When someone agrees to go work for a company, generally there is an air of excitement and expectation of what is to come. They are hoping for a better workplace environment and experience than the one they are leaving. What managers often miss is that the catalyst in making this world a reality for any employee is the motivational presence and relationship with their manager. As a leader and manager, you have the power to either make or break their expectations or day-to-day experience. Even avoiding to make the perception of being a micromanager can be demotivating to an employee if you find yourself distancing yourself from them. The key is to find the right balance and understanding of what makes a person, and your employees tick.
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Have you ever thought about the difference between collegiate coaches and professional coaches? The main difference is that in collegiate settings there is still a schoolhouse teacher-student feel to the relationship. That level of authority always has a different feel to it. Once you begin coaching in a professional rank, you move into motivating people who have ‘life choices.’ Real-life circumstances are happening around them, so these coaches have to find out what is intrinsically important to them. This draws a great correlation to the relationships found in many organizations in the new home industry today. The effectiveness to motivate your employees will be determined by your ability to create one-on-one relationships with each team member. Not every relationship will be the same, but they each can have the same effect. Here are a few ways to achieve this:
Find a way to recognize every employee individually in one way or another. It doesn’t have to be a plaque or award for every achievement; it can be a simple comment about their work ethic, a specific task they excelled with, or even an idea they brought to the table. A genuine ‘thank you,’ or compliment goes a long way! I’m sure you can remember a time, probably in school, where a teacher or supervisor went out of their way to make your efforts known. I’m sure you couldn’t wait to go home and share with your closest friends and family what that gesture was, and we should strive to create that very same effect for our new team members now.
You have to know what is important to each person. The biggest thing to understand is that when it comes down to it, everyone has a job for the money. It is important to understand their motives for the motivation they possess; what’s the drive behind their performance, or what is that money doing for them. Is it to support their family, take their dream vacation, or simply pay the bills? When you understand this, you can now create little things that can accentuate the internal motivation they have and add fuel to their desire to fulfill their goals. When you care about what they care about, then they will care about what both you and the company cares about, which is the true end goal.
Give them an opportunity to add value. Everyone wants to show up for work, but it is human nature to want to feel valued. Feeling valued enables people to see that their work matters and makes a difference. If you pay attention to a basketball team, the starting five all have different roles. Only one will be the leading scorer, but another could be the leading rebounder, another could lead in assists, another in steals, or another be the best pick setter. No matter what kind of team you’re looking at, there are always different parts to play so that everyone can add their own kind of value. Employees want to know that their contributions at work add value to the company they work for. You can aid them in this by letting them lead in different settings, even if it’s just for a 15-minute segment. Allow them to show their expertise to others within their space, and you’ll see the real value they can add!
All team members are nervous about how they will blend with their coworkers at first. We are all different people with our own quirks and unique characteristics and we know it. An effective manager and leader will know exactly how to motivate each employee on their own level. Taking this approach will allow them to spend their time helping the company achieve its overall goals while allowing them to achieve their personal goals each day as well.