You are probably not alone if you wish the employees at your company showed greater interest in and dedication to their jobs.
Forty percent of the success of group tasks can be attributed to members’ motivation, which is defined as the willingness to get the job done by beginning rather than putting it off, persevering in the face of distractions, and spending sufficient mental effort to succeed. However, managers frequently struggle to find effective ways to motivate staff who lack enthusiasm.
You won’t do it through extrinsic motivators, says Susan Fowler, author of Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does, who has spent 15 years developing a research-based approach to motivation in organizations. Here’s what she says you need to know about motivating employees.
The true responsibility of a leader is to assist subordinates in comprehending and improving their own motivational perspectives.
Wouldn’t it be better for your business if, instead of trying to earn more money, a salesperson was driven by a passion for serving customers, solving problems, and producing quality work?
“The quality of the motivation really makes a difference in terms of a person’s capacity to sustain positive energy, to their own mental well-being and physical health, and to creativity and innovation,” says Fowler.
In order to improve someone’s outlook on life and inspire them to take action, you need to have all three of the following skills.
#1. Identify a Person’s Motivation
The first step in understanding someone else’s behavior is to get a sense of what drives that person, which requires getting to know that person’s perspective and values.
Asking people how they feel about something, such as an upcoming meeting or a goal they’re working toward, can shed light on the emotional underpinnings of their actions.
In order to achieve organizational success, it is crucial to bridge the gap between individual employee ambitions and the larger organizational goal. The key to keeping your team motivated is understanding what drives each individual and connecting that to the larger mission of the company.
#2. Facilitate a Shift to Higher Motivations
Step 2 is to have the person see that high-quality motivation is rewarding in and of itself. You want the person to have the epiphany that having a high-quality motivator makes them feel good, which is a cycle that may continue on its own. Help them visualize what success in their role looks like. The more the psychological needs are satisfied, the more you want of them. Employee would be more motivated if they believed the work they were performing had some sort of meaningful purpose.
“Organizations that provide their members with meaningful, engaging work not only contribute to the growth of their bottom line but also create a sense of vitality and fulfillment that echoes across their organizational cultures and their employees’ personal lives.” (PositivePsychology.com. “The Science of Improving Motivation at Work.” Accessed July 25, 2020).
#3. Reflection After a Shift in Motivation
Finally, inquire as to how the individual’s work and personal life have changed as a result of the newfound motivation. Do not begin a discussion about motivation by praising an employee for his or her progress. To do so would be an imposition of your values on the other person, rather than a chance for them to express their own.
Setting and appreciating small victories might help keep employees engaged in their day-to-day work just as much as larger ones. In addition to recognizing achievements, leaders should consider the difficulties their employees face while planning celebrations. When a team fails to reach an intermediate goal, it’s a good time to evaluate what’s getting in the way, how to fix the problem, and if the final objective has to be changed.
Reflection may also include providing on going and timely feedback. Feedback on how to improve should be tailored to the individual and should point to specific, concrete steps they may take to address the issue at hand.
Leadership is the Key to Motivation
Employees who are highly driven and engaged are more productive, they don’t hold back, and they go the additional mile for their employers, because they want to. As leaders, we want to do everything we can to contribute to the creation of an atmosphere in which people are actively engaged and motivated.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- Why Motivating Employees Will Never Work | Inc.com
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccaskilbeck/2019/02/12/six-strategies-to-maintain-employee-motivation/?sh=50de8e4f1d35
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-people-want-from-work-motivation-1919051#citation-2
