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The following article was featured in the Coaches Mojo Newsletter on May 19, 2009. For more information on the Coaches Mojo contact Colin Ude-Lewis at:
http://www.mindtram.com - Reflections on Wisdom Notes
http://www.lewisfields.com – Group Coaching and Coaches Mojo Newsletter

Motivation

If I had a nickel for every time I heard a coach say, “My people just aren’t motivated”, “I wish I knew how to motivate my staff”, “I wish my staff would just do it”, I would be a rich woman.  The fact of the matter is that 73 percent of employees are less motivated than they used to be.  And 30 percent of coaches say motivating employees is their toughest challenge.  Motivation is one of those vague catch all words that mean completely different things to different people.

We sometimes approach motivation as one of those things where coaches feel they have to ‘rally the troops’.  It’s as though we wait for something big to come along that will affect people in a way that they will now be motivated to do something, where before they weren’t.  And sometimes it’s important to rally the troops and generate enthusiasm.  Most of us believe if we are excited about something then we will be motivated.  But don’t confuse excitement with results.  I could be really excited about something, say losing weight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I am any more motivated to do it.  The proof of my motivation comes from my results.  Often times this is where coaches and leaders go down the wrong path.  They overlook some of the small extras they can be doing in favor of the splashy events, hoping to generate that excitement and get people motivated.  Or they will decide for themselves what will motivate those people around them without ever asking them directly.

Motivation is about challenging people, getting them interested and excited about a new project, product, or way of doing things; and making them feel that they can successfully do what’s being asked of them.  Webster’s dictionary defines motivation as a force, stimulus, or influence that taps into a need or desire (motive) that causes a person to act.  True motivation isn’t about getting people all fired up and then simply expecting them to get on with it.  It’s about giving your employees something extra that will feed their self-esteem and self-worth, so they can get up tomorrow and do the job at hand with confidence and enthusiasm which will yield results.  True motivation isn’t just for special occasions either; it’s an important if not vital part of everyday life.  So the big question on everyone’s mind is, “How can I motivate my staff to contribute their best work everyday?”  There are many things coaches can do to foster and nurture motivation.  Below are some tips to get you started.

Keep employees informed.

Employees feel motivated when they understand how their work contributes to the big picture.  Explain to them how their actions make a difference to your business, your customers, the team and them personally.  When communicating to employees be sure to answer the following questions, what we are doing, why we are doing it, how we will do it, and when it will be done.  Always express your confidence and commitment to your employee’s success.

Give employees feedback.

Employees want to know and need to know how they are performing.  There’s nothing worse then coming to work everyday and not knowing whether you are doing a good job or not.  Some coaches wait for the yearly or semi-annual performance review to discuss employees’ performance.  This approach won’t motivate employees to do their best everyday.  Instead, meet frequently with your employees to discuss performance and develop goals.  Performance feedback helps employee’s build on their strengths and address opportunities for growth or improvement.

Use positive reinforcement.

If we only ever focus on what our employees are doing wrong then all they will ever learn is what not to do.  Instead, focus your efforts on catching them doing something right and then pointing it out.  This approach will show your employees what a good job looks like so they can repeat it in the future.  It will also show them that you are aware of their efforts and contributions.  Studies have shown that recognition and praise can energize employees more than money.  They key to using positive reinforcement is to be specific when communicating with the employee.  Tell the employee exactly what you saw or heard them doing that led you to believe they did a good job.

Provide One-on-One Coaching.

Coaching employees is a form of employee development.  The only cost involved in coaching is time.  When you take the time to coach your employees you are showing them that you care about them and their success.  Remember, employees don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.  One-on-one coaching is critical to your employee’s success and feeds their motivation.

Offer developmental opportunities.

People like to learn and the opportunity to develop and grow can fuel an employee’s desire to perform.  Find out what your employees want to accomplish long-term and then develop a plan to help get them there.

Set goals.

When an employee knows what the expectation is they will be more likely to perform.  Goals move us in the right direction and keep us on track to accomplish the tasks at hand.  Goals allow coaches to provide regular feedback, catch employees doing it right and provide a foundation for your one-on-one coaching with employees.

Lead by example.

Employees won’t care anymore about their work, your customers, or your business anymore than you do.  Modeling the behavior you want from your employees is the most effective way to motivate behavior.  If you want employees to demonstrate enthusiasm, be passionate about your job.  If you want to encourage teamwork, be visible on teams.  If you want employees to limit their lunch break to one hour, do the same.

Sustaining an environment where employees can motivate themselves is an ongoing process and it takes discipline on your part.  When people feel appreciated, acknowledged, and respected, they’ll give more of their time, effort, and commitment in return.  It’s safe to say that most people will feel motivated when they know they are making a contribution, being heard, doing something useful, receiving praise and acknowledgement and having their skills developed.  Your job is to make that happen. I hope this helps and gets you on the right path to motivating your employees.

Kelly Ketelboeter is an advocate for positive change and a service and coaching driven philosophy.  Her goal is to help people and organizations recognize and leverage their potential, strengths and skills to achieve extraordinary results.

Connect with Kelly:

kketelboeter@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/ketelboeterPR
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyketelboeter

847.340.8883 ~ Chicago, Illinois