It Seems So Simple

One of the most popular questions I am asked is how does a manager or business owner motivate employees? I am not surprised how popular this question is. Recent Conference Board of Canada numbers show morbid levels of job satisfaction. Employees report being insecure as they are very worried about losing their jobs, but at the same time, they're also bored. This level of disengagement in the workplace is actually quite staggering and as we know has a huge impact on bottom line results.

Traditional motivation techniques usually involve the carrot and stick approach where we go to work and do what needs to be done and in return we get money, which is our reward. If you think about it, all of us are motivated to a certain degree to seek reward and avoid punishment. It makes sense from a logical level that this biological drive would find its way into the workplace and become a popular motivation tool for getting employees to do the required work.

However over the last few years there has been some fascinating developments around  employee motivation that go against the popular carrot and the stick approach. Especially since leaders are becoming frustrated by their employees lack of motivation and the negative impacts that come from this.  One of my favorite authors on this subject is Daniel H. Pink. I have been using aspects of his research with many of my clients and getting great results when it comes to helping business owners and leaders looking for ways to increase productivity and performance. 

As business owner or manager consider this: true motivation is an internal force, and is seldom something that can be accomplished with external rewards and punishments.
Pink puts forward three key actions that you can do as a leader to motivate your staff:

The first is autonomy over task, time, team, and technique. As a leader takes some  very small steps to slowly sculpt your employees jobs so they have the opportunity to become a little more autonomous. A good starting point might be getting a more flexible work schedule developed.

The second is mastery. People like doing something well and then having the opportunity to make progress. As the leader it is your job to recognize progress by providing regular feedback to your staff. Recognition for a job well done is a very important form of feedback and an excellent motivator if it's done in a non-contingent way.

The third is purpose. Quite simply, your employees respond best when they have a real reason for doing what they're doing. Your employees will be motivated if their work is connected to a clear purpose. In essence like all of us, they want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

The above three key actions are simple and easy to use. However the “old methods” for motivating your staff are still appropriate when it involves mundane repetitive work. In these cases make sure that all new and existing employee are given a rationale for why the work is necessary, give an acknowledgment that the work is boring, and try and provide some autonomy for them over how they complete the task.

Good luck!!