Motivating and developing your staff is a key part of any business. What’s better than having happy, motivated staff? For some managers, it can also be one of the most challenging aspects of managing a team. There are lots of things you can do to help improve staff performance and productivity. We cover quite a bit of them in our Staff Management Masterclass. Below we’ve outlined some ways for managers to boost their teams’ motivation.
Recognize the Importance of Motivation
Having staff who are motivated and productive is essential for any business. Motivation can stem from external factors, such as rewards and recognition. It can also stem from internal factors, like personal fulfillment and passion for the job.
Motivated employees will work harder and stay longer than unmotivated ones, which means they’re more likely to be productive. A motivated workforce also tends to be happier overall, which makes their workplace an enjoyable place to spend time.
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
-Zig Ziglar
Welcome New Employees Warmly
There are a few important things to remember when welcoming new employees. The first is that this should be done by the person they report to directly, if possible. It’s important for them to start on the right foot and for their manager to set the tone for their experience.
The second thing is that they know what expectations are going to be from day one. This way, there are no surprises or misunderstandings later on in their employment. You don’t want them thinking they’re going to be doing one thing, but then find out that actually they’ve been tasked with something completely different. If this happens, it can lead to an awkward situation where both parties feel like they’ve been misled or lied too; this means trust has been broken and won’t easily be regained.
Prioritize Staff Development to enhance staff Motivation
Staff development is a process of helping people grow into their roles. It can act as a motivator for staff and significantly improve productivity, which will lead to business growth.
Training, coaching and mentoring are all part of the development process. The first step is to identify the skills that will benefit your company and its employees. Next, you need to decide on a training strategy that suits both your needs and those of staff. You can then implement this by developing training plans, assigning tasks and evaluating progress throughout the process.
Motivating and Developing Your Staff Through Clear Development Goals
Having a clear idea of what you’re aiming for when developing staff is really important. How can anyone know whether they’ve succeeded if they don’t know what success looks like? A good aim would be something like, “I want to improve my staff’s ability to use Excel.” Figure out how to measure their progress. For the excel example, try using free, online excel quizzes before and after you’ve been working at it a while.
It’s also important that your goals are realistic. It may not be possible or desirable for everyone on your team to become an Excel expert overnight! If some of your staff are not using excel, then this may not be the goal for them.
Once you’ve identified your goals, write them down in a place you can reference often. Set up calendar appointments with yourself to check in on these goals personally and with staff. Figure out where you want to be by when and include those in your check-ins.
Foster Open Communication
Regular, open discussions with your staff are an essential part of your job. Be clear about what you want to achieve and establish a shared understanding of the expectations for performance. Get on the same page about expectations and how it fits into the larger picture of what the organization does. Motivating and developing your staff becomes easier when you can have an honest and open conversation about anything that arises.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if necessary! Find someone more experienced than yourself who can give valuable advice on how best to manage people in your organization. One way to do this is to schedule a one-on-one introduction call with us, here at High Road Management Training. You can try out our one-on-one coaching and see if it’s right for you and your needs.
Providing Meaningful Feedback is Crucial to Motivating and Developing Your Staff
Providing meaningful feedback to your employees is crucial for their growth and development. Openness and honesty foster trust and create opportunities for improvement. When offering feedback, it’s important to strike a balance between constructive criticism and praise. Specificity adds value to praise; highlighting aspects of their work that stand out demonstrates your attention and appreciation. For instance, acknowledging the creativity in their posts rather than quantitative results cultivates a deeper understanding of their contributions. This approach encourages continuous improvement while reinforcing positive behaviors.
Acknowledging and praising your staff’s efforts not only motivates them but also strengthens your relationship with them. Expressing gratitude for their work demonstrates your investment in their success and fosters a positive work environment. Moreover, clear expectations coupled with timely feedback ensure alignment and prevent misunderstandings. Creating a comfortable and supportive environment for feedback sessions encourages openness and receptivity. By adopting a constructive tone and addressing concerns promptly, you facilitate growth and development while maintaining morale within your team.
Conduct Thorough Performance Reviews
Performance reviews are a great way to keep everyone focused and productive. However, they should be done thoroughly, and include feedback for both positive and negative behaviors.
Performance reviews are also important because they help create an open dialogue between managers and their staff members. This ensures employees feel comfortable coming to their managers with problems or concerns, without fear of judgment or reprisal from those in management. It also prevents issues from festering until they become big enough problems that could damage morale within your company. This may also prevent outside parties questioning whether your company is worth doing business with.
Motivating and Developing Your Staff Is a Continuous Practice
If you want to get the best out of your staff, then make sure they feel appreciated and motivated. Motivating and developing your staff should be seen as an ongoing practice, not a one and done kind of task. Although challenging, maintaining ongoing training and development opportunities is crucial for fostering continuous growth within the team. It’s important to address areas for improvement honestly, while also offering support. Recognizing and praising specific accomplishments is equally important. Even if individuals aren’t flawless, acknowledging successes fosters a positive environment. Just be sure to keep feedback constructive and uplifting.
