Almost every one of us has had a manager who is unapproachable, constantly irritated, has unrealistic expectations, and makes work a total nightmare. It is easy for a miserable manager to spoil your dream job, even if you love what you are doing. That is why it is important to be someone you will want to work for because it helps motivate your workers.
Be Positive
You may know that smile is contagious, so know that your staff will follow your lead. If you are positive and enthusiastic while at work, your staff will also be positive and enthusiastic. It is important to be passionate about the job you are doing because people do not like pleasing someone who seems unpleasable. You can make your staff be happy working for you and motivate them to keep the good vibes coming by being happy to be at work.
Understand Your Staff
Sometimes people fall short of expectations, even if they put their best efforts. As a manager, you must understand that your workers are not programmable robots, but they are human beings, so it is necessary to keep them motivated. Many workers are uncomfortable in their positions because they are afraid to admit to their manager when they make a mistake. On the other hand, workers, who know their manager can sympathize with the situation, are happy to get their work done. This is because they know someone is there to support them whenever they need it.
As a manager, the key to motivating your workers is being understanding.
Know Your Team
To become more personable in the eyes of your staff members, you should have a one-on-one relationship with them. This also helps you understand your team and it allows you to know what motivates each employee individually. Your staff members may have barriers in their minds, separating you from them, so you can dissolve these barriers by having individual relationships with them. Your staff members will never want to let you down if they feel they have a personal connection with you. Stefan Stürmer of the University of Kiel did a study that showed that people are more likely to help someone they think to be “like them”, so you can make an effort to show your staff members that you are part of the team. This will have a deep psychological effect on the way your staff members view the work they do for you.
Provide Incentives
The best way to get your workers to work hard and put in extra effort in their work is to provide incentives or rewards for completion. To boost the motivation of your workers, make their jobs both gratifying and fun.
Make Work Fun
Several employers love implementing a strategy known as “gamification”. This strategy generates enthusiasm and creates friendly competition in the workplace by applying game-like concepts to normal work tasks. Google has even implemented a good example of this strategy, which is known as the “Google Code Jam,” where Google fishes out potential hires by organizing a coding competition.
Every company doesn’t need to gamify something, such as their hiring process, but a company can make work feel more like play and motivate their sales representatives to sell bigger ticket items by using simple things, such as a game of bingo. You might get surprised to know your staff is very competitive, especially when it comes to rewards like an afternoon off or a $10 gift card. And some want the bragging rights.
Reward Your Workers’ Hard Work
You can motivate your workers by rewarding them for their hard work. It is also cost effective to recognize your workers for their achievements because you do not even have to spend money on a prize or provide a monetary reward. By using a time tracking app like Tracktime24 you can easily see what your workers are doing and their progress on projects. Deloitte uses software to incentivize tasks in the workplace. The software provides employees the opportunity to appear on earn badges or leadership boards once they complete a task. To keep your workers motivated for a long period of time, provide them with continuing opportunities to be recognized for their individual efforts.