One of the most important tasks of a boss is employee motivation. If the boss does a good job, he influences his employees positively and motivates them to enjoy their work. In other words: If employees enjoy coming to work, they are full of energy and see their job as an enrichment. Then employee motivation has worked perfectly.
But how exactly does this work with employee motivation? Which levers do you have to set in motion? How do you ensure that employees don't just sit through their working hours and shut down their PCs on time at the end of the day - but that they burn for their tasks and perform them with passion?
One thing is certain: Whether employees are committed and enthusiastic about their work depends largely on their employer. In principle, anyone can be motivated with the right tools. Optimally, one achieves not only extrinsic motivation through external incentives, but an intrinsic motivation by inner impulses.
The best motivation, by the way, is to demotivate as little as possible. Why this is so and what is behind it, you will learn in our magazine article "Sustainable employee motivation - how to inspire your team!". In this article, we'll get a little more specific. So here are our 12 best tips on how to take employee motivation within your team to the next level - without any material incentives. Enjoy reading and motivating!
Employee motivation is basically the most important quality of any manager. If a manager does not succeed in increasing the motivation of employees, the latter will not be able to develop their full potential.
In the absence of employee motivation, a bad mood, declining performance and, in the worst case, a wave of resignations is inevitable. This can be counteracted by promoting both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
As mentioned earlier, it is very important to find the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of employees. but what do these terms even mean?
Intrinsic motivation: Meaningfulness plays a central role in intrinsic motivation. The employee must see a sense of his work. For this reason, in this case an immaterial employee motivation must take place. This can be done, for example, by making it clear to the employee that his work has a social value and thus contributes to making the world a better place. One could also say that intrinsic motivation focuses on humanity.
Extrinsic motivation: Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, focuses on personal benefits. Here, the central point is the material employee motivation. This can also be based on various factors. For example, through a promotion, a higher salary or other bonus payments. With extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, the focus is ultimately on the economic aspect.
But what should the focus be on? What is more important? Extrinsic or intrinsic motivation? The answer to this question cannot be answered in a subordinate clause. Because motivation is always an individual question. And since employees generally always have different levels of Personality profile they can also be motivated by other factors.
As a rule, however, a mix of extrinsic and extrinsic motivation is necessary to keep employee motivation permanently high.
Creating a friendly, pleasant and open working atmosphere is the first step towards employee motivation. After all, your employees spend the majority of their day in the office. Therefore, it's extremely important that they feel comfortable, get along with their colleagues and have a place where they can work in a focused manner. A great working atmosphere is characterised by a good working atmosphere, but also by spatial aspects. Spacious offices, fresh air, noise protection, modern technology - is all this right? Make sure that all aspects fit, and you can literally see how motivation increases.
Trust your employees! Show them that you rely on them. Also give new colleagues the benefit of the doubt. This will motivate them much more than if you were skeptical or suspicious to each other. Of course, trust also includes the delegation of responsibility. Give every employee the feeling that you firmly believe in them and their skills. This is a real motivation booster!
Every employee is different and has individual wishes and needs. Therefore, try to include and consider their individuality as much as possible. The better you know your employees, the easier it is for you to motivate them individually. To do this, hold regular conversations and try to get to know your employees. Where do they want to go professionally? What bothers them about the current situation? What suggestions do they have for improvement? Listen to them and show that you are looking for an exchange with them.
Always praise your employees when they have really done a good job. Of course, you should not overdo it and use praise inflationary, because then it loses its meaning. But whenever praise is appropriate, you should give it. Recognition and Appreciation are essential factors of employee motivation. Show your employees that you are a fan of their work!
Let your employees work, organize and implement independently and self-determined. Enable them to create their own Make decisions within their area of competence. If possible, even involve them in company decisions. Listen to your employees' suggestions and ideas and take them seriously. In this way, you show respect and strengthen the Self-esteem of each individual.
Challenge and encourage - that's the next employee motivation mantra. How do you do it? Either you send your employees to external seminars, trade fairs and events from time to time. Or you bring in a coach to speak exclusively to your team. Or you organize team meetings in which your employees share their knowledge and benefit from each other. No matter how you do it, the main thing is to provide regular training and development. This increases employee motivation, promotes a continuous learning process and prevents stagnation.
You play a not inconsiderable role in this as the boss. That's easy to explain: Imagine a mountain hike. The entire hiking group is in good spirits, highly motivated and looking forward to climbing the mountain. Actually, a mountain guide should come and explain everything. The one who leads the way and points out the dangers of the hike.
But a mountain driver appears who doesn't allow any fun and throws harsh orders around. Well, whether the team is still motivated after such an announcement? Probably not. Don't be a boss who makes fun of the weaknesses of individuals, mistrusts his own team and tries to push through his interests without mercy. Because that's not how you'll get motivated employees.
