The Motivation Dilemma
What motivates you? We hear this question in interviews, in 1 on 1's, and maybe even internally from ourselves. It is not an easy question to answer, and often, at least for me, I must dig deep to answer. Our motivation can vary based on our phase in life, where we are at in our careers, and more.
Even more difficult to answer: what motivates your employees? How can we keep employees engaged and motivated, while keeping in line with the company’s goals? If you pull up a quick Google search, you will find generally the same answers of:
1. Reward Employees
2. Create a Great Work Culture
3. Be Supportive
4. Share Feedback
5. Offer Flexibility
Many companies resort to the “carrot-or-stick” approach (contests or rewards when meeting goals). However, according to Susan Fowler in “Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does”, this approach is only a band-aid, and may even harm your employees instead of helping them develop professionally. Fowler suggests rewarding employees with autonomy: “Offer autonomy, relate to them as people and encourage their competence”. This leads to employees who can hold themselves accountable and continue his or her professional development.
It seems like everyone may have different motivators, some deeper than others. Some may simply be money motivated, and some might be working towards their dream promotion. So, does autonomy fulfill all of these motivators?
This leads me to wonder, how do you keep your employees motivated? Do you have any approaches that have worked better than others? I would love to hear challenges and successes!
Editor at Daily Sokaler Dak
5 年Hi,i work Ajilon for Bangladesh.
Organizational psychologist looking to help teams and individuals to be their best!
5 年Domonique Gratteri---thank you for your thoughtful post.? Motivation is a subtle and difficult notion to pin down, especially on diverse teams and changing organizational landscapes.? You mention understanding the motivations of different employees and listed some great examples of the different types of motivators---how can a leader best figure these out?
Branch Manager at AppleOne Employment Services | Dedicated team manager & recruiter |
5 年I agree with you how our motivators change depending on our stage of life/in our career. It is interesting to see how differently each person can be motivated as well, which certainly makes it difficult when trying to motivate a group of people in your team. For our team, we are motivated by helping each other, which has worked out well, so far. It allows us all to have the autonomy we need to get our own tasks completed, but also the understanding that if we are stuck, we have a team behind us to push us forward or to discuss strategies with!
Manager, HR Business Partner at The Adecco Group
5 年As leaders, I believe your job is provide opportunities for motivation and engagement.? I agree with Susan Fowler on encouraging autonomy.? There is nothing more motivating and engaging than knowing your leader believes in you.? Great job Domonique!
VP, Talent - Americas at the Adecco Group
5 年Good question...what would you recommend as an alternative to contests?