“Learning to motivate yourself and your colleagues is the recipe for success,” says Monique Harrisberg, CEO and founder of The Voice Clinic, one of South Africa’s leading Communication Training Company’s.
“Win-win situations in the workplace are created by team work and a team that works together also motivates each other,” says Harrisberg. “You and your colleagues are the recipe for success, which means that no matter how busy or stressful the office is the workplace can still be fun.”
“However it is useful to know the science of what motivates others,” says Harrisberg. There are ways of motivating that this last longer and helps the organisation and team achieve their goals again and again, explains Harrisberg. It is the function of leaders and managers to motivate their employees and teams. But there are approaches to motivating people that can be destructive, like fear or intimidation; however these approaches are hurtful and if they work will only motivate people for short term periods. “Constructive motivation such as rewarding, effective delegation and coaching proved to be major motivators which create win -win situations for everyone in the office.
Harrisberg provides 10 techniques to motivate you and your team to succeed during busy and quiet times:
1. Respect each other: Say ‘good morning and thank you’ to your employees and colleagues. Reply to phone calls and e-mails.
2. Be an Active Listener: Listening is about paying someone your full attention when they are talking. Make eye contact and express a genuine interest.
3. Walk Your Talk: Set a good example and send out a positive vibe when you arrive at the office and throughout the day.
4. Let People know They Make a Difference: One of the most powerful methods of letting your employees know that they make a difference at work is through praise.
5. Communicate Clearly: Communicate so others understand what you want to achieve. Adapt your communication to the audience you are speaking to.
6. Help employees Succeed: People go to work to succeed, and the help they receive from their bosses or colleagues is very important. By understanding your employees strengths and weaknesses, you can help them focus and succeed.
7. The Goal In Mind: Focus your employees on the end result. Once you successfully communicate this to them the team will become more focused and more likely to achieve the goal together.
8. Create High Standards: Employees want to know what is expected of them, how their performance is measured and what rewards they can expect when they exceed the standard. Make sure your employee understands how the standards are measured so they know how to reach it.
9. Help Your Employees compete and Win : develop goals that help your employees excel. Create goals that are reachable by the entire team, which means that everybody is working together and wins together.
10. Reward Outstanding Achievements: Find ways to recognise your achievers in a public way. The more you reward employees for excellent achievements, the more you receive.
“By applying these motivation techniques you and your team will achieve your goals during the most challenging times,” says Harrisberg. “It is also important to understand people, not just as employees. See each person in the team as a unique individual who has different needs,” Harrisberg concluded.
