Lend an ear to your staff
Your employees are all extremely diverse, with some being introverts and others being extroverts; some people are daring and enjoy the unknown, while others prefer the security of their families; some others may require additional assistance, while others are more self-sufficient and self-employed. This means that your employees come from a variety of backgrounds, are at various phases in life, and are motivated by a variety of variables. DO NOT attempt to impose a solution on the entire workforce without acknowledging the heterogeneity that makes it unique.
Then, how can you assess employee personalities and tailor solutions to diverse individuals? The remedy is simple: you only need to know how to ask and, more importantly, how to listen. Understanding what motivates employees to link their personal and professional objectives with their role in your organization in the best possible way is the best method to motivate them. To accomplish this, you must speak with each employee on a regular basis and inquire about their progress.
The purpose of these interviews is to learn how people feel, what matters most to them, and why they feel the way they do. Taking the time to listen to your staff will strengthen their faith in you and provide you with ideas for how to better your company. Take the time to get to know your staff on a personal level – you might devote 30 minutes to getting to know each individual on your team. Find out what motivates people outside of work, not just their employment ambitions.
Focus on WHY
Assume a manager has to persuade his or her employees to publish a critical company announcement on social media. Which strategy will be the most successful?
“Please share this content on your Facebook profile,” says the first approach.
The second approach, instead, would say: “Please share this message on your Facebook profile; this announcement is a watershed moment in our company’s history; the responses we receive in the first few hours, after the initial launch, will have a greater impact on the total number of individuals we reach.”
When given the choice between the two options, he is very inclined to choose the second. Why? Taking the time to explain why certain directives and indications are made provides a much better level of participation from employees and collaborators; when it comes to motivating employees, one of the most difficult tasks a manager faces is informing employees about why they are executing a particular activity.
An employee must be aware of the impact of their daily work and completely comprehend how it affects the organization as a whole in order to be motivated. For your organization, having a why, as well as a what and a how, is critical: defining this point will help your staff to work in the same direction. In fact, a company’s mission serves as the foundation for all of its decisions, actions, and decisions. Make it a challenge for your staff to figure out why they’re completing specific tasks.
This activity can help people develop a better understanding of the reasons behind their everyday actions and distinguish between vital and non-essential duties. Make certain that all of their businesses are linked to the overarching goal that underpins your company’s objective. In time to come, understanding this goal will be a powerful incentive.