It’s easy to become consumed by the effort that’s involved in operating your own business. Since you may feel passionate about what you are doing, it’s also natural that you may assume that your employees feel the same way.
It’s worth remembering, however, that they are likely to have invested far less in the success of your venture. You may think of your investment in purely financial terms, but it’s likely that it also encompasses time, effort and plenty of emotion.
Sharing your approach
Before considering why things are different for staff members, it may be worth pausing to ask whether you really need individual employees to share your passionate approach. Is this necessary, in order for them to produce the results that you demand?
It’s probably unreasonable to imagine that they’ll be able to meet the same levels of involvement, although it must also be said that maintaining productivity levels will be difficult, unless you can ensure that they have the necessary motivation to succeed.
So how can you ensure that you are getting the best possible levels of productivity from staff members? One of the most important elements to bear in mind is that individuals will all react differently to particular conditions. Something that motivates one person may not necessarily have the same impact on another individual.
What this means is that, as a manager, you’ll need to think carefully about the requirements of each staff member. A good example of this is the common assumption that money can be used as a significant motivator. This seems to have become accepted in some quarters.
Money as a motivating factor
There can be absolutely no doubt that financial inducements work well for some, but they don’t always lead to spectacular results. Some people won’t work harder simply because there’s more money on offer. You also need to be realistic about the fact that most people will tend to take the path of least resistance.
As a result, you’ll find that you’ll need to create a financial reward strategy that produces your required outcomes. If you fail to do so, then it’s likely that employees will simply take an approach that allows them to quickly earn a bonus, even if that doesn’t mean meeting your overall aims.
What other elements within the workplace may have an impact on motivation levels? Don’t forget that relationships are particularly important and any signs of conflict may lead to problems. Where possible, you’ll need to identify such conflicts and deal with them at an early stage. There’s a tendency for such issues to become magnified over time, which really underlines the importance of taking early action.
Another frustration for some employees may stem from the fact that they don’t feel that they have the necessary tools and support to complete work successfully. It may be, for instance, that the workplace simply isn’t suited to the jobs that are being carried out.
Think about whether you are doing all that you can to motivate others and to maintain high productivity levels.
Keith Barrett maintains an interest in many aspects of business. In order to deal with motivation issues, you may need to consider everything, from an office fit out to creating a suitable reward scheme.