Sure, when a person first joins you can be pretty sure they’ll be keen to impress, but after a few months or years, things might not be so straight forward. They can start misfiring; they might start coming in a little late, leaving on the dot and doing the bare minimum. To keep staff, engaged and going the extra mile for you and your clients you need to push the right buttons.
1. Inspire them.
All the great leaders manage to inspire their teams. Paint an exciting vision of the future for your business which inspires you. Inspire yourself about the business and you can inspire others.
2. Get out of their way.
There’s so much science out there telling us that micromanagement stifles creativity and kills motivation. Stamp out micromanagement and give your staff the power to express themselves and watch them shine.
3. Set them goals.
We all like to have personal goals to keep us going. Employees are no different. Give them clear goals and they have something to aim at. Giving staff goals and leaving them to work out how to meet them is a great way to motivate staff.
4. Don’t crucify mistakes.
Not all mistakes are equal. Carelessness and negligence need to be addressed. But, if a staff member makes a mistake after pushing themselves, praise their efforts in trying or else you’ll kill creativity, innovation and initiative.
5. Say thankyou.
Does this motivation thing sound too easy? Well it should do, because some parts really are? Many studies show that one of the best things you can do to staff is to recognize their efforts, by saying little more than, ’thankyou’ when they have done something good. Be specific about their achievement for greater effect.
6. Give them constructive feedback.
Staff need positive feedback to feel motivated, but they also need negative feedback delivered in a constructive way as this will show them that you care about them and don’t abandon them when the going gets tough.
7. Update them on business performance.
Create a greater sense of urgency in your staff by giving them a monthly update on the financials of the business. Let them feel some of the worry about getting in money and you’ll motivate them to deliver on time, if they know it means they’ll get paid.
8.Give them a share in success.
Give your employees a share of the profits, (even if it’s a small share), and they will be much more motivated to succeed.
9. Avoid overworking them.
You’ll need to burn the candle at both ends some times, but if you overwork your employees, (that is let them consistently work over 40 hours a week), productivity will drop and absences will rise.
10. Give them a sense of purpose.
Employees need to feel important and that what they are doing really matters to their organization. Make sure your senior managers and CEO take a personal interest in what staff do right down to the cleaner. See our '10 tips for motivating your employees' guide.