The Motivational Link
Motivation is a key link to ongoing employee development and performance. What motivational techniques do you believe work best when developing your employees along their career paths?
I try and keep the employees involved in their professional development. I encourage them to take continuing education courses in the courses they teach and the topics that will help develop them.
Motivation is different for each employee. Some have been motivated by what they can work toward, others have been motivated by instant gratification,
Stephen,
Thanks for your comments, and... when trust is broken, it is next to impossible to regain it among coworkers.
Jay Hollowell
I agree, Chris. It is important to know your team, their interests, and their strengths, in order to develop an effective plan.
In working with my team, I initially had to build trust at the beginning. It took me approximately four months to establish a level of trust conducive to begin developing them. Stephen Covey wrote, "Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people." Leading and developing a high performing team requires a high degree of trust.
It is vital yo keep employees motivated to perform at a high level. Offering new challenges and responsibilities can keep employees inspired to continue on a path of excellence. Letting employees know their value as team members also serves to enhance their self worth within the organization.
I think praising employees and motivating them on a daily basis helps build their motivational levels. They will perform better for the team for their leader whom they trust.
Maybe a good approach to this would be to include the report in a team leader approach in order to see what kind of leadership qualities that they can provide along the path. Either way that it goes it opens up the path for further discussion and coaching.
Helping the employee identify a path that fits into their own view of a successful career is critical. It is virtually impossible to motivate a person to follow a path they have not helped to define. Recognizing accomplishments both large and small helps the employee to measure progress and to celebrate success. Candid feedback when appropriate also helps an employee to stay on plan.
Hi Richard ,sorry for the delayed response. Raises can be a good short-term motivator, but a long-term dissatisfier. I might try to ask the staff directly to tell you some things in the workplace that would be good motivators for them.
Jay Hollowell
Unfortunately, I still find that my staff motivates well when they receive good raises. I suppose the staff has not yet gone above basic needs. What can I do from here?
I believe that what drives each individual is different. The things that motivate me are not the same as the things that motivate the younger generation that I work with. Getting to know your employees and what makes them tick is key to motivating them. One may be motivated by a day off or money. Another may be motivated by seeing a student who constantly stuggles and has attendance issues finally get on the right track and succeed. The only way to know what motivates your employees is to ask, and most importantly, listen. Let them have the floor and take notes on what they say. This information can be useful if you ever find yourself having a discussion with an employee about a performance issue. We all need to reminded at times why we do what we do and why we started doing the job we had in the first place.
I also think that sometimes what motives employees the most is just knowing that someone in the company cares about them. Ask about their family, what they did over the holiday, etc. We all have a job to do and businesses to run, but it is also important to make sure we connect with our employees on a personal level. I belive we get more out of people when we are able to do that.
I think motovating employees starts with understanding what drives them. Everyone has a different reason for doing what they do, when you tap into their drive, you can gain understanding to an effective approach. Approaching someone with a challenge in an area of interest will be productive for you and the employee. If there is drive, there is interest. If you can grow that drive on a regular basis, everyone wins. Positive reinforcement and genuine thanks for a job well done, will continue to build confidence and apprectiation. Every conversation should include areas of success and a focus on one developmental item. It is often to easy to steer the conversation around what went wrong, thus, clouding the focus area. Maintain the positive around successes and stay focused on one area until improved, then move onto the next.
Help employees identify their own potential and develop meaningful goals as it relates to company goals, then provide continuous reinforcement to keep employees motivated. Recognizing the contributions each employee makes fosters employee satisfaction as well as help them s employees remain focused on outcomes.
Motivational Techniques vary depending upon the individual. The majority of employees need realistic and obtainable motivational techniques. Communication is a key component on developing your employees. Recognizing strengths in your employees and focusing on those while utilizing those specific skills to improve your over all operations.
I am an educational supervisor for a medical assisting program. While speaking to my staff independently and praising them for tasks completed and discussing the things they could have or should have done differently works for motivation. The biggest motivators for my instructors seems to be when they are working with students that are more of a challenge, those that need more help in developing their skills.
Michelle Smith, RMA
Hi Rich,
Thanks for your comments and particularly referencing the importance of providing frequent updates on projects and initiatives. That in itself is a motivational element because it continuously brings employees in the process as a valued participant and therefore reinforces buy-in.
Jay Hollowell
ML129
Keeping my employees involved in their development process by getting them to agree on where their interests lie and tracking their progress has worked well here. Keeping them interested and motivated by frequent updates is a critical part of the process.
Thanks Michael!
Taking employees a little out of their comfort zones to experience something new can actually be a motivator, as you suggest, provided, of course, it is done in a supportive environment.
Jay Hollowell
ML129
