How to Motivate Your Employees to Perform Higher

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Had to share this amazing article by Mike Loshe, a sales force manager. Great advice for managers and business owners.

As a manager in an uncertain economy, it may feel like your employees’ loyalty to your company may not be as strong as it used to be. The threat of layoffs, high turnover rates, and feeling the pressure of having to constantly learn new skills to remain employable is a lot of pressure to handle. Employees want to be able to do their best in this tough environment, but may need some examples from higher leadership to keep them motivated to do and be more on the job. So ask yourself, what are you doing to motivate your employees? Here are some tips that can help you get the best from those you work with.

 Recognize good work

 Employees like to be recognized for going above and beyond the expectations of the company. Surely you can point to a few exceptional employees who have saved you money, brought in more clients, or made a lasting impression on a customer that was ready to go to a competitor. These employees are your superstars and should be made to feel as such. Employee recognition can stir up intrinsic motivation to be better. Seeing others achieve can also motivate other team members to do and be more as well. No one likes to be part of a losing team. Recognition doesn’t have to involve a large monetary investment (although money does tend to help…). Employee recognition can be as simple as calling out the person’s name during a staff meeting and filling everyone in on how they saved the day. It could be listing their name in a monthly company newsletter, or mentioning their good deed in an email addressed to higher ups and other key personnel. Seeing someone else being recognized for excellence will motivate others to do their best so they can earn accolades of their own.

 Are your employees happy?

 It is easier to be motivated if you genuinely enjoy the work you are doing. Sadly enough, many employees are simply filling a space on a job because it serves as a regular paycheck. However, there may be pieces of the job that are enjoyable. Ask your employees about what they enjoy most. Why do they feel that way? How can you and the employee find more ways to do more of that work within the company? Put the job of finding what makes the employee happy on the employee so they can feel more like a driver in their own success. While every waking moment of a job may not be the most exhilarating, it is possible to create spaces of time that the employee looks forward to.

 Motivating employees to do and be more can be such a difficult topic when everything seems so uncertain. Being open and honest with your employees is often more appreciated than many managers may realize. No matter what the economic climate may bring, always assure employees that their hard work is appreciated and it has made a significant impact on the company’s success.

Mike Loshe is a Sales Force Manager with over 25 years of experience in the management field. In his free time, Mike enjoys blogging about employee management and employee motivation.

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Wishing you infinite success,

Andrea Richie(Prosperity Team)