Mind over matter to lead & motivate employees successfully

Behind every motivated team is a very capable leader. A leader who is in tune with his/her team’s needs, goals, challenges, frustrations and strengths. While one may argue that incentives like annual bonuses, travel rewards and leave from work play a vital role in motivating employees, studies show that these types of outward rewards may cause a short-term burst of productivity, but they also contain the seed for de-motivation in the long term. 

Regardless of their job description and designation, you can motivate your employees to go beyond the call of duty, increasing the overall productivity of your organisation while also ensuring high job satisfaction and personal goal fulfillment for your employees. 

Your employee is an extension and a representation of your company values, culture and ethos. Employees are almost like family; you spend so much crucial time in your day interacting with them and them with each other. 

Motivation surely comes from building trust, both from the employer and employee perspective. Trust is like a bridge that connects both the sides and needs to be reinforced constantly. A happy employee is one who trusts his senior to always have his back in any situation, personal or professional. Having a positive and forward- thinking attitude from a leadership perspective is imperative. 

So, here’s what you can do to have a positive, motivated and happy work ethic 

Build Trust 

Different people are motivated by different things, but the most basic and critical aspect remains building trust with your employees. When an employee feels that his or her manager is as concerned about their wellbeing on the job as they are about the job itself, they are more likely to feel the sense of trust that is critical among high performing teams and organisations. Trust can inspire your workers, increase motivation levels, boost productivity, and encourage engagement. Luckily, it’s easy to build trust with employees, but it’s even easier to lose that trust. 

Award Recognition on a Regular Basis 

Let workers know that “the company’s success is your success.” Let your people know that their actions have directly contributed to the organisation enjoying a new level of success. It’s important to recognise your employees’ individual and team contributions, both publicly and privately. Don’t wait till a huge project is finished or another big event happens. Make recognition in regular, monthly and yearly events. Offer private and additionally open acknowledgment. 

Act Fairly 

Use your judgment, wisdom, and experience to create a supportive environment. When problems arise, examine the circumstances, understand the context, and only then pass judgment. Respect your team and you will get the same in return. If you make a mistake, apologise and admit you were wrong. This will allow your employees to relate to you better, and they will appreciate your honesty. 

Be Transparent 

Managers should have insights into how business is going makes your employees more invested. So, make a point to share this data with them on a regular basis. You can send out daily, weekly, or monthly sales report. Having access to all this data not only makes your employees feel like they’re an important part of the business, it also helps point out areas where things could be improved. 

Creating a Balanced Workplace 

While making your work environment a fun place undoubtedly helps to keep employees motivated to work hard, balancing that liveliness with quiet downtime is important for maintaining levels of productivity and sanity. Additionally, your employees will need to be able to maintain prolonged focus to complete complex tasks, and a distracting workplace can kill their focus. If employees of the team will be given longer hours of work in return for three days off from work, they will be able to organise their time and divide it among different tasks. This will also give them time to attend to personal matters at home without jeopardising work. For example, in a 10-hour shift, more work can be done, and reports can also be turned in on the same day instead of the next day. Flexible working hours allows employees to manage their time well. 

No company can function better without a hard-working team so figuring out how to motivate employees is an important focal point of your business. Make sure you use sound methods that won’t work against what you’re trying to achieve. All the above examples will help ensure that your efforts are rewarded. 

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Tanya Swetta

Founder & Joint Managing Director at id8 Media Solutions

Since its inception, Tanya has been successfully managing and leading a people-oriented business and actively participates in all the aspects of the business including planning, strategising, conceptualising and acquiring clients.

Accomplished, professional and modest, Tanya is the key ideator who started building her empire at the young age of 21! She has been featured in some of the top Fortune magazines for her successful ventures and believes that there are no shortcuts to success. Jointly leading a team of 60 intellects, Tanya is the backbone for some of the most iconic brands in the industry.