Many managers mistakenly think that money is the prime motivator for their employees. However, according to surveys by several different companies, money is consistently ranked five or lower by most employees. So if money is not the best way to motivate your team, what is?

Employees’ three most important issues, according to employees, are:

  1. Respect
  2. A sense of accomplishment
  3. Recognition

Yes, money is important but it is not as critical as these other components. Taking these into consideration, let’s explore ways to keep your team motivated:

1. Involve them.

Many employees want to be involved in the ongoing development and progress of their company. They often have insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the company. When they are involved, they buy-in faster and resist less. This means you can implement the change(s) more quickly and easily.

2. Communicate.

Very few businesses can be accused of over-communicating. A frequent axiom in business is, “No news is good news.” However, employees want regular updates on the progress of the business and their personal performance. Use newsletters, emails, one-on-one and group meetings to keep your team up to date. Talk to your team members regularly, have lunch or coffee with them, let them know how the business is performing.

Tell them what challenges are currently being faced (they may have suggestions). It is also important that you give them feedback on their performance. If you have a concern with a specific component, tell them and give them the opportunity to correct their behaviour. I am consistently surprised how many employees do not receive feedback of any kind pertaining to their performance until it’s too late.

3. Celebrate individual and team performance.

Catch people doing something right and focus on recognizing excellent performance. On an individual basis you can provide positive reinforcement, issue awards, use a newsletter to highlight specific achievements. Send thank-you, birthday, and anniversary cards as well as congratulatory notes. Make phone calls, send emails, personalise them. Better yet, if you work in a large organization, have a senior executive send the email or make the call.

To recognize team efforts, put performance charts on the wall and create competitions. Treat the team to lunch, post team pictures on your Intranet in their work environment and give them plaques, certificates, coffee mugs, etc.

Ultimately, the more of these approaches you incorporate into your motivation strategy, the more energised your team will become. Make it a point to recognise someone every day.

4. Set challenging goals.

Experience has taught me that people strive to achieve what is expected of them. If you set challenging goals, your team will work hard to accomplish them, providing of course, they are realistically attainable. It is amazing what people can accomplish when they are given the opportunity to perform. Communicate these goals and keep your team informed on the company’s progress.

5. Give them the tools to succeed.

No team will stay motivated if they do not have the necessary tools required to do their job. This includes; equipment, internal support, marketing materials and training, etc. Training is a key factor in ensuring that your team perform, train them to do the right things and empower them to make decisions.

6. Manage poor performance.

Your team expects you to manage individuals who do not perform to standard or contribute fully to the efforts of the team. However, many managers ignore poor performance because they are afraid of the potential conflict. Instead, they hope that the situation will resolve itself. It never does and this “blind” approach affects profitability, causes higher turnover, and contributes to low morale in the workplace. While poor performance and conflict are seldom enjoyable to deal with, you have a responsibility to your team and the company to manage it.

7. Lead by example.

If you want your team to treat each other with dignity, you need to set the tone. If you expect them to be motivated and enthusiastic it is critical that you behave in this manner. As an owner, manager or business leader, your team looks to you for direction and guidance.

Even business managers and owners can lack motivation from time to time, call Gatti Consulting for an initial free discussion to see how we can help you keep your motivation levels high and ensure your team are doing all the right things to keep your business performance and profitability improving.