MOTIVATING People

Before you can motivate others, think what motivates you.

         Pride in doing a good job; more responsibility; advancement and the recognition of achievements and personal growth and development?

         People do not do their best until they have the freedom to show what they are capable of doing.

The five best ways to motivate people

* Praise loudly – blame softly

         Recognise good work.  

         Spend quality time with your people. Show you are interested in their work and their achievements.

         Everyone needs praise. Be specific and sincere. Make people feel like winners.

         You get loyalty and commitment from people by giving it to them.  

         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.

* Involve others 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.

* Remove controls

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

         Sound delegation to where the action takes place is the key to staff management.

* Challenge people 

         Give challenging or demanding projects to staff, or to family members, to extend them. This encourages initiative and tests their capabilities. When good results are achieved it gives great satisfaction and motivates them to greater heights by building their confidence.

* Improve working conditions

         By improving working conditions you will have a happier more satisfied staff.

         To get the best out of people, create situations that they respond to because they are happy and they enjoy their work. Encourage happiness.

         The key to motivation is to train staff and develop them by giving them more responsibility, by recognising their achievements publicly and by rewarding their efforts.

–Geoffrey Moss

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

Source: For change management details see our books “Managing for Tomorrow” and “Secrets for New Managers”  also published by the Singapore Institute of Management and published in India, Korea and in Indonesia. For details visit mossassociates.co.nz