Jumpstart Employee Motivation - Ten Secrets to Empower Your Team!
One of the important keys to employee motivation is to empower your employees to be successful.
An empowered employee leads to the following
benefits:
* Increased creativity
* Increased productivity
* Increased teamwork and motivation
* Increased initiative
* Increased ownership of work
* Reduced employee turnover
* Reduced human resources situations
* Better work environment
* Increased results for your organization
* Increased career opportunities
The following are ten motivation techniques to jumpstarting your employee
motivation and empowering your team to outstanding results:
1. Motivate Your Employees to Find Solutions
Encourage your employees to be solution creators instead of problem
creators. When employees communicate a problem to you, look at it as an
opportunity to empower the employees. Ask the employees how they would solve
the problem, express your confidence that they are the person to solve the
problems, give them the tools to solve the problem, and follow up with them.
You have just empowered those employees to find ways in the future to create
solutions and made your team more productive at the same time.
2. Motivate Your Employees by Soliciting Opinions
Many times during our busy work day, we find it difficult to ask for
opinions from our employees. But just the act of asking for their opinions
tells your employees that you value their input and motivates them to
accomplish more. Just imagine, it may be the first time that an employer has
ever asked them for their opinion, and they appreciate it.
3. Motivate Your Employees by Managing to Their Level
Learn your employees' skill, experience, and motivation levels for
performing workplace tasks. Then assign the task and follow-up based on your
findings. For example, you may need to follow up more frequently with an
employee
who is fairly new to the project or organization as opposed to the "veteran"
employee who doesn't need much follow-up. Remember, the most skilled
employee may not be the most motivated for performing the task you
request.
4. Motivate Your Employees by Delegating Tasks
Delegation is one of the most powerful motivation tools for empowering
employees in the workplace. The sheer act of your delegating a task shows
your employees that you have the confidence in them that they can do the
job. Make sure you understand the task to be delegated so that you can
clearly and concisely communicate how to do the task and hand off
"ownership" of the task to the employees. Delegation is providing your
employees with ownership of the task, providing the tools for successfully
completing the task, expressing the reward and consequences for completing
the task and following up accordingly.
5. Motivate Your Employees by Encouraging Ideas
Ideas are the lifeblood of any organization, department, and team. I always
say that every mind is too important to miss that one idea that can increase
productivity, reduce expenses, or increase profit. Empower your employees by
creating a safe environment for your employees to share their ideas.
Remember, the idea that doesn't make sense today might be exactly the
solution you are looking for a week from now.
Always give your employees credit for the ideas they express. Nothing will
decrease employee motivation and dry up the flow of ideas quicker than
having managers take credit for their employees' ideas. If your employees
are coming up with ideas, reward them publicly. You will be amazed how the
flow of ideas from motivated employees will increase with each public
recognition.
6. Motivate Your Employees by Letting Them Run Your Meetings
One of the best ways to motivate and empower your employees is to involve
them in running your meetings. Of course, you will set the agenda; but there
are many opportunities for you as a leader to let your employees run
portions of or the entire meeting. Take the time to work with the designated
employees ahead of time so that they are confident with the assigned meeting
tasks. During the meeting, you are there to support them and help with any
sections of the meeting that may provide a challenge for them.
I suggest that you allow as many opportunities for different employees to
lead different meetings as possible. By allowing your employees to play
leadership roles in your meeting, you will develop your employees for future
opportunities and open additional opportunities for you as a leader.
7. Motivate Your Employees by Embracing Mistakes
Without mistakes, there is no growth. Allowing your employees to make
mistakes allows your employees to grow, be creative, and provide a vehicle
for empowerment. Create a safe work environment so that when your employees
make mistakes, they are not punished. Use the mistakes your employees make
as learning experiences. Ask your employees how they would have performed
the task differently and allow them to tackle the task again. Your
employees will gain a new sense of empowerment and feel confident that you
will support them when they try
8. Motivate Your Employees by Assigning Leadership Roles
Leadership comes at all levels and doesn't require a title. Take the time to
align your employees' skills with leadership opportunities. Make sure you
provide training in the areas of opportunities for each employee so that
they are empowered to step up to new opportunities.
9. Motivate Your Employees by Rewarding Initiative
Create rewards for employees who take initiative. Publicly recognize
employees during meetings, with reward boards, etc., so that other employees
are motivated to take initiative.
10. Motivate Your Employees by Getting Goal Setting Buy-In
Your employees will be far more motivated to achieve your goals if they are
allowed to help develop those goals. Involve your employees in the goal
setting process and get their input so that it becomes believable for them.
Once your employees feel ownership of your goals, they will be motivated to
move quickly to help accomplish your goals.
Apply these employee motivation tips and you will motivate your team,
achieve greater results, and quickly
accomplish your goals.
About the Author
