How to Motivate People At Work

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How to Motivate People at Work

People come to work for many reasons, and understanding these reasons helps motivate them to work better.

There are two kinds of motivators: positive and negative.

Negative motivators include threats, sanctions, reprimands, and punishments. These methods should only be used as a last resort or in an emergency. Negative motivators create bad blood and are unsustainable.

Using positive motivation with employees is crucial because it significantly boosts productivity, job satisfaction, and morale. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more engaged, creative, and committed to their work. This supportive environment reduces stress and burnout, fosters a strong company culture, and enhances professional development. Ultimately, a positive and motivating workplace leads to lower turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and attracts top talent, providing a competitive edge for the organisation.

Positive motivation techiques include:

1. Money

Everyone values money because it provides choices.

2. Things equivalent to money

For example, vouchers or time off.

3. Recognition for achievements

People work for medals, awards, and certificates. For example, councils award organisations with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum awards, and companies strive to achieve these.

4. Job security

In an uncertain marketplace, job security is valuable. Most people will work to secure their position.

5. Verbal praise and appreciation

Thanks, praise, and appreciation are free to give and costly not to. Failure to appreciate people causes failure. Give appreciation for good work, and you will see more good work.

6. Investment in professional development

Invest in someone's professional development to motivate them. Tell them you are helping them actualise their full potential. This makes people feel appreciated and valued, and they will work harder.

7. Promise of possible promotion

Without giving cast iron guarantees, telling people their career is on an upward path inspires them to work harder.

Honesty in Motivation

For these methods to be effective, they must be done with complete honesty. Any dishonesty will cause failure. The moment a person is perceived as dishonest, that person loses the trust of others.

Personal Development Training

Our highly rated two-day Personal Development Course covers motivating both yourself and others.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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Further Reading in Motivation

• The Myth of Natural Talent
  Success is crafted through deliberate knowledge acquisition and rigorous practice, dispelling myths of innate talent. 'Sixth sense' stems from experience, not magic. Persevere through setbacks; quitting is the real failure.
  Read Article >
• Give Yourself Positive Feedback
  Giving yourself positive feedback is the art of recognising when you have done a good job, and remembering to praise yourself. This promotes a good self-image. A good self-image is important because it is the basis of a healthy personality.
  Read Article >
• How to Motivate Someone to Change
  Many people dislike change and will do anything to avoid it. Motivating someone to change can be difficult, but the Pleasure/Plain Questioning Technique is a brilliant way to help motivate people to change. It's all about asking the right questions!
  Read Article >
• Load the Dice in Your Favour
  Success requires all three dice; representing you, others, and circumstances, