The Best Handful of Tips 66 –

Ways to Motivate People

What motivates people? A pride in doing a good job; more responsibility; advancement and the recognition of achievements and personal growth and development. People are motivated if they feel they are contributing and doing a worthwhile job and are appreciated.

            To motivate people you need to spend time with them.  Good leaders ask questions and listen to members of their team.

Five of the best motivational tips

1. Recognise good work

Spend quality time with your people. Show you are interested in their work and their achievements. Lead from the front with a smile.

            Everyone needs praise. Be specific and sincere. Make people feel like winners.  Reward people for effort and their ideas. Rewards can take many forms – bonus payments; salary increase; a new position; time off; a car park; a new company car; a prize; a paid holiday; a special dinner or some other form of recognition.  

            The most effective motivation can be to say, ‘Thank you. You did a good job.’      

2. Remember names

Make an effort to remember names and family names. Try repeating them, make notes of names, try to associate names with other people, or things or places.

3. Involve staff in decisions

Be honest with people. Share your problems and difficulties and discuss new developments.

             Encourage ideas on how jobs can be done better, how working conditions can be improved, and how quality standards can be raised.

            Listen to their suggestions and their complaints. Small improvements  in equipment and in working conditions can often improve the morale of the team and motivate them.

4. Remove unnecessary controls

Increase the amount of responsibility you give people and make them accountable for their own work.

            Remove unnecessary controls, rules and regulations. Delegate greater responsibility to competent workers.

            Aim to foster a more relaxed atmosphere in team talks. Encourage co-operation.

5. Challenge people

Give demanding projects to staff  suitable people, to extend them. This encourages initiative and tests their capabilities.

-Geoffrey Moss

“Praise and a sincere compliment can be great motivators.”

SOURCE : “Revitalise YOUR Business”, Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand and McGraw-Hill Australia. Published also as “Business Secrets. Guidelines for New Leader-managers”, Cengage Learning, Asia.  Also available as e-books from Amazon.com and from the VitalSource Bookshelf.