The quotation in the title is from one of my favorite blogs on leadership: Blanchard LeaderChat.
This particular post was on a mini case study on motivation. While I encourage you to read the entire post, it’s the final recommendation for leaders and managers that we all too often forget or don’t even realize:
Remember that as a manager you cannot motivate anyone. What you can do is create an environment where an individual is more likely to be optimally motivated. Ask (and genuinely care about) how a person is feeling, help them recognize their own sense of well-being regarding a particular issue, and provide them with rationale without trying to ‘sell’ it.”
Why do you want your employees to be motivated?
You cannot order someone to be motivated any more than you can order people to be happy or satisfied at work. But you can, as the post points out, create an environment in which it’s easier to be motivated.
Think about why you want your employees to be more motivated at work – increased productivity, better customer service, etc. Now think about what your employees need in order to be more productive or provide better customer service.
Do they need more or better tools to get the job done in a more effective, efficient way? Are there roadblocks in their way (internal politics or red tape)? Are they properly empowered to offer the best customer experience possible in the moment without having to seek layers of approvals first?
Once you’ve eliminated the roadblocks to your end goals for increased motivation (reactive response to existing situations), you can begin to focus on what else employees need to engage more fully in the work (proactive measures).
A combination of solutions works best
Are you recognizing employees when they do give exceptional customer service, reinforcing for them what it is you want to see again and again? Are you encouraging all employees to notice and appreciate the actions and behaviors of their colleagues that contribute to increased productivity for all?
A combination of reactive solutions (removing roadblocks) and proactive measures (recognition and appreciation) are critical to creating a truly motivating environment at work.
What could your superiors (and colleagues) do to create a more motivating environment for you?
You can find more from Derek Irvine on his Recognize This! blog.