Employee’s motivation is influenced by his or her manager. More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Organizations know engaged employees perform better; when they are not, the bottom line suffers. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to motivate their staff. Here are some good starts to be the motivating boss that people remember for the rest of their careers.
1. Show Integrity
An important quality in a boss it trustworthiness. Upholding commitments grows you in the eyes of your employees. But when you disregard your commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring and disrespectful. Many leaders say that integrity is important to them, but great leaders demonstrate integrity every day. Your employees will follow your lead and return your integrity and trust.
2. Recognize accomplishments
Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all. It’s a massive demotivator when you work your tail off only to have accomplishments go unnoticed, or get passed over for a promotion. No wonder good people leave. Rewarding individual accomplishments shows that you’re paying attention. Managers need to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good (for some, it’s a raise; for others, it’s public recognition) and then reward them for a job well done.
3. Overzealous Rules
All companies need rules. Some managers think that taking control and pushing people around will somehow inspire a loyal following. Strict attendance policy, dress codes, performance reviews, and bereavement-leave policies can strip motivation. Capable people don’t want to put up with being treated like children or criminals. Trusting that employees will do the right thing will go a long way to earn mutual respect and trust. Only then will people trust that they should follow you.
4. Overworking good employees
Overworking employees is perplexing to them; it makes them feel as if they’re being punished for their great performance. Overworking employees is also counterproductive. Nothing burns good employees out quite like overworking them. It’s so tempting to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap.
5. Tolerating poor performance
Not confronting employees who use harsh language, backstab others, withhold necessary information or resist feedback. A team is only as good as its worst player. The same goes for a company. When you permit weak links to exist without consequence, they drag everyone else down, especially your top performers. Leaders that fail to address these issues harm employee morale and engagement, relationships, corporate culture, projects, and budgets.
If you cultivate the characteristics above and avoid the demotivators, you’ll become the trustworthy, respected, motivating leader of a high performance team. The kind of boss that people want to work their best for and make them shine.
