Ten Motivating Factors That Work Wonders With Employee Performance

This article is a continuation of the last week’s posting on accountability.

A study at MIT showed that monetary incentives are great for routine, mechanical work. But how does it play when talking about cognitive, advanced tasks? Not well at all. Watch this super cool animation and get a better understanding on how the labor force will react in 5 to 10 years.

A very common myth of the past was that the best way to motivate an employee is through monetary rewards. The truth is that money can be a good motivator if it is applied in context with other factors. Money alone never works. Sooner or later they will be back for more and if you don’t have it or want to give it to them someone else always has deeper pockets than you. Motivating employee performance involves a number of factors.

The main by-product of motivation is to create enough goodwill so the employee performs to their optimum ability; thereby optimizing the overall productivity of an organization. Here are some factors, in no particular order, that have proven to work wonders:

1. Personal appreciation – a warm personal ‘thank you for a job well done’ can go a very long way in motivating an employee to put in his best. For best results, ensure that you do this with utmost sincerity and at exactly the right time.

2. Acknowledge efforts in public – a good way to motivate all employees is to acknowledge in public the achievement of every employee who does a good job. This instills pride in the employee who is praised in public and makes others wish to be in his shoes.

3. Provide Conducive work environment – promote an open and friendly work culture. Crush gossip, bullying, politicking, ‘groupism’ and all such factors that interfere with the work atmosphere. Your employees should look forward to come to work, not hate it.

4. Performance appraisal – people need to know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. Set up performance appraisals at regular intervals and let employees know where they can improve and what they are doing well.

5. Appropriate reward – a good worker should always be rewarded so she feels valued and important. Whether this is with a personal ‘thank you’ card, or a special incentive, or a raise – rewards should not only be given, but also these need to be tailored it gives the employee the most joy.

6. Encourage dialogue – set up an open-door policy where anyone who wants to say something can walk up to you and say it. Make people comfortable talking to you, bringing their suggestions, feedback, demands and worries to you directly. And listen.

7. Down delegate authority – employees work best when they feel trusted with authority and added responsibilities. Down delegate authority and abstain from micro-managing so the employee is empowered in their role.

8. Participatory decision-making – leaving certain policy matters aside, the best is to have your employees participate in all decision-making processes. In this way, they would feel ownership in the company and would work better.

9. Celebrate together – celebrate together every milestone of the company or team. Let them build that feeling of “all are for one and one is for all”. Everyone wants to be part of something, use that to help motivate your team.

10. Encourage family-time – putting in long hours in the work place does not mean enhanced productivity. Encourage people to go home in time; to enjoy quality time with their families; to attain a balance between home and work.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Would the sole reason you would be starting your own business be that you would want to make a lot of money?  Do you think that if you had your own business that you would have more time with your family?  Or maybe that you would not have to answer to anyone else?  If so, you had better think again.

On the other hand, if you start your business for these reasons, you'll have a better chance at entrepreneurial success:

An entrepreneur must have a passion for what he is doing. The important thing to remember is that he will hit lows during the process that will make him question his decision. Belief in the idea is important though, and your passion will keep you going.

You should be able to build a competitive edge in the business. It could be in technological processes, marketing relationships or solutions you offer customers.

Entrepreneurs work hard and are extremely goal oriented. Along with hard work, comes the ability to work unsupervised. It is a critical requirement of entrepreneurship. As a paid professional, often someone can blame the system for not providing either the direction or the resources. As an entrepreneur, you no longer have that latitude. You have to work hard, very hard.

Entrepreneurs are flexible, opportunistic and recognize the power of 'emergence'.

I love this story about IBM and its founder Thomas Watson, Sr. It was 1934 or '35. IBM had built the first accounting machines for banks but in the Depression years, no bank was buying anything. IBM was on the brink of bankruptcy. Watson's wife forced him to accompany her to a social event where he was seated next to a middle-aged lady.

While talking with her, Watson described to her the machine IBM had built. It turned out that the lady was in-charge of the library system in New York City. She told Watson that they were in complete disarray, unable to manage their books, and told him that she would need half a dozen of these! Next day, he sold her five of the machines.

Until that moment, Watson had never thought of his computing devices as machines for tracking books. That one sale pulled IBM from the brink of bankruptcy.