Be aware of your role model function and set a good example! Motivation is a question of attitude. Only if you, as the boss, are on fire for your projects, will your employees be as well. On the other hand, you can't expect your employees to happily work overtime if you yourself are the first to leave on time. After all, if you preach water and drink wine, you have no credibility. Be a role model on a professional and personal level and you will notice how easy employee motivation can be.
Fighting together for goals brings people together. And the better you work together, the faster you achieve your goals. Therefore, make sure that the group dynamic is right. Organize company outings, team events, Christmas parties and summer festivals that strengthen the feeling of togetherness. Employee motivation works through team cohesion, so you should never underestimate this point.
Sport is a wonderful balance to a strenuous working day. Those who exercise regularly, train their condition and muscles, are more active, live healthier and feel more motivated overall. As an entrepreneur, you have a great interest in your employees being active. Means: Promote it! Offer your team gym memberships or participate in health courses and preventive measures. This will boost employee motivation in no time.
There is hardly a better motivator than fun. Enjoying work also means taking small breaks now and then, drinking a delicious coffee, sitting on the office balcony for ten minutes or even playing a round of table football with your colleagues. Music also makes good moodjust like an office dog, ice cream or an after-work beer for everyone ... Come up with something and motivate your employees in a playful way. They will thank you with a high level of motivation and drive. Our mission at Greator is to help everyone find their way to self-actualization. With the Greator Personality Test you're taking the first step on your journey to finding yourself.
Avoid demotivation. If your employees can't act autonomously, they often don't want to work hard on projects. Sounds understandable, doesn't it? Let a pull develop that pulls everyone along instead of building up a lot of pressure that pushes the others down. Good bosses are polite. Remember their names and what they do. Without your employees, your business wouldn't run the way it does now. These little things are also part of employee motivation.
Respectful treatment and a listening ear will earn you respect. Listen to your coworkers and put your ego aside. There is no place for that here. Your job is not to make yourself important, but to let others be important. Even if you like being the boss and have a lot of responsibility - keep your feet on the ground.
Think about your motives for wanting to be a boss. Who are you and where do you want to go? What are your strengths and weaknesses, what are your values and what are your incentives? When you can lead yourself, you exude a natural authority! And that motivates your employees more than if you were a dissatisfiedYou are a haphazard boss.
And with goals set, you can give meaning to your actions. Effort seems half the battle when you see meaning in action. When you do, a neurotransmitter called dopamine is released. Your performance is enhanced. The greater the meaning, the better for motivation. The same is true not only for you, but for your team. It's not for nothing that most people like to work best when they're following the "Leadership" or "corporate culture".
As a boss, you have the opportunity to emotionalize your employees. Project Images and let them become reality. Awaken the longing for a beautiful, distant destination. And to ensure that everyone arrives safely at this destination, planning, strategy and project management are required. Plan your way to the goal and set your employees many small goals that will lead you to the goal.
By setting concrete milestones for your team, you give everyone an overview. It motivates to have the goal in front of your eyes. If you now delegate your team, you've done it. Distribute tasks according to the strengths of your employees. Communicate with the Delegate simple and clear. This way there is no room for different interpretations and feel free to ask questions. The basic rule is: treat everyone the way they want to be treated, not the way you think is normal.
And, do you already notice how your inner motivation has increased? Now you can motivate your employees with high motivation and nothing will stand in the way of your success!
Before employee motivation can be measured, measures must first be taken that can be used to determine changes. Such measures could be, for example: bonuses, team events, equipment or communication.
After the measures have been introduced, an NPS survey should be carried out among employees after a few weeks. The Net Promoter Score (NPS for short) is an important key figure that can be used to measure the Satisfaction in the company.
If the NPS has increased after the introduction of the last measures, so has the satisfaction and thus the motivation of the employees. If this is not the case, management and executives have not yet found the right levers with which to achieve this goal. An NPS survey should be conducted at least every 6 months in a medium-sized company.
Employee motivation has a decisive influence on performance in the company. Unmotivated employees are often sick, show less commitment, do not go the extra mile and damage the working atmosphere in the company.
Whereas motivated employees give 110%, contribute with innovative ideas and see the company as a second family. Accordingly, positive employee motivation is crucial to being marketable and holding one's own at the top.
In this article you have learned 12 tips with which you can noticeably increase the employee motivation of your team. Because this is necessary if you want to achieve the entrepreneurial goals of your company.
accomplish goals ...you'd like.
It is also important in this context that you react differently to the different personality types among your employees. To find out which personality types your employees have, you can now take the Greator personality test with your employees.
This is free of charge and reveals the most important components of your employees' personality in just a few minutes. You can take the test here. To the Greator Personality Test.
Professional and personal development are closely linked. Changing one's life, getting involved in something new - these steps are harder than it looks at first.
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