Posted: Mon 15 Feb 2010
We’re all hoping for a brighter 2010 after the tough year that was 2009 is now behind us. It is vital to fully engage your people and motivation plays a major part. Motivation is key during a recession, but it’s absolutely critical in a recovery. Why? We’re not out of the woods yet – many companies are still facing difficulties and they need to have hard working and motivated teams to ensure they make it through them. On other hand, as market conditions do start to improve, so will the jobs market – and unless they’re happy and well motivated, those people that you’ve retained over the past year will be plotting their move. So what should you be doing to motivate your team?
First and foremost, make sure you communicate with your people and keep everyone informed of what is going on – both in good times to encourage, and in the bad times to reassure. This open communication should not only come from the top but at all levels of management.
In the same way it’s important to give recognition and praise for a job well done – in other words making people feel valued. Don’t practice ‘seagull management’ and swoop in only when the situation is bad. Small things like this can have a large impact. Celebrate the minor victories as well as the major ones and make sure everyone knows when someone has done well. But this doesn’t just apply to work - it’s also important to make an effort when it comes to matters that aren’t work related – sending birthday cards, organising team outings and taking an interest in people’s lives outside of work can help both retention and team motivation.
Training and coaching is also important for a motivation strategy. There is nothing more de-motivating than being inadequately equipped to do your job, so make sure all your employees regularly brush up on the skills they need to perform well. Mentoring and buddy schemes are also great ways of providing support to your people and making them feel valued. All these things are important but it’s equally as important for the individual to take some responsibility for their own motivation. Encourage them to set goals for themselves and think about how those goals align with the company goals and objectives. Finally, even when times are hard, lead by example; try to maintain an upbeat attitude – keeping morale high is one of the ‘vital signs’ of a healthy organisation.
Motivation, as part of your engagement strategy, should be on every manager’s agenda for 2010 – no organisation can afford to employ people who aren’t reaching their potential, or worse are going to leave, because they’re feeling undervalued or uninspired. Invest some time and effort in motivation and you’ll immediately begin to see the return on your investment.