
- Know That Everyone Can Be Motivated – The key to knowing the things that will motivate someone, is to know someone’s inner need. What’s interesting is this: It oftentimes isn’t centered around money. As a leader, you need to find an employee’s motivator and tap into it. Remember, everyone has a personal agenda, and appealing to that is a surefire way to motivate him or her on a very fundamental level.
- Positive And Yes, Negative Reinforcement – Positive reinforcement motivates employees with the promise of reward, recognition or incentives. This may NOT work on every employee as some may require negative reinforcement — motivation generated by the threat of corrective action or job loss.
- Provide Employees A Reason To Be Motivated – Leading a team by telling them “because I said so”is not an acceptable motivator. Most employees want to feel involved, respected and part of the solution. One of the quickest ways to get them motivated is to ask them this: “What would you recommend if you were to improve X, Y and Z.”
- Let Everyone Know They Are Part Of A Team – No one wants to work at a company where they feel like an outsider; therefore, one of the most persuasive motivators is to show an interest in creating a team.
- The Power Of Personal Pride – While employees should always take personal pride in their work, it sometimes does not happen. To help bolster their personal pride and a sense of being on a team, have them present their work to their peers. The upside of this, no matter what the outcome will be, is that they get to see their peers react to their work firsthand.
- Become A “Do As I Do, Not As I Say”Type Of Leader – It is easy to yell out orders and expect the work to be done. Nevertheless, what separates average leaders from the great ones is their ability to lead by example. The passionate leaders in business are the first to get her or his hands dirty and establish a behavior for the rest of the team to follow.
Executive Summary: Some people are more motivated than others while some are motivated differently; however,everyone can be motivated. The trick is to learn each employee’s individual needs and wants. For some, that could be reward, recognition and a sense of pride in their work. For others, it may be a friendly reminder about job security. Whatever technique you may need to apply, the tactics mentioned above should always be in the front of your mind.
[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]
| As I’ve done in the past, I am passing along this advice from Anita Zinsmeister at Dale Carnegie in New Jersey. |