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Finally, provide recognition and rewards when appropriate. Even more important, offer individual feedback on a regular basis.

Learn to Listen

A remarkable number of managers do not really listen to their employees. Most individuals know their job. A competent person can tell a manager how to be more efficient. Managers who invite employee input and take it seriously will find their workers to be more positive and more motivated.

Smart managers recognize an individual’s passion and take advantage of it. For example, if an employee likes the detail of how things work, the manager could offer him an opportunity to analyze and improve the department’s operations.

Give Responsibility

Managers who do not delegate effectively and who micromanage their employees’ work are seldom pleased with the results. One of the best ways to motivate individuals is to give them full responsibility for getting their job done. A manager should provide direction and guidance, but not step-by-step instructions.

Give Feedback the Right Way

Employees welcome positive feedback, but sometimes managers can be stingy with it. They simply don’t take time to tell employees when they are doing a good job—and in so doing they miss the opportunity to motivate. The fact is that career growth keeps employees motivated, and responding to your input as their manager is one of the most important avenues of growth. The key is to provide feedback in the right spirit.

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“None of us is really as good as he or she would like to think, but rubbing our noses daily in that reality doesn’t do us a bit of good.”

—Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., authors of In Search of Excellence

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Positive feedback is motivational both for the receiver and the onlookers. It’s important to deliver praise and positive feedback in public. That way, you demonstrate that you, as a manager, recognize and acknowledge effort and hard work. At the same time, praise highlights values you would like to encourage.

Giving negative feedback is another opportunity to motivate, although negative situations are always challenging. If an employee’s behavior has provoked you, or you are angry or irritated (as you may well be), it is hard to remain impassive and matter-of-fact.

But remember that critical comments phrased in a negative way often put employees on the defensive and can cause them to tune out everything else you are saying, even if it’s positive. The best course is to strive for dialogue.

Meet with the individual one-on-one as soon as possible after the problem has come to your attention. Adopt a respectful attitude—try to assume the best about the individual. Don’t berate the employee and don’t show your personal feelings lest you provoke an emotional response.

Stay focused on the goal of the conversation, which is to stop unwanted behaviors. Ask for explanations and their point of view, and make sure to practice active listening. Show empathy. Instead of dwelling on failure and undesirable behavior, concentrate on accepted standards.

Communicate what you would like to see instead, giving specific examples of positive conduct. Remind the person of performance goals you’ve previously worked out together. Then, approaching the negative situation as you would any problem, take a collaborative approach to solving it. Agree jointly on specific new goals that are measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-limited.

Set milestones—dates on which you will check in to see how work toward the goals is going—and follow up. Throughout the conversation, remember that constructive comments tend to spark action, and be as positive as you can.

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Plan B

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DON’T STAND IN THE WAY

If a team isn’t functioning as smoothly as it should, the first thing to ask yourself is whether you are doing anything that stands in the way of the team’s effectiveness.

Sometimes a manager unwittingly interferes with a team’s progress by being overcontrolling.