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Posts Tagged ‘Employee’

Instead of it being about how to motivate the employees, with the emphasis on the manager, it could be looked at as: How can a manager induce self-motivation in their employees?

1. Your Employees are Individuals: Every person that is under your employment is an individual. They are people that have different interests, different tastes, and they each bring different talents to your company. This means that they must be respected and let flourish in their own way. Knowing the employee as an individual is as important as understanding that they each bring a unique quality to your company.

2. Open Communication through Feedback: It is important in any business that a manager keeps an open level of communication. This is easily done by offering regular feedback. By having an open forum to discuss employee progress the manager lets their employee know that communication is essential.

3. Award Productivity: Once a manager understands that their employees are individuals, it is also important for a manager to understand what motivates the individual employee. Sometimes employees are motivated by money, and offering money as an award may motivate that type of employee. Other employees may be motivated by different things. Understanding this and using an award system that initiates motivation can be an asset within any company.

4. Progressive Training: A big part of your company is having employees that are well trained. Employees respond to this because it allows them to gain another skill set that will further their career. Progressive training sessions not only strengthen the employee, they also strengthen your business.

5. Company’s Vision: Another important aspect of running a productive company with motivated employees is making sure that the employees understand company goals and desired result. The company must be clear in its vision, and commutative in its explanation of that vision. It is no use having the foresight of a business model if your employees do not understand. Results are based upon the employee’s knowledge of what the employer expects. They will be motivated to get results if they know what kind of results your company is looking for.

6. Let the Motivation Set In: Providing new methods or different perspective to employees may take a while to set in. Don’t expect results right off the bat! Like a flower that grows from a seed, these things take time. Just make sure you plant that seed and keep it nourished!

All of these things take time, and remember that the onus to find ways to increase self-motivation falls on the manager. Motivation itself will be displayed through the Employee. A serious and respectable manager will take his time and asses his employees, get to know them as individuals and play to their strengths. An important part of being a manager is utilizing these techniques and being aware of how self-motivation will help individual employees.

Self esteem is a sense of worth, not only in inner confidence and self-respect, but also outwardly in the actions one takes towards contributing to the Bottom Line.

Employee recognition is ranked the number one motivating factor when it comes to employee motivation in the workplace. If you want to maintain motivated employees, and encourage others to do better, recognizing them will help build their self esteem, while maintaining a loyal and motivated employee.

You may find it hard to believe, but recognition is the most powerful employee motivator of all because it builds one’s self-esteem. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition (building of one’s self-esteem) than there is for sex and money. Now, that says something about building self esteem and employee motivation.

Why is building self-esteem through recognition so important?

When someone gives you a compliment or recognizes you for doing something, how do you feel? Imagine, for a moment, being complimented by all your family, friends, staff and customers all day, every day. What would it do to your self-esteem, your self confidence and your self respect, and ultimately your self-worth – the bottom line?

Building self-esteem through recognition is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement of actions gets those actions repeated. Recognition and praise reinforces our beliefs about ourselves and helps make us think we are better than we thought we were. That is how to build employee self-esteem.

Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcements is what builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is the way we see and feel about ourselves either internally, through our own beliefs, or externally through what we accept as the beliefs of others.

If we feel good about ourselves and we believe others feel good about us, we perform better than we would when we see the opposite side of the coin. Employee self esteem starts from external recognition and when accepted as being sincere it builds self esteem from within, which then translates into external actions leading to bottom line results.

People perform in a manner that is consistent with how they see themselves conceptually. So, the key is to help people build their self-esteem. That is the foundation of employee retention motivation and loyalty.

Unlike money which is an external motivator and never lasting, ones self- esteem is internal, and internal motivation is everlasting. In order to build a healthy self-esteem one needs recognition and praise, both from one’s self and from others.

You can help build someone’s self-esteem and self-motivation through recognition, but also through advancement and responsibility where that person can obtain a sense of achievement and personal growth.

The problem is that in today’s society we are deprived of positive feedback. Compliments, recognition and praise are not part of our day-to-day culture. For some reason, many people find it difficult to give compliments, recognition and praise. This does nothing for one’s self esteem.

My assumption is that it is hard to give something you don’t have to give. How can you give someone else a compliment if you can’t compliment yourself first? This goes back to our own self esteem. We must first feel good about ourselves, and tell ourselves that, before we can feel good about somebody else, and tell them that. It’s a vicious circle, but it all starts within each of us. How do you feel about your own self worth – your self-esteem?

Another problem is, we live in a society that has influenced us more to look for the things people do wrong, instead of the things they do right. How do you think it impacts someone’s self esteem if they are always recognized for the things they do wrong? Can you see them looking for the good in others and praising them accordingly? More likely they will find something to criticize in others.

We, as society, are to blame for this sort of behavior. It is up to each of us to change our self esteem from the inside – out.

