Ah, Motivation. It has been the subject of countless books, seminars, songs, articles, manuals, conferences, missions, discussions, debates, movies, interviewsand headaches.
In todays world every employer, in every industry, in every country, is trying to figure out how to motivate their employees the right way.
The sad truth is that most of these initiatives will fail. Why? Well, to answer that lets take a look at Motivation itself.
Motivation comes when one has a Motive.
motive, n. 1. an inner urge that prompts a person to action with a sense of purpose. 2. of or tending to cause action. 3. prompting to action 4. constituting a motive.
For our purposes, we need only focus on definitions 1 and 3. These are two definitions of motive, and yet they are vastly different. It is that difference that causes so much trouble.
Basically, definition number 1 talks about an inner urge. This means that the person is driven by their own desire. Their motivation moves them because they see how taking action will help them get what they really want. This is Internal Motivation, which is the most powerful kind of motivation there is.
On the other hand, definition number 3 talks about prompting someone. This implies that something outside of the person has to motivate the person to take action. The person is not taking action because it is their desire. They are taking action because it seems to be the best option at the moment. This is External Motivation, which is the least powerful kind of motivation.
In motivating their staff, most employers overlook internal motivation and go straight for the external brand. They think that raises, titles, offices, cars, more vacation time, and other perks are what motivate people to perform better. This belief is totally wrong.
Perks are merely short-term external motivators. They make a person perform at a higher level until they achieve the raise, car, title, etc. After the person has gotten their perk it no longer motivates them. They have received their reward, so why work hard anymore?
Now, if you want a truly motivated employee, you must set that up from the beginning of the hiring process, before youve even meet one candidate.
You must first ask, and answer for yourself, some tough questions:
* What values does this company stand for?
* What is the big vision for this company?
* What is the true mission for this company?
* What are the priorities of this company?
* What type of person exactly - would best help this company grow? (be specific)
* What would the ideal candidate bring to the table? And what would they want to do for us?
* Knowing that the ideal candidate will already be driven by having values, vision, mission and priorities in common with the company, what can we offer them in terms of compensation and benefits that will allow them to focus on their work without worrying about their lifestyle or future?
After you have answered these questions, you will be ready to start looking for the best people for your company to hire. Be sure to ask them about their values, vision, mission and priorities and why exactly they want to work for your company.
You will find, after having answered the questions, that most candidates will quickly eliminate themselves during the interview process, because their answers will not be congruent with yours. But the few who are congruent with your company will be worth their weight in gold.
Of course hiring the right person is only half the battle. You cant just hire someone great and then throw them in to the fire and hope they survive. Great employees need to be part of a team.
Now that is not to say that an employee needs to be surrounded by people to work well. A person can easily work solo, as long as he/she knows that they are part of a team and can reach out to a teammate when needed by phone or email.
Also, everyone needs to know that they have the potential to achieve their own greatness, so it is imperative that you look for ways to help the person move up in your company.
If your company is small and you think that you dont have any space for this talented person to move up into, then you have a decision to make. Will you allow yourself to be open to growth and expansion, so that you can hold on to great employees or will you be willing to help your employees to achieve their greatness even if it means they will have to leave you someday?
If you said neither, I just want to put great people into positions and keep them there you are living in a fantasy. Talented people need promise and potential. People who will stick with just a job are nothing more than cogs in a machine. And just like the parts of any machine the cog needs continuous greasing (i.e. more perks) to keep it moving, until the day it simply breaks under the pressure of mediocrity.
For many business owners this knowledge is a tough pill to swallow. Most business owners think that their employees should feel lucky to have a job with them. The idea that effective employment is truly a two-way street seems almost inconceivable. Yet, if you want to build a successful and long term business, with low turnover, then this is the only way.
Now, after you have answered your questions, set up good hiring policies, gotten the right people in the door, and given them a good pay and benefits package, what else can you do to keep them working happily towards the long term goals of the company? Well, if youve done all these steps correctly, you have already set your company up to win. Yet, there are some other simple ideas that can help you leverage more of your employees potential.
First, ask for and listen to feedback. Simply put, your employees are on the front lines everyday. And, just like a good general, you have to listen to what the troops are saying and adjust accordingly. This is part of the team effort I described earlier.
Second, compliment your employees genuinely and often. People, by and large, are not martyrs. They like to know that they are doing a good job by receiving praise over and above a paycheck. Dont be afraid to compliment people, even for little things. If you have an employee who is always a little early in to work, tell him/her you noticed and you appreciate their enthusiasm. This will earn you big-time respect.
Third, reward the big efforts with real rewards. If someone has gone far beyond the call of duty, give them something of real value, something worthy of their effort. The following story will show you what not to do.
In one of my first jobs I worked for a sporting goods retail store that was part of a large chain. One day I broke the all time record for goods sold in a single transaction for the entire company, which was several thousands of dollars. What was my reward? An extra 15 minutes of lunch. I left that job soon after.
Fourth, be a friend. There is an old belief that says business is business and personal is personal. The truth is that we are humans, and our strengths and weaknesses come with us wherever we go. Allow people to have off days without coming down on them. And dont be afraid to ask them what the problem is. Listen and help if you can. If you cant, at least let them know you understand their issue. Who knows, someday you might need them to return the favor.
And my final suggestion, lead by example. There is an ancient Japanese proverb that says, A rising tide lifts all boats. I believe in this so much that I make it a part of my daily affirmations.
When you hold yourself to the highest standard and steadfastly refuse to let your energy go down, the people reporting to you will be compelled to come up to your energy level. When that happens, everybody wins you, your staff, your customers, your families, your friends everybody.
Erik Luhrs is the President of Make Your Business BOOM! Inc. He provides Consulting, Coaching and Seminars on Business & Performance Optimization to Executives and Business Owners all over the world. Visit
http://www.MakeYourBusinessBOOM.com to request a complimentary Business Optimization Consultation today.
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