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Motivated Employees Take More Ownership

Written by: Jonathan Goldhill

Article Overview: It’s been said a man will work for a paycheck, but die for a ribbon. So why don’t more managers realize one key to building a sustainable business is rooted in validating your employees?

Motivated Employees Take More Ownership

It’s been said a man will work for a paycheck, but die for a ribbon. So why don’t more managers realize one key to building a sustainable business is rooted in validating your employees.

One of the first research studies ever done on employees was by psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943. According to Maslow, employees have five levels of needs; physiological, safety, social, ego, and self-actualizing. Maslow reported that lower level needs had to be satisfied before the higher level needs could be met. When all were met, you then had an employee that was motivated and contributing to the organization.

A study carried out by Researcher James R. Lindner at Ohio State University in 1998 found that employees were motivated by: (a) interesting work, (b) good wages, (c) full appreciation of work done, (d) job security, (e) good working conditions, (f promotions and growth in the organization, (g) feeling of being in on things, (h) personal loyalty to employees, (i) tactful discipline, and (j) sympathetic help with personal problems.

As for myself, I’ve spent the past two decades doing my own kind of personal research. I’ve studied by trial and error what it takes to build and maintain strong teams. I have come to realize though, that effective management is an art that you can always learn more about and never truly perfect. I still continue to learn, and I’m happy to share what I’ve come to know so far.

Help an employee see the best in themselves and they’ll give you the best
I understood early on that validation was a key factor in motivating and managing people. By giving praise to an employee’s unique abilities, I found that they were more likely to exhibit more of the behavior I praised. I knew by focusing on criticism, I would only get more of what I did not want from that employee.

Two wrongs never make right
Never embarrass an employee by reprimanding them in front of the rest of the team. Don’t publicly single out an employee as an example of what should not be done. Memos should never include names of those that did wrong. Though the employee may have done bad, these tactics only make you look worse. When needed, reprimanding should always be done in constructive ways and behind closed doors.

I also never talked down to my employees or used intimidation to get them to do their job. Fear is actually one of the worst tools used in trying to motivate employees. Leaders that act more as dictators and use intimidation techniques rarely get the best of even their “star” players. An employee that feels threatened on a daily basis often spends more time thinking about job security than actually focusing on what they do best. Fear breeds resentment. You’re not going to get the best from an employee that spends a lot of time angry at you.

Some may have considered my style too lenient, but I never had a problem letting my employees laugh and make small talk. I knew that laughter and knowing one another better created a very important bond. Studies have consistently shown that employees that like and bond with one another call in sick less and produce more because of their emotional ties to the team.


People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care
In fact, I’ve always shown my employees I was their boss, but I was someone they could talk to. They knew they were cared about from the day they were hired. If I cared enough to make them part of my team, then I also made a point to genuinely care about their well being in its entirety. I believed that by knowing they were cared for, they saw me as someone to work with and not against.

A rising tide lifts all ships
I understand the value of team incentives. By including a bonus or profit sharing plan for my employees, they knew that when the company was doing well, they would also benefit. End of the year bonuses were based upon the overall profit brought in that year by the company.

Learn to Listen
Mostly over the years, I’ve found one the most effective keys to motivating employees is to know what motivates them individually and designing a motivation program based on those needs. Whatever steps you take to support the motivation of your employees, these steps should first include finding out what it is that really motivates each of your employees. You can find this out by asking them, listening to them and observing them. Take the time to communicate.

A really effective leader is one that is able to inspire the best in those that work for him. You shouldn’t have to force any of your employees to do anything. They do it because they are inspired to do so. To be able to inspire the best in your team is to have true and authentic power as a leader. Remember, motivated employees are employees that take greater ownership of their positions bringing greater value to the company.

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  JumpStart Your Employee Motivation: Ten Secrets to Empower Your Team

Article Tags: effective management, ego, giving praise, good working conditions, job security, lindner, managing people, ohio state university, paycheck, personal loyalty, personal problems, personal research, psychologist abraham maslow, researcher, ribbon, sustainable business, trial and error, two wrongs, validation, wages



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