KEEPING THE TEAM MOTIVATED
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Leadership takes constant creation. When a person is a member of a team, they always remember those teachers, coaches, or leaders who inspired them personally. They remember those that gave them the right amount of motivation when they felt like giving up or doubted their personal abilities. Likewise, in business leaders need to inspire and motivate personnel in a similar way.
When business owners tell me they have a high turnover rate of personnel, ninety percent will not have a staff mentoring program, bonus system, games, or profit-sharing in place. Without these motivational tools, morale will drop, and staff may begin to leave.
As a leader's responsibilities increase, their focus may change. They often forget what motivated them to do better and what actions they took that led them to get promoted to a higher position, and so successful actions drop out.
The best motivation that I used for my staff was individual bonuses based on production and games for the whole company. I found that when these were not in place, the staff became very robotic and, worst of all, disgruntled and began looking for something where they had an opportunity to earn more.
I talk about Drivers, Team players, and Passengers. Business owners will remark to me that they don't have any Drivers. My next question is: "What is your bonus system like." The usual answer is, "We don't have one." Well, how would you know if you had any Drivers in the business if there was nothing in place that gave them something worthwhile to strive for? Drivers are competitive, and they love challenges.
Passengers are just looking for a paycheck generally, but it is interesting to see what happens if they have an opportunity to get a bonus if they put in the extra effort. They often move into being more of a Team Player. I've seen this happen plenty of times.
Team Players can appear to stop being Team Players when they don't feel acknowledged for what they do for the company. A small pay raise can often get them back in the game again with enthusiasm.
GAMES
Quarterly and yearly games should always be organized in every business. Rewards for hitting targets can totally change the morale of a group.
Most people do not mind hard work but hard work without incentives lowers morale and motivation. To raise the morale of a group requires increasing opportunities for each staff member and executive through staff training, bonuses, games, and giving everyone a chance and opportunity to reach their personal goals.
SOME REASONS PEOPLE LEAVE JOBS:
(By Indeed Editorial Team)
Needing more of a challenge
Looking for a higher salary
Feeling uninspired
Wanting to feel valued
Seeking a better management relationship
Searching for job growth and career advancement
Most of these reasons would be handled by a company implementing staff training, bonuses, games, and giving everyone a chance and opportunity to increase their personal growth.
Personnel is the lifeblood of any organization, and so it behooves all business owners to regularly survey and ensure they are fully aware of what their executives, managers, and staff are looking for in staying or choosing a company to work for.
I hope this is helpful.
Email or call me at 727-243-1336 for any help in implementing a staff motivational program.
Sincerely,
Graham Payne