How Business Managers Can Motivate their Team of Employees
Every day, business managers are faced with the challenge of motivating their employees. Some have tried to motivate their team through incentives, while others may have resorted to old-fashioned pep talk, and some may even be utilizing motivational posters on the walls.
But as is with many things in life, motivation can be tricky, and it’s not always easy to do what is best for your employees. According to entrepreneur Alexander Djerassi, motivating a team of employees is a challenging and delicate job that one needs to be meticulous about. To succeed, one has to make sure that everybody on the team – from the frontline staff up to the CEO – understands how their actions impact their colleagues.
“The key is not just finding the right words or action,” says Djerassi. “It is understanding how your employees feel and what they need. If a manager can’t engage their employees, they won’t be motivated no matter what incentives they offer.”
Here are some of the insights that Djerassi shared on how a business manager can best motivate their employees.
1. Understand what motivates them.
Human beings are motivated by different things. For one individual, it might be money, while for someone else, it could be a sense of accomplishment. Find out what motivates the employee, and use this knowledge to your advantage.
2. Make the employee feel valued.
Respect is a big part of being motivated at work. Any manager who wants to motivate their team members needs to credit their contributions. A manager doesn’t need to spend too much time harping on this – the most straightforward acknowledgment of their work will do just fine.
3. Provide opportunities for growth and professional development.
One of the best ways to motivate employees is to give them opportunities to grow. To do this, you need to provide them with new challenges that will help sharpen their skills and broaden their minds.
4. Always keep them in the loop.
Many business managers make the mistake of keeping employees out of the loop regarding important matters. To make the employees feel motivated, keep them in the loop.
5. Give them a reason to come to work.
Please give them a reason to come to work every day. This is particularly important in the case of employees who have families. Friendship and camaraderie also motivate people at work – so make sure there is fun and laughter at the workplace.
“Business managers must understand that they are dealing with human beings,” says Alexander Djerassi. “Employees are not machines; they have feelings and emotions. Many business managers forget this fundamental fact.
Providing opportunities for competition and a lot of social interaction motivates employees to work harder. This can be done through competitions – whether it is a game of ping pong or bridge or office sweepstakes that lures people in with the possibility of winning a charity prize.”
6 . Make them believe they can win.
One way to motivate people at work is to make them believe they can win or lose. This is particularly important for employees who work in competitive environments.
