There’s a reason that most of us get out of bed in the morning. It’s not because our alarms went off, it’s not because we love rising at a pretty ridiculous time in the am– it’s because we’re motivated. Sure, sometimes this may be a subconscious motivation, but it’s there and more importantly, it’s working.
Motivation is “a reason for acting or behaving in a particular way” and we all need it! It is hard to believe that there is someone doing something out there for no reason at all. However, although we always motivate ourselves in one way or another, all of us definitely need a nudge in the right direction sometimes.
In the workplace, motivation is an important tool. It could be something little as acknowledging your daily tasks fall under the category of a ‘job well done’ or even something as grand as an R&R weekend for top performers, but either way, motivation must be present to make sure that teams remain engaged, committed and more importantly, happy.
If you’re working in a senior position (or even if you work with a group of people) – your job is to motivate! Here are some really easy, effective ideas to motivate the people around you:
1) Be enthusiastic – That’s right, get genuinely excited about others (and don’t fake it, people can tell)
2) Think big – Act on big and small opportunities alike and always think about the ‘big picture’
3) Reward ‘positive deviance’ – Not as bad as it sounds! Notice new practices that yield great results
4) Find challenges – Don’t entertain those finding problems, see theses as challenges in a positive light!
5) Bonuses – This is a given (and proven to motivate) Cash bonuses never go unnoticed!
6) Acknowledge results – Managers too often think that their job is to generate action, whereas it is to create results.
7) Dish out responsibility – Increased responsibility proves to your team that you value them and more importantly, trust them.
8) Make joint decisions – Involve everyone in decision making, what do they want? What motivates them?
9) Research your industry – Are there other motivational tools that really work for others in your line of work?
10) Recognition – If someone’s done a good job, tell them, show them!
These are just a few simple ideas we’ve summed up and the good thing is that you can start implementing them today. Motivation is such a vital element to a successful business and something as small as a pat on the back and a ‘well done’ can work wonders for individuals, teams and even entire businesses. So be sure to keep right up-to-date with new ideas and chat with your team. Remember, it’s them you want to motivate so surely the best suggestions come from the people themselves?
