Employee Motivation Equals Employee Engagement

Managers, leaders and supervisors need to have a basic understanding of human motivation to be able to diagnose employee engagement and to make improvements. One of the primary components of motivation is to understand the employee’s basic needs. To improve motivation it is necessary to increase employee’s perceptions about their intrinsic worth and enforce the idea that their actions both positive and negative do make a difference. Basically all employees want the same things: to do a good job, control at work, and not to be held accountable for things they believe are out of their control.

One way to ensure that employees feel like they are doing a good job is to discuss their needs and what motivates them. Ask them specific questions such as:

• What do you enjoy and most and least about your job?
• What do you wish you could do more of?
• What have you done in the past year that you feel best about?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What would your ideal job be?

(Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, 2010, pg. 344)

Once you have gathered specific feedback from your employees the next step should be to ask them how they think their plans and goals might change in the future. By matching roles and assignments with people’s interests and goals, employees become more engaged and fulfilled in their positions.

Good leaders work to give people the resources they need to do their jobs effectively. Training should be provided and made easily available to employees so that they believe they can work successfully in their environments. When supervisors and leaders convey trust that their people are well matched with their jobs and competent to do them, then the employees act capable and motivated to excel in their positions.

One thing that destroys employee motivation is when employees are held accountable for things they believe are outside their control. When leaders micromanage their employees (even new ones) they send a message that they feel the employees are not competent to perform their jobs. Instead, leaders should break the work down into manageable steps that they are confident the employee can handle and then they should establish check points to ensure that the employee is successful at completing those tasks.

A classic example of micromanagement is when an employer sees a need for improvement in regards to an employee’s job performance and then fixes the problem instead of educating the employee on how to do it. Employees find this discouraging and feel that they somehow have failed at their tasks. The best decision for an employer is to advise the employee on how to improve at their job and then provide the training that they need to accomplish this skill set growth. It is imperative that leaders let people make mistakes and allow them to express their confidence that they can improve in their job performances. A great tool to encourage motivation in employees is to observe them over time and to recognize their successes in appropriate ways. Be aware that some employees like public displays while others prefer more private recognition.

To recapitulate, the best way to motivate employees is to ensure that they are skilled enough to do a good job, to have control at work and to be free of accountability for things out of their control. Employees feel motivated when they feel that work is fun and enjoyable. Good leaders express enthusiasm for and in assignments that they give to their employees. They show true interest in the success and happiness of their employees and ensure that they are able to perform their jobs with a high level of success. Good leaders allow employees to set their own goals and standards and as a result this employee empowerment reflects well on the leader and organization.

 

The Art of Providing Feedback

Most experts would agree that individual development happens on the job and the best way to promote and encourage that development is through feedback. Sound, clear feedback not only helps correct mistakes but builds a foundation that reinforces positive behaviors. Both employees and employers have goals that include the need for accurate information, guidelines for success and a clear definition of processes and objectives.

Feedback is imperative for employee development and the best way to promote that development is to provide clear information. As a leader, it is important that the employee is lead through this process of discovery in a very constructive way. Feedback is an opportunity for mutual growth and understanding. Negative feedback would be an attempt to persuade or deliver information instead of working together to discover possible links between your perspective and that of the employee.

Feedback should be adaptive and scaled specifically to the person and situation, and not formulaic or rehearsed. One of the most important aspects is that the conversation in non-judgmental. If an employee is approached with feedback that on the surface seems judgmental, it is likely to elicit defensiveness and eventually a total shut down of the dialogue. One way to provide this effective feedback is to regularly provide it so that it is more of a process and less of an event.

Additionally feedback should be a conversation, an exchange of goals, perspectives and ideas and not a lecture. A change in employee performance will only happen when they fully and clearly understand “the difference between their intentions and other people’s perceptions of their behavior.” (Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, 2010, p.385.) Most often employees have no idea how they are being perceived by their coworkers, supervisors or customers until open, honest feedback occurs.

