Motivating Employees _ Bringing Out the Best in Your People - Barry Silverstein [4]
Third, make people feel good about their work on a daily basis. First, show them why their work is important and how it fits into a larger mission.
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CASE FILE
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MOTIVATING WITH OUTSIDE BENEFITS
PR firm Metzger Associates wanted to reduce turnover. CEO John Metzger decided to allow his 30-plus employees to design a “Live Long and Prosper” program that focused on activities outside the workplace. They came up with four categories: physical fitness, outdoor living, relaxation, and education. Employees were reimbursed up to a set dollar amount for any activity they selected in each category.
In its first year, the program reduced turnover from 15 to 2 percent.
SOURCE: “Managing One-to-One” by Leigh Buchanan, Inc. Magazine (October 2001).
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Second, give them feedback to let them know when they are doing a good job, and don’t forget about formal quarterly, biannual, and annual reviews. Together, these will have a tangible benefit for you as an employer: By praising the kind of effort and performance you want to see all the time, you are teaching the employee to do a better job.
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“I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.”
—Charles Schwab, founder of Charles Schwab & Co.
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Training over time will yield personal growth, which also promotes a positive attitude. Offer career advancement opportunities and the chance to learn. And don’t throw up road blocks to accomplishment in the form of needless paperwork and approvals.
Finally, promote good feeling among employees whenever possible. Be alert for problems that arise with difficult people and take action. Promote opportunities for employees to get to know each other—such as company events that inspire employees and instill company spirit.
Foster projects that involve joint effort via work groups and teams. For you, the benefit is clear: According to many business writers today, teams can produce better work than individuals working alone.
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“It might be statistically more rare to reach greatness, but it does not require more suffering than perpetuating mediocrity. In the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.”
—Jim Collins,
author of Good to Great
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What it comes down to is that nurturing motivation is one of management’s most important roles. If management does not actively pursue ways to keep employees satisfied and productive, even those who are naturally motivated can lose their drive.
A motivated workforce does not just happen. Companies with a motivated workforce are managed by people who understand how to motivate others and work hard at doing that.
Respect for employees permeates the culture of many successful companies. Companies with a motivated workforce offer employees career advancement. They participate in the employees’ careers and provide benefits that enhance the employees’ personal lives.
Just as important, great companies with a motivated workforce encourage managers to work cooperatively as part of a team with their employees. Rather than distancing themselves from the rank and file, these managers are approachable, compassionate leaders. They may expect a great deal of the people who work for them, but they give as much as they get.
Essential Skill I
Being a Motivational Manager
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“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”
—Dwight D. Eisenhower,
U.S. general and president
(1890–1969)
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Some managers learn the hard way that they cannot motivate others if they themselves are not motivated. As a manager, you set the tone for the workplace. Your attitude permeates your work group. If you are enthusiastic, others will