Had it not been for Watson's capability to go with the emergent flow of events - moving from accounting machines to the recognition that he could make general purpose computers - IBM would not be what it is today? We all know that the essence of entrepreneurial ability is about building a future and living in it. Sometimes, it is about 'willing' a course for the enterprise. Yet, things do not always go the way you plan. Destiny tests you all the time, plays pranks and shows tiny openings in a moss-covered brick wall behind which often a whole new world awaits.

When it comes to the success of any new business, you - the entrepreneur - are ultimately the "secret" to your success. For many successful business owners, failure was never an option. Armed with drive, determination, and a positive mindset, these individuals view any setback as only an opportunity to learn and grow. Most millionaires possess average intelligence. What sets them apart is their openness to new knowledge and their willingness to learn whatever it takes to succeed.

So why do businesses fail?

·        Failure to anticipate market trends. Lack of market research when entering new markets, resulting in poor sales and return on investment.

·        Overspending. Or spending too much on frivolous luxuries instead of products and services that improve the bottom line.

·        Poor cash flow control: paying creditors too early, buying too much stock or giving customers payment terms that are too long, late payments and bad debts. These can all lead to a lack of working capital and cash flow problems.

·        Failure to listen to customers. Listen to your customers and adapt accordingly.

·        Lack of innovation. Some businesses never change, but they lose their market share when a new company comes along with a new way of doing things

·        Loss of financial support/investment. If an investor pulls out, you may find it hard to attract another one in time.

·        Reluctance to seek professional services. 

Craft a Purpose Driven Life

One thing that I have noticed about successful people is that they all seem to have a clear vision of exactly where they are going. They may not know all things in the middle but they definitely know what to expect in the end. Not only do they know but they will not let the picture die. They will constantly look past the present circumstances to see the end result.

A good example of what I am talking about comes to mind when I remember a movie that I once watched. In the movie a woman had a vision of moving a group of orphaned troubled inner city children from Philadelphia to a farm in Washington State. With very few resources and an old school bus which had to be brought back from death she proceeded across the country to their new destination. Whenever anyone in the movie told her what she didn't have she seemed to not even hear them. They eventually arrived at their destination but no other personality would have been able to accomplish this task of taking the children across country. The person with a vision may seem to ignore reality but that is really not the case.

The successful person simply chooses not to let the present reality dictate the future situation. He or she will have often put him or herself in a position where there is almost no other choice but to continue on. Sometimes success is born out of desperation. The desperate person will scratch and kick and claw until there is nothing left or until it is just not physically possible to continue. The person with a clear vision doesn't just waste time spinning his or her wheels in space. He or she knows what is required to get from point A to point B and won't waste time with anything which doesn't serve to move in the desired direction. It seems as if they have actually been to the destination and have seen what it looks like. You must have a clear purpose and goal in order to be successful. The person with vision sees what no one else sees. The woman in the movie looked at the old bus which wouldn't crank but, saw the transportation that she needed to go clear across the country. Nothing ventured means nothing gained.

The person with the vision will look at a dilapidated old building and see it as the mansion that it is to become. The task of getting there will not overwhelm them because their focus is on the end result and not the process. When you look at where you need to be don't place too much stock on your present circumstances. Hard work will get you to where you want to go. It's just a matter of time and the harder that you work now the less time it will take. I have discovered that there is a special intimacy which comes with writing the vision. I would say that you should write it frequently. Each time that you write it becomes more of a part of you. Each time you spend the time and effort to write it down you become more intimate with it. Remember the unruly child who would be disciplined in school by having to write on the blackboard. That was actually a useful punishment because it sought to cause that child to internalize the thing that he or she wrote. Write your vision, rehearse it, visualize it, and speak it. Once you do all of these things expect it to come to pass.

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Surya M Ganduri, PhD. PMP. is the founder and president of eMBC, Inc., an international firm specializing in strategic and executive leadership development processes that Help People Succeed in an Evolving World. He is  dedicated to helping organizations and individuals manage strategic change, innovation, cultural transition, and goal achievement. Surya has over 27 years of business experience in management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching, process improvements, organizational development and youth leadership. Contact Surya at s6ganduri@eMBCinc.com. For more information, visit www.eMBCinc.com or contact eMBC, Inc., directly at (630) 445-1321.