These same influences have had an impact in our self-talk too. We tend to criticize ourselves for the things we do wrong. But how often do we praise ourselves for the things we do right?

Let’s tap ourselves on the back for the good that we do. The more we do it to ourselves, the more our self esteem grows and the more our self esteem grows, the more confident we feel, which in turn helps us to give more confidence and praise to others. Building our own self esteem allows us to then give growth to the self esteem of others.

You are the leader and you must set the example by demonstrating the appropriate behavior. The appropriate behavior that we are talking about here is recognition and praise to yourself first and then to your employees. The bottom line is, for you as a leader, to build employee self esteem

Employee motivation can be an easy task especially when the team leader demonstrates the appropriate disciplines. The simple disciplines encourage employee motivation to happen naturally. The wonders of “monkey see, monkey do” approach.

Motivation, whether it is self motivation or employee motivation, is the trigger to act. The factors involved to personally motivate and to inspire are not necessarily the factors that motivate all individuals or that lead to overall employee motivation.

No one can conjure up the means to motivate you, only you can discover the best methods in which to motivate yourself. Employee motivation comes from within the individual.

A good and well equipped team leader will demonstrate the appropriate behaviours and create an environment that accentuates employee motivation.

There are two types of self or employee motivation: External and Internal

External employee motivation comes from awards, bonuses, titles, promotions, money, etc. These are motivators commonly referred to as the hygiene factors. Unfortunately these external motivators do not last and are not a good source for employee motivation.

Let’s pretend we are a team and we had a great year. We decide to give everyone a $5,000 bonus. Everyone is happy and employee motivation is at an all time high.

A year goes by and the organization did not have such a great year and may be considering laying off some team members. Compared to the previous year, what will the employees expect in terms of a bonus and how will this impact employee motivation?

Certainly disappointment is eminent and employee motivation will flounder. In order to maintain the current employee motivation, the organization would be expected to offer the same bonus as or higher than the previous year.

This is not possible and decreases employee motivation. I draw your attention to the old donkey and carrot story. External employee motivation is never lasting.

Team leaders should focus on the alternative, internal employee motivation. Employee motivation, like success, grows from the inside out and not from the external to the internal.

In order to understand internal employee motivation you need to understand yourself and trust your abilities to carry you forward. This is a key factor in building employee motivation.

What do you want to be, to do or to have in life? Combine your dreams with passion and you will be self motivated. A solid foundation for employee motivation.

Internal or self motivators enable you to demonstrate all the appropriate behaviours. It is inevitable that a confident, hard-working team player, who recognizes the contributions of others and rewards them with acknowledgement, will pass on those behaviours. These positive behaviours will lead directly to employee motivation. As individuals, we reap what we sow.

As a team leader, if you are critical of yourself, you will be critical of others. This is not an acceptable contribution toward employee motivation. However, if you accept the abilities you bring to the table and recognize your achievements, you will be a good leader, a team player and allow your employees to do the job they were hired to do. Recognition for a job well done is strong employee motivation.

You may find it hard to believe but recognition is the most powerful employee motivation of all. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition than there is for sex and money. Now that says something about employee motivation.

Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is depicted by the manner in which we see ourselves. We can either focus internally through our personal beliefs or externally by following the beliefs of others.

Employee motivation starts from within. Lead as you would like to be led. Allow the employee to do the job they have been entrusted to do. Give the employee the recognition for a job well done. Build a strong foundation of challenge, inspiration and trust. Employee motivation is an investment in people and in the company’s future.

Employee motivation equals better performance and a willingness to grow. The employee must earn the respect of others and trust their hard work will be acknowledged. These are the simple mechanics to building self-esteem and the key to success. Employee motivation is a giant step forward for any organization.

Let’s take a look at other forms of employee motivation. Be complimentary. All individuals strive to do better, to work harder and to learn more if they are complimented in front of their piers on a job well done. This form of employee motivation will in turn be passed on to others.

Employee motivation is focusing on individual strengths. Assign the employee a task he/she performs best. Employee motivation will be realized with enthusiasm and productivity.

Education is of the utmost importance with respect to employee motivation. Education comes in the form of regular team discussions, workshops and seminars. Employee motivation will be increased by sharing the ideas and visions for the future with them. They are enlightened by others striving to get ahead and to make a difference. Employee motivation takes a step forward toward accepting change and setting new goals.

Employee motivation should be exciting. It should bring on enthusiasm and energy. Employee motivation spells success if the foundation consists of encouragement, acknowledgement and enthusiasm. Employee motivation begins with You.

Employee motivation through recognition is positive reinforcement. Imagine the possibilities. The end result is happy, motivated achievers and a business operating with positive enforcements. The internal employee motivation creates the first wave to success and the external employee motivation follows in its wake.