Finally, a definition of processes and objectives fall on deaf ears if there is a lack of clarity or too much feedback is given at one time. Often employers feel a need to attempt to convince the employee that they are right, or they feel the need to dilute their message so that they don’t overwhelm the employee. Often they use qualifiers like, “‘maybe, perhaps and a little.’” (Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, 2010, p.385.) The best method is to simply state the feedback in a positive light and then allow a period of silence in which the employee can absorb, ponder and dissect the message. As an employer you will need to learn how to read the non-verbal clues that indicate whether you should elaborate, provide support or provide space for the employee to process the information and their feelings.

As an employer one of your primary responsibilities is to help equip employees with the ability to embark on their own search for clear, accurate feedback. Employees should be educated on how to ,”ask direct, specific questions, probe for additional information, avoid defensiveness, and show appreciation for feedback.” (Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, 2010, p.386.) As an employer provide multiple outlets for employees to receive feedback. An employee that feels comfortable asking for feedback will continue to do so and as a result they will become a well rounded and developed employee that will reflect back on the employer in a positive way.

(Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, et. al., 2010, Successful Manager’s Handbook.)

Adapt Responsibly

Often people react to change negatively. It upsets and disrupts their normal patterns and quite often pushes them violently from their comfort zone. One easy way to bring everyone around to the idea of change and the positive reasons for it is to simply ask people what they need to see or hear to convince them that the change is for the better in their organization. As a manager it is imperative that you lead by example and show employees that they must adapt appropriately to their new competing demands and shifting priorities in their professional lives.

As a manager you will frequently need to remind your employees that change is inevitable and that frequently they can expect changes in processes, procedures and other work methods. “Most organizations want to do things better and faster; this means that everyone’s work will be affected at times. “ (Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, et. al, 2010, pg. 555). One way to soften this news is to commiserate with your employees and let them know that you also are adjusting to the increased work load that these new changes have brought about.

When you first encounter a new way of doing something try not to react immediately. As a manager employees are watching your reaction to the change. Attempt to give the change some time before you express your opinion, attempt to express it in a positive light and try to focus on the benefits that this new approach will bring to the organization. If you spread a positive message odds are your employees will too.

Attempt to understand what is driving the change in your organization. Be sure to attend all meetings and training sessions and read all emails associated with the change. As you learn the reasons for the change, send that positive and informative message to your employees.

Examine why you may be having difficulty getting behind the change. Do you have personal motives for keeping things the way they were? Perhaps you are comfortable with things the way they were or maybe you view the new change in terms of how much additional work it will bring to your plate. If you can’t get behind the change and reflect a positive attitude about it, your employees will definitely see that and they will develop a negative attitude in conjunction with your own.

Resist the urge to say, “That’s the way it has always been done.” This defense of the old way of doing things subtly tells the employee that you really don’t view the change as valuable and probably won’t participate actively in encouraging them to accept the change.

The best way to bring your employees onboard with the change is to encourage them to become invested in the concept of the change. For instance, show you are flexible to the idea by opening up a discussion about the change at a weekly meeting. Focus on listening to the employees concerns and ideas without looking for answers or solutions to their concerns.

Resist the urge to micromanage and realize that there are several ways to achieve a goal. Ask your employees for their ideas and suggestions on how to implement the change. Investigate if some of the deadlines are negotiable and if so inform your employees that their anxiety can be alleviated a bit because of time constraints, but they also should be aware of the downstream consequences of the change in the deadline.

As leaders you often face challenges that cause stress in your working environment. Be straightforward with your employees about priorities and about the strategies that you have used in the past as you navigated the murky waters of change. The best managers respond resourcefully to new demands and challenges and encourage their employees to follow their lead and to do the same. Change is inevitable, but the stress and negativity that comes with change can be monitored, predicted and managed to increase the productivity within the organization.

(Gebelein, Nelson-Neuhaus, et.al., 2010, Successful Manager’s Handbook).