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Understanding Is Key to Motivating Employees
Before we can talk about motivation, what is motivation? And how would you describe a motivated employee? The person who seems to run on and on -- like the Energizer Bunny®? Or the individual who seems to stay focused and dedicated to your cause and who persists in the face of difficulties? Or the employee who may not be a star but is definitely loyal and consistent?
A fatal assumption of people is to assume that all workers are motivated by the same needs or desires. Different workers are motivated by different needs. When people speak about motivation, they generally refer to these three facets:
1. Energy
2. Focus
3. Sustenance
To determine what will motivate any given worker, owners -- business or professional -- and managers must find a way to identify and measure:
- What level of motivation (energy and intensity) is needed and when?
- What motivations and needs is that worker trying to satisfy on the job?
- What is your ability to administer or withhold consequences that will satisfy a worker's needs?
New Milestones in Motivation™
Learning new ways to select and manage employees and better ways to motivate performance is no longer a choice but a necessity. To build a stronger and better workforce, employers must learn new ways to hire and train. How must employers build this commitment and engage their employees’ energy and attention?
“The first step,” according to Dr. Chuck Coker, president of LifeThrive Performance Systems, “is to understand performance. Understanding what motivates people to perform better and without stress is the solution for businesses that want to excel.”
Each individual comes to the workplace with his or her unique motivational attitude and behavioral style. A manager’s job then is to learn and recognize the styles required for successful job performance of each job and then match the employee who best fits the job requirement. Identifying the motivational skills and attitudes that each employee brings to the workplace helps unlock the secrecy of motivating employees.
Measuring Motivation and Attitudes
Performance and motivational assessment through advanced software technology helps management readily identify the potential of current and prospective employees, and evaluate the compatibility of the person to the job and your business.
Two specific tools to help a manager measure motivations and attitudes are the Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values™ surveys and the Quality of Motivation Questionnaire™. The Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values (PIAV) surveys measures the following attitudes and values: theoretical, utilitarian, aesthetic, social, individualistic and traditional. Briefly, the survey measures how an individual values knowledge, return on investment, creativity and uniqueness, bettering society and eliminating conflict, power and leadership, and focusing on their own set of beliefs.
An absolutely awesome tool is the Quality of Motivation Questionnaire (QMQ), which measures how much motivation an individual has, what motivates him or her, and what might hold him or her back. It also measures emotional stability, decision-making effectiveness, need for structure, frustration tolerance and motivation to change.
Targeting selection, training and development dollars to the people who can most benefit and give the fastest, largest return on investment makes financial sense, helps retain core employees, and attracts employees who are prepared to function in a sometimes out-of-control world.
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