Motivating Employees

In motivating people, you've got to engage their minds and their hearts.

I motivate people by example and perhaps by excitement,

by having productive ideas to make others feel involved.
~Rupert Murdoch

How to motivate employees is a hot topic for today’s employers and there is a plethora of information available. A quick Internet search resulted in close to 2 million hits on topics such motivating yourself at work, motivating others during transformational times, motivating through non-monetary rewards and recognition, and motivating “bad” employees. With so much information available, and little time to wade through it all, how can employers figure out what really works?

As part of my doctoral studies, I studied motivation at length and discovered there is no clear or easy answer. Each employee is unique and, therefore, likely to be motivated differently; as a result, packaged programs may have limited success. The good news, however, is that “more money” is rarely a solution.

As you begin to explore how to motivate your employees, identify what motivation really means to you and your organization. What do motivated employees “look like”? Next, get to know your employees; explore what strategies might work for some but not others. For more strategies, check out our 10 Strategies for Motivating Employees tip sheet or call to schedule a workshop.

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