What works to motivate your staff?

[Entity]

LOL ok 1st things 1st Im Dominic

Many things in a organisation help with motivation such as a CEO or MD of a company walking around talking to his fellow workers and to the people WAY under hime and learning there names or even finding out how the working conditions are. A good family orientated company also works well. If there are family emergency's then take leave dont have the stress of asking to go knowing there is a chance of rejection.

Some other motivational things that can be done is by have a scented smell in the office such as orange in the air blowing thro the air conditioning. This has proven results of a happier staff and higher productivity in the organization.

And last but not least is the whole BEE situation. Many people arnt working the way they used to as they are a walking target waiting to be let loose and replaced. Why not have the BEST of the BEST working in the organizations puting colour and race to one side. That is how a true proudly south african company should be run

[Snoopy_inc]

I think respect goes a long way and a "pat on the back" when they are working to their potential and go beyond what you normally expect from a normal staff member.

One tends to take advantage of them and not show them that you appriciate the effort they do.

later

[Candy Bouwer]

C'mon Candy Bouwer, what gets you going?

Gee talk about pressure!!

I think that Duncan has hit the nail on the head

Dos
Money (see above)
Recognition (i.e. wow, you did a good job on that)
Self-pride (I want to make sure I do things well, but that is all internal)
Potential to learn
Helps me reach my own personal goals

These are all very important in anyone book.
I am motivated by a need to be all that I can be... for me...for my family and funnily enough this has only hit me later in life...don't know if is had something to to do with upbringing /or what...not that life was handed to me on a platter ,anyway something just kicked in a couple of years age and who would of thought that I would be studying now at this time of my life.

De-motivation comes in all shapes and forms eg ...a simple thing like a missed greeting from the boss or even something major like a door or telephone slammed down in ones ear can be earth shattering at the time.... however the ability to shake off the negative, look up and smile when things are rough ...is an art! This comes with experience (and boy have I learned the hard way) unfortunately, and is very important particularly if you are a participant in the sales game.

Sales People are sometime unjustly "accused" of having a very hard exterior ...unfortunaly we need to be the "proverbial Duck" and shake the "water" off from time to time ...but just below the surface we feel just like everyone else but need to be able to face a new client or a new day with a bright happy face.

I know encouragement and acknowledgment to a person in sales is vital and definitely goes a long way ...be it for a simple pat on the back or a financial reward... Anyone who want the best from their sales people need to step out of their own boxes from time to time and give credit where credit is Due.

Watch your businesses boom!!

[lynette]

I would mostly agree with the "respect" aspect. I can only be loyal to somebody if I have respect and trust for that person, to be able to discuss matters if I don't agree with it in a civil manner and be heard. Of course, there should always be the that fine line between "boss" and "worker". It is very difficult when you perhaps disagree about something that you feel strongly about and don't know what the outcome will be if you try and discuss it. I am basically alone in a office most of the time, only see my boss maybe once a month, and I definately need a lot of self dicipline and responsibility to be able to give it my best. If I feel uneasy about my working relationships, my motivation goes out the window and it can get very difficult to get back on track.

[Peter M]

Hi David A

One must look back to the origins of motivation, to its core foundation of existence with in your life, does this start with fear or reward (negative or positive)? I would say this solely depends on the personality of the individual and yes….. this mixed up emotion will fluctuate through out your working career and the ability to handle it as individuals separates the men from the boys.

For me motivation has history and the more you use it the more mature it gets, becoming a weapon for success.

My motivation started with a dream of setting a goal to have my own business, enjoying the challenges to make it happen and drooling on the potential money I could make. As I became wise in this new venture, a new emotion pop up “fear� which was rather humbling for me, it taught me respect for what I had created.

I use motivation by recognizing the strengths and weakness’ of my staff (each one is different) creating a workable environment using their strength, fussing and continually acknowledging their achievements with rewards sometimes and the enticement of furthering their careers as well as developing their confidence levels. This enthusiasm spreads from one staff to the other which has great results for business. Sounds simple, but it’s not. It’s a lot more complexed filled with emotional issues. So the art of manipulating these issues, turning it into motivation is challenging but essential for business. But remembering to keep all your promises, failure to this will destroy all motivation and really open a can of worms.

So what motivates me to get out of bed in the morning, come to work, set the atmosphere with a happy chappie smile with out the egotistic of been the boss , my responsibility to others, fear and reward.

