Tip #284: Motivation: The Key Ingredient For Success

Are You A Motivator?

As a leader in your business, part of your job requirement is to be a motivator - that person who creates an intangible spark for people to get things done. In order to motivate someone, however, you have to understand what will motivate them.

8 Tactics To Motivating Your Team:

1. Everyone Can Be Motivated - It should never be a matter of if you can motivate someone, but rather how you can motivate them. Every employee can be motivated on some level. As a leader, you need to find an employee's motivator and tap into it.

2. WIIFM - Ultimately, "What's In It For Me?" is the question that drives every employee. Everyone has a personal agenda, and appealing to that is a surefire way to motivate him or her on a very fundamental level.

3. Positive And Negative Reinforcement - Positive reinforcement motivates employees with the promise of reward, recognition or incentives. This may NOT work on every employee, however. Some may require negative reinforcement - motivation generated by the threat of corrective action or job loss.

4. Provide Employees A Reason - Leading a team by telling them "because I said so" is not an acceptable motivator. Most employees want to feel involved, respected and part of the solution.

5. Understand Your Team - No one wants to come to work feeling like an outsider, like just another cog in the company's process. Sometimes the most persuasive motivator is one where you show an interest in your team. You should know what their goals are, what makes them tick and what issues they face.

6. The Power Of Pride - While employees should always take personal pride in their work, particularly outstanding and exemplary accomplishments deserve to be recognized. This will help bolster their pride and sense of place on the team, which will motivate them to keep up the good work.

7. Words - Word selection has a profound impact on people, both consciously and subconsciously. Words convey the strength of your conviction, or reveal the truth of your uncertainty. Even when flying blind, leaders are expected to make hard decisions and to paint a picture of certainty and confidence.

8. Do As I Do, Not As I Say - It is easy to yell out orders and expect the work to be done. Nevertheless, what separates the average leaders from great ones is their ability to lead by example. The passionate leader will be the first to get her or his hands dirty and establish a behavior for the rest of the team to emulate.

Summary: Some people are more motivated than others and some people are motivated differently than others. But everyone can be motivated. The trick is to learn each employee's individual needs and wants. For some, that could be reward, recognition and a sense of pride in their work. For others, it may be a friendly reminder that their job security depends entirely on their performance and how successfully a project they are working on turns out. Whatever technique you may need to apply, the 8 tips mentioned above should always be in the back of your mind.