How to Motivate Others

For leaders, it can be frustrating to have to manage other people’s motivations. After all, shouldn’t all team members already be motivated?  Some leaders may even feel like it’s not their job to inspire others to meet the challenges the organization faces every day. But good leadership is getting others to do what you want them to do because they want to. A leader who has no followers is no leader at all.Learning to motivate is one of the most difficult parts of being a leader, because people are driven by different factors, and sometimes a combination of factors:

• A challenge.
• The opportunity to accomplish something worthwhile.
• Learning new things.
• Personal development.
• Autonomy in the workplace.

Keep these factors in mind as you follow these tips to motivate people on your team. Try to identify which factors your different employees seem to prefer, and try out different tactics to motivate them over time.

Say ‘It’s Important’

Some people don’t get inspired to work until they know something’s riding on what they do. By giving context to the tasks you assign or delegate, employees  who are motivated by important work will see how their efforts fit into the bigger picture.

Thank Them for Their Work

Gratitude is a powerful tool. Many people haven’t been thanked for their work, even when they go above and beyond. Managers and leaders who thank their teams for their efforts cultivate respect and can inspire greatness when the situation calls for it.

Offer and Ask For Help

Some workers  are motivated by the opportunity to help others, so look for ways to invite employees to help solve problems the team might be facing. This can be especially inspiring if you use the opportunity for people to try a stretch assignment outside of their usual scope of work.

Let People Do Their Jobs

Many employees are motivated by autonomy. They just want to do their work well and not have to explain it or check in too often. If you have employees who are able to work independently and provide good results, let them do so and direct your management to other employees who may need stronger guidance.

Be Interested

It’s easy for an employee to feel like their work doesn’t matter — but as soon as their manager takes an interest in it, they realize it’s important. As a leader, find out exactly what people on your team are working on — how they’re doing it, what kind of results they expect, challenges they may run into and how you can address them. (Keep a light touch with your independent workers, of course!) Everyone likes to feel that what they do is interesting, and it’s inspiring when someone else is interested in what you do.

Celebrate Success

Success is often a motivation factor for most people, so when you have successes on your team, highlight them for all to see. Recognize the people who were involved, and acknowledge any help you got from other departments — remember, thanking people is another motivational factor. Then, find ways to reward people for their hard work.

Give Useful Feedback

Letting people know how they’re doing can be a good motivator for most employees. Most experts recommend  four positive feedback items to one constructive to keep people from getting discouraged. Examine how you give feedback, how it’s received, and how people perform after you’ve talked to them to see what kind of effect your feedback has.Need help motivating your employees? Contact us!Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.