Saturday, August 27, 2011

How To Motivate Your Employees


Motivating Employees in Tough Times

I don’t claim to be a tremendous motivational speaker, but it is easy for me to get excited talking about business.  I especially enjoy working with small and medium sized companies, so dealing with sweeping contractors is right up my alley.  I love learning from our industry and have met some of the best people on the planet.  Lately it has come to my attention (and I’ll admit a little shockingly), that everyone may not share my enthusiasm for their own jobs.  However, this is only the case outside the Nite-Hawk family.  Our guys and girls generously offer to pay to work here, and I typically have to kick them out at the end of each day - despite their protest of “Please, can I work longer?”

If you aren’t in this situation and tend to find your people unmotivated, you may need to restructure your organization.  Understanding your employees is the key in motivating them.  From what I’ve observed, unmotivated employees fall into three general categories.  The first group can’t see a future.  The second group can see a future, but the overall structure is not in place to appropriately reward them.  Not only does this dampen the motivation of the employee, but also it prevents a company from achieving its objectives.  The last group falls into the camp in which no matter what structure is in place, they are just not going to give you any more.  The solution is relatively simple - fire, replace and focus your attention on the first two groups.
During tough times the first group focuses on the short term.  They think no matter what they do today, it won’t matter.  They may have been discouraged by presenting a good idea that never got implemented, a real or perceived lack of opportunity for advancement, a wage freeze, problems at home, or it may be they just need some extra attention.  These are good people looking for a reason to do better.  Sometimes they may not even realize they are stuck in a rut.  Straight forward and frequent communication, followed by action, will highlight the positives and will go a long way for these valued employees.  Reward forward thinking, and when an idea doesn’t seem to fit in the overall strategic plan, follow up to explain. Change pay structures to incorporate bonuses for real improvement based on measureable metrics.  Even if their base pay doesn’t rise, they will feel more in control of their situation. 

At Nite-Hawk we’ve held contests where the winner receives an Ipod for the best new manufacturing improvement.  It can be surprising how employees react when the company shows their appreciation.  Show them that you recognize their contribution to the team and take a genuine interest in their wellbeing.  If you don’t feel like this toward your team, look in the mirror and find a way, because you are one of the obstacles blocking their motivation. 

The second group is a little more straight forward.  As Cuba Gooding’s character Rod Tidwell said in Jerry Maguire, “Show me the money!”  Start by reviewing the compensation structure of your sales team, supervisors and whoever else falls into this camp and change the way they get rewarded.  Make sure they are accountable.   Reward for performance, not for potential.  Holding the line can be difficult, but it will weed out the team members that don’t want to perform, and provide a spark to the ones that do.  Every company is unique and there are thousands of different compensation structures to fit your business.   Search around and find one that works for you - and if you have any questions about it, don’t hesitate to contact me. 



People have written thousands of books on motivating employees.  I have outlined just a few things I’ve identified to help our team and sweeping organizations around the country.  Understanding and identifying your employees’ motivations is the key to developing a productive and efficient team.  Lead by example, and if you ever feel like you’re losing your motivation, maybe all you need is a shiny new toy.  Hey, I got an idea.  How about a new sweeper…….

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