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Discover the secrets of what makes people tick

Written by: Hilary Jeanes

Article Overview: Understanding what motivates each person who works for you is the key to their involvement and commitment. Here are some tips on getting the best from the people who work for you.

Discover the secrets of what makes people tick

One of the trickiest areas for managers can be how to motivate your staff. Here are a few do’s and don’ts on the subject of motivation.

Do:

- Provide what it takes to get the best from each and every employee:

- a good working environment and the tools to do the job
- security
- a sense of belonging/team spirit/friendship
- respect and recognition for achievements
- being given the opportunity to grow and develop.

- Check out what’s important to them about the way they do their job – and listen to and act on the answers!

- Get to know your people – find out what they enjoy doing and are good at both inside and outside work. This helps to build rapport, trust and loyalty.

- Give feedback – and often. Make it as specific as you can – ‘your report is really well structured and has a convincing conclusion’ is a lot more valuable than ‘that report is great’.

- Remember to say thank you – a few words go a long way.

Don’t:

- Assume that everyone is motivated by the same things as you are. Find out what works for them – pay linked to performance, training, holidays – different people want different things and at different stages of their lives.

- Expect people to read your mind! Explain your expectations – otherwise they will only find out what you want through trial and (more likely) error.

- Take it for granted that your people need the same level of support from you all the time. People need different things from you at different times – and tend to need more support when in a new job, taking on a different area of responsibility or under pressure to deliver to a tight deadline. Discuss with them what they feel comfortable with and notice what works for them.

- Think that people will know what’s going on in the team/business. Communicate frequently to keep people in the loop and make sure they know how to get more information if they want it.

- Forget that your employees are ambassadors for your organisation – if they are happy they will give positive messages to your customers and to prospective employees.

Applying these principles will help you to build positive relationships with the people who work with and for you and encourage them to stay with your business. In exit surveys one of the most frequent reasons for leaving an organisation is a ‘bad manager’ – use these tips and your staff won’t be saying that about you.

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Article Tags: ambassadors, conclusion, different stages, different things, different times, few words, friendship, good working environment, holidays, how to motivate your staff, job security, loyalty, motivation, new job, performance training, team business, team spirit, tight deadline



Related Forum Posts
Your age???? - Hi Laurie, Many thanks for your poste. I totally agree, that virtually everybody could cast their vote. This way we would have a good idea, what age group makes people tick. Actually, there is nobody age 50 plus, of which I am. Should I vote for myself? Please, read LHayes poste again and act on it. She got it exactly right. Even if you don't want to write a poste, you could share your age with the poll. Kindest Regards Beat "Unlock People's Potentials!"
Re: SES Toronto - Day 1! - ...oh and even though it's 21 secrets, why do you have [quote:1gz722fe]Tip #22: Use Your Thank You Page to Sell[/quote:1gz722fe] on your blog? Are you holding out on secrets or are you adding your own? Hope to see you at the next conference!
Women's buying patterns - I'd like to know more about women's buying psychology - what makes them tick? - are they looking for an "experience"? If so, are there important parts of the experience that must exist? - how do you break past Trust barrier? - If you are selling a service what kind of support are women looking for? - do women buy a sampling first to "check out the waters" before they commit to a larger purchase? or do they jump in with both feet?
Re: I failed woefully in 2011 - Michelle J, GT, Thanks for your advice and kind words. I am going to buy a white board, markers and write my goals where I will be seen them everyday. And as I finish each goal, i will tick them off then reward myself. Life is too short to be wasted doing nothing
Re: I am refreshed and ready - Hi Tanny, Good to see you back. I notice you have already appeared on the "This Month's Leaders" board so you have obviously been busy contributing to the forum! The good thing about an affiliate marketing type of Internet business is that you can let it tick over while you are away doing your own thing.


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