Your employees may have all the expertise in the world, but if they aren’t driven, they’re unlikely to reach their full potential. When people are motivated, however, labor appears to be easy. Motivated people have a positive attitude, are enthusiastic about what they do, and understand that they are investing their time in something truly meaningful. In short, motivated employees like their work and perform well. All effective leaders want their organizations to be full of people who share this mindset. That’s why, as a leader and manager, The Digi Tech Resource Group emphasizes the importance of keeping your team motivated and inspired. However, this is not always easy to accomplish! In this post, we’ll go over the important theories, tactics, and resources you can use to keep your employees enthused about their work.
Two Types of Motivation
There are two sorts of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.
- Extrinsic motivation occurs when you use external influences to persuade your team to perform what you want. Extrinsic motivators include pay hikes, time off, bonus checks, and the prospect of job termination, all of which can be beneficial or negative.
- Intrinsic motivation is intrinsic. It’s about having a strong personal motivation to tackle a difficulty, produce high-quality work, or communicate with team members you like and respect. Intrinsically driven people derive enormous delight and enjoyment from what they do.
Each team member is unique, and their motivations will most likely differ. So, in order to properly motivate your team, you must first get to know them, understand what motivates them, and create a suitable balance of extrinsic and internal motivators.
Benefits of Motivation in the Workplace
You cannot directly influence a person’s interest in his or her employment. Of course, an individual bears some responsibility for motivating himself, but you can facilitate this process by establishing an environment that encourages him to become more intrinsically driven. Individuals, teams, and even entire companies can reap the benefits. Motivated people are extremely adaptive, especially when it comes to change, and they maintain a positive attitude at work. They contribute to an organization’s reputation management, lower absenteeism rates, and increased performance and profit. They also strive harder to achieve their objectives and with a stronger sense of urgency than unmotivated individuals.
Strategies to Motivate Your People
As a manager, you can use the procedures and methods listed below to foster a motivating environment for your staff.
Step 1: Check your assumptions
You may not realize it, but your management style is heavily influenced by your beliefs about your employees. For example, do you believe your team members despise working and require constant supervision? Or do you believe they are content with their positions and will benefit from increased responsibility and freedom? These two essential assumptions are the foundations of the team motivation concepts Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X managers are authoritarian, believing that they must continually supervise their employees. They feel that their team members do not want or need responsibility, and that they must motivate them externally to accomplish results. Managers that follow Theory Y feel that their team members want increased responsibility and should participate in decision-making. They assume that everyone has something valuable to contribute.
In short, your perceptions about your team members’ motivation influence how you behave toward them. So, it’s critical to consider how you see your employees and investigate what you believe actually inspires them. (Think about it from your own perspective: would you rather have your boss manage you using Theory X or Theory Y? How long would you work for a Theory X manager?
Share your vision and establish clear goals
You can only motivate and inspire your team if they understand what they are working toward. Make sure your personnel understand your vision and long-term business goals. This encourages everyone to collaborate for greater results. Furthermore, set clear and measurable goals that are guided by this vision on a regular basis so that you and your teams can measure progress and see tangible results.
Communicate with your personnel
Effective communication with your team is an important part of establishing clear goals. contact is a two-way street, and you should maintain a steady flow of contact with your personnel. This manner, you can keep them informed about what has to be done while also listening to their thoughts, opinions, and criticism. This will ultimately benefit your organization since they may handle challenges differently than you do. Check in with your team on a frequent basis and invite them to meet with you, this would definitely motivate your team. Make yourself available for contact, and maintain an open and personable communication style. This will help your employees feel more connected in the business and its operations, which will inspire them to perform better.
Encourage teamwork
The best companies are those in which everyone works cohesively. First, ensure that your team is properly aligned. Encouraging and supporting teamwork increases productivity by making individuals feel less alone and more involved with their work. A Digital Marketing Agency can foster this by organizing regular team-building activities and providing opportunities for team members to bond and get to know one another. When hiring new employees, assess how they will contribute to the team and corporate culture. Even if someone has prior expertise in a given role, this does not guarantee that they will get along with the rest of your team.
A healthy office environment
Our surroundings have a huge influence on our productivity, satisfaction, and creativity. Healthy and happy employees are more likely to be motivated and engaged. Create an engaging work environment and an office where your employees desire to spend time. Be mindful of privacy, noise, air quality, natural light, relaxation places, and ambiance. Encourage healthy attitudes by providing healthy snacks and opportunities for exercise, whether through a gym membership or participation in team fitness courses.
By supporting healthy habits, you may assist your employees maintain their energy levels and reduce their stress. Office benefits like these will make your employees feel appreciated and inspire them to accomplish their best work. Don’t forget about your remote staff. They require the same level of attention and support from you in order to establish a healthy work environment for them. Keep in mind that workers who work from home (whether for a few days a week or on a regular basis) will face distinct challenges than those you encounter every day at the office. Run regular employee engagement surveys for remote employees to learn what they’re suffering with so you can better support them and help them establish a happy and productive work environment, regardless of where they are.
Provide good feedback and reward your workers
The value of positive feedback is commonly neglected, yet acknowledging and applauding performance motivates team members since they can see themselves working toward the company’s goals. When staff achieve outcomes, put in extra effort, or do great job, express your gratitude and congratulate them specifically. For example, don’t simply remark, “Good job.” Explain why this was an excellent job and how it benefited the business. This will not only motivate your team but also assist them succeed in their future work.
Offer possibilities for advancement
When team members learn and improve their skills, they feel more valued. To motivate and inspire your team to achieve exceptional achievements, present them with possibilities for growth and development. These opportunities should be targeted particularly to each person and can take the shape of additional training, setting difficult goals, inviting an employee to observe you, or investing your own time teaching and mentoring someone.
Allow employees the space they need to succeed
A micromanaging boss can easily inhibit creativity. Giving your staff room and autonomy demonstrates that you trust them to accomplish the work their own way. This can motivate people to create more efficient or streamlined ways to do jobs, or to identify gaps in their skill set or the department as they work. Giving your employees space goes hand in hand with limiting meetings and checking in asynchronously wherever possible. By clearing the calendar, you can give employees crucial time back, allowing them to get into their flow zone and do their best.
Motivation is an important aspect of any workplace, and you should always strive to make your staff feel motivated and inspired. If you do this, you are guaranteed to get the outcomes you seek. In the end, your workforce can achieve operational excellence. If you’re having trouble inspiring or managing your team, BetterUp can help. With tailored coaching, you can help your team reach its maximum potential.
