There are three keys to motivation that you can practice with
all the people who report to you. They are Recognition,
Rewards, and Reinforcement. Practice all three of them with as
many people as possible, as often as you can.
Most people are starved for recognition, especially recognition
that comes from the important people in their lives. In fact,
the more important you are in the eyes of another person, the
more powerful and influential are your statements to that person.
As a manager or leader, you are in a wonderful position to
have an incredible impact on the people who report to you.
Praise and recognize people for little accomplishments as
well as large accomplishments. Find reasons to compliment
them for their work or their achievements. Smile when you see
them, and treat them with respect and esteem. Recognition is a
powerful motivator for people at all ages and in all situations.
Rewards are a vital part of motivating people to peak performance.
The primary reward that people want is more
money. In study after study, employees repeat, over and over,
that what they really want for excellent performance is financial
rewards. People also like awards, prizes, trips, plaques, and
trophies.
But most of all, people want more money.
It is often better to give small cash prizes for outstanding performance
rather than salary increases. The first is fixed and limited
while the other one goes on indefinitely. But continually
look for ways to reward people for doing an excellent job.
Remember the greatest management principle in the world
articulated by Michael LeBoeuf, “What gets rewarded gets done.”
The third key to motivation is reinforcement. “What gets
reinforced gets repeated.”
Whenever you talk about, praise, and
comment on a particular behavior, the individual will be more
likely to repeat that behavior in the future. The flipside of motivation
is that if you do not recognize, reward, and reinforce a
particular behavior, the individual may simply stop doing it.
If a person who is habitually late to work starts making an
effort to come in on time, you should praise and recognize her
punctuality each time it occurs until it becomes a new habit.
When people come to meetings on time, you should thank
them and praise them for being punctual.
Look for every opportunity to give recognition, rewards, and
reinforcement for the behaviors that you want to see repeated
by that individual and by other people in the company.