[Candy Bouwer]

creating a workable environment using their strength, fussing and continually acknowledging their achievements with rewards sometimes and the enticement of furthering their careers as well as developing their confidence levels. This enthusiasm spreads from one staff to the other which has great results for business.

"you got it boyo"!

[Marq]

I get going when I have a new challenge - but I have a problem with this - it seems that I am a good starter but a poor finisher. So for me to lead I need to ensure a good back up team is there to pick up the pieces, fit them together and follow through. One of the keys is recognising your short comings and as a result knowing where the problems are likely to be.

This motivation scenario is multifaceted.
It starts with the main player - the CEO - MD - HOD - (choose an acronym). The leadership style sets the pace for the business. Recognition of strengths and weaknesses - being able to accept the weaknesses and either working on them or finding solutions to them.

The people that are employed under the CEO are second and equally important keys - we spend too much time on "what" the job is, rather than "why" the job is, "how" the job will be performed and "who" will be the best to perform the job. A trend tends to be to employ a person that will not threaten or be a problem and then management cannot understand why mediocracy and unhappiness is the order of the day.

A friend of mine is the CEO of his own organisation - he prides himself on the fact that he is the least qualified of all his partners - he only has three masters degrees - so one can imagine the rest of this group. I have been present at their boardroom discussions and the positive vibe and results that come out of them is amazing. All strong leaders and highly qualified people definitely a motivating factor. This is then passed on down the ranks. Now while this is the case 70% of the time (ok maybe 50%) - I have also seen them in downward mode. This is where a master leader comes to the fore. Stroking and advising, positive, taking the emotions out of the issues, gently coercing and changing the subjects and positions. Before long its party mode again.

The ability of the person to do the job - from both a willingness and skills point of view - is also top of my list. Square pegs in round holes are often the challenge. If you have surrounded yourself with the wrong pegs -then its time to do some changing to ensure a peaceful ongoing scenario. You can pat a square peg only so many times, but it never becomes a round peg only a flat peg. It can be a painful exercise but sorting pegs is rewarding for the business, the other pegs (a motivator in itself) and although not seen at the time, the flat peg itself.

I like the idea of getting an astrological chart done of candidate employees. See what makes them tick before they are employed. See where their global interests lie, who they will get on with, what will piss them off. A numerological exercise can determine whether a person is a thinker or a doer, has an emotive or robocop attitude to things, strong willed (stubborn) or easy going, supporter, sacrificial etc etc - Those psychic tests that these clinical psychologists do are also not too bad.....not too good but will give an indication.

Lack of communication, transparency, recognition are all keys to getting it wrong. The BEE affirmative action and other apartheid practices currently on the go, as mentioned above by Dominic are also killers of motivation.

Seems I am repeating what has already been said.

Oh almost forgot Dave, seeing as you asked - I don't know why this works for me, but a good single malt or bottle of red always seems to be a good motivator and I also know that we have solved all the worlds problems at a single meeting so a few business challenges are no match for us.

[Dave A]

Wow. So many great posts. Thanks to everyone who have shared so far.

[Candy Bouwer]

The ability of the person to do the job - from both a willingness and skills point of view - is also top of my list. Square pegs in round holes are often the challenge. If you have surrounded yourself with the wrong pegs -then its time to do some changing to ensure a peaceful ongoing scenario. You can pat a square peg only so many times, but it never becomes a round peg only a flat peg. It can be a painful exercise but sorting pegs is rewarding for the business, the other pegs (a motivator in itself) and although not seen at the time, the flat peg itself.

Marq...this is so true ...I like this analogy very much ..it make a lot of sense in the real world....I have heard something similar but not so aptly put.

[duncan drennan]

Now here is another conundrum that ties into this issue.

MoneyWeb is running a Wall Street Journal article on bad coworkers being the last to be layed off - here's an extract.

Gerome Kraines, CEO of the Levinson Institute management consultancy, attributes the inexplicable longevity of underperformers to "legacy guilt." That means the person is "someone who has been poorly managed and damaged, and everyone feels guilty about it," he says.

Full Story on MoneyWeb

Now I've worked in a situation were there are people who manipulate to get whatever they want, and yet they are the WORST people that the company can possibly have. There are a couple of reasons for that type of thing, probably mainly political and emotional.

What the big problem is here - how do you motivate staff when they see a big asshole getting rewards (and whatever else he wants) and yet being the worst employee (based on output)?

This becomes a serious morale issue.