How to Improve Your Ability to Motivate Others

Over the last couple of days, we’ve looked at managers and their practices.  It seems like  workers who commented were quick to say that their managers use practices that discourage them and make the work place an unpleasant one.  Even the workers who had a manager to praise went on to say that their great manager was in the minority.  Evidently, some managers have difficulty motivating their employees to the point that they enjoy getting things accomplished in the office.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, here are the characteristics of managers who have difficulty with motivation:

• Has no idea what motivates others or how to do it
• Subordinates don’t do their best
• Not empowering; not a person people want to work with
• May be a one-size-fits-all person (simplistic); only interested in getting the work out
• Has difficulty with those who are different then himself
• Fails to read others correctly; misses cues and needs
• Can be judgemental and stereotypes
• Demotivates others intentionally or unintentionally

Does this describe you?  All is not lost if it does.  In fact, the CCL extensively tests program participants to identify leadership problem areas.  Based on the findings of the testing, a program of improvement is devised using the text, For Your Improvement: A Developmental and Coaching Guide, which provides easy to follow prescriptions to improve one’s leadership practices.  For those experiencing difficulty in motivating others here are 10 steps to improvement:

1. Follow the basic rules of inspiring others – In other words, treat others how you would want to be treated.  Say, “Thank you.”  Offer help and ask for it as well.  Give subordinates freedom in how they accomplish assigned tasks.  Provide enriching and challenging assignments.  Show an interest.  Celebrate successes.  Most of us are thinking that none of this is Earth-shattering.  However, some people just don’t get it.
2. Know and play the motivation odds – If you could do only a few things to motivate your workers, what would you do?  Increase pay?  Be more friendly?  Use more praise?  Dangle a promotion in front of subordinates?  Although these come to mind quickly, they are not the motivators that have been found the most powerful.  According to research by Rewick and Lawler, the big motivation guns are 1) Job challenge  2) Accomplishing something worthwhile  3) Learning new things  4) Personal Development and 5) Autonomy.  This will surprise some managers.
3. Use goals – Workers like reasonable goals, those that they stand a good chance reaching but still require stretching.  Workers are motivated even more by goals they help set.
4. Pay attention – Listen and look.  What do they say with their words?  When and where do they show emotion?  What are their values?
5. Stop being judgemental – Being judgemental never works while trying to motivate others.
6. Talk their language – This indicates respect for their way of thinking.  It helps to open others up and give you information that can help to motivate.
7. Bring the subordinate into your world – Be open with them.  Explain your thinking on issues.  Help them to understand the “whys” behind your desires.
8. Motivating is personal – Get to know your workers.  You should be able to cite three non-work related things about each of your employees.  What sports do they like?  How many children do they have?  What kind of music do they listen to?
9. Turn negatives into motivators – If the worker is touchy about something, is quiet and a loner, or is demotivated, look for the cause and try to help.  By helping him/her to overcome difficulties, the worker may respond.
10. Make work meaningful – Allow workers to help plan the project.  Give them the autonomy and authority to work the project.  Solicit their opinions on important decisions.  Ask workers for feedback.  Debrief projects together.

In short, people are motivated by someone who cares for them and trusts them.  They are motivated by those who respect their professionalism and expertise. 

Source

Related Links

Center for Creative Leadership

Comments

[Tom]

What about if you haven't seen your manager in over a week and he hasnt assigned you any work? What kind of manager is that =p
(some would argue a good one)

[Bert]

Tom--

Hmmm. First, I would say that, in the absence of the manager, your list of Key Areas of Responsibility (see previous post) would guide you in what work needs to be done. As for your manager's absence, first let me say that one cannot manage well if one does not know what is going on. I'm interested in why your manager is absent: Staff Development? Required meetings or retreats? AWOL? In my profession, managers at my level are called out of the building for days at a time for required training and strategic planning meetings (and yes, it really bothers me). When I'm out for these extended training sessions and meetings, I usually show up very early or come back after the training session to follow up, speak to anyone who is still there about the day, review what had been accomplished, handle any fires that I need to extinguish, and to leave notes for the staff. The next day, they know I've been there. In your case, the lack of communication is disturbing.

[Charles Martin]

The biggest mistake an employee can make in dealing with an anti-motivational superior is to forward this list to them and tell them to change (even anonymously). That is not exactly motivating them either. So we must also be aware of the necessity for employees to motivate their boss to reach new heights.

If the boss does not believe he/she needs to do better, it is probably because the boss has never been shown what improvements can be made. We just have to be diplomatic in how he/she is informed.

Thus, much of the list applies to employees in interacting with their boss. How many employees know three non-work related things about their boss? Do we celebrate the successes of our superiors allowing him/her to take some credit instead of hoarding it all personally and not admitting that the boss had some input in that success? Who can honestly say they are not judgemental of their own superiors?

Motivation, if working both directions, can take the entire department to new heights and feed off each other. We just need to be willing to give a little more motivation than we receive. Only when we are encouraging and supporting everyone and equally receiving the same can we grow and improve.

[Bert]

Charles--

Actually, the post, if you look at the paragraph that introduces the list of suggestions, says that these ideas are for the manager for self-improvement. For example, the manager should know about three non-work things about each of their employees. The manager is supposed to motivate the employee, not the other way around. I, apparently, made that as clear as mud!

It is never in the employee's best interest to offer this type of feedback unsolicited!

[Charles Martin]

I guess I was equally unclear because, in a way, I am suggesting a paradigm shift in how the employee should view his/her part in how a manager is effective. So often we employees sit back and assume that the boss is the one who needs to improve his management skill and should be receiving motivation from the top down. I have been guilty of this thinking. I believe it is time we consider the possibility that encouragement and motivation from the bottom up may be just as necessary to the overall health of a company.

A quarterback is only as good as the team behind him. If the team has no faith in their quarterback, it shows and reflects on his leadership. He then has less confidence in the team and we enter a downward spiral. However, in some cases, I've seen teams step up their game in order to put the confidence back into the quarterback.

Managers often refer to everyone (including himself) working as a team. He is not acting as a coach on the sidelines, but is on the field throwing the ball. Together they reach the goal line. The manager, as a quarterback, needs as much motivation as the rest of the team. We can motivate each other, but it does not do much good if we cannot lift up the manager to a new level at the same time.

So I was not trying to talk off topic, but support it in that managers should be doing these things to motivate their staff... but there is nothing wrong with the staff returning the favor.

[Phil Gerbyshak]

These are some excellent suggestions. As a manager, I would hope that if I were so far in the dark as to not be doing any of these, that someone somehow would drop me a note that says "Hey dude, you suck. Here's some tips on how to be better." Of course, if I were that much in the dark, I would probably sniff out who did it and find a way to crush their will to live and/or fire the person.

I put some of the onus on the person being managed to find a way to motivate their manager to improve. The old "what's in it for me?" thought. Help the manager understand it's in her/his best interests to improve, and here's a few things that could help.

Thanks for sharing. Very insightful, and motivational.

[Bert]

From the comments received, it looks like a post on how subordinates can help motivate their superior into better performance is fertile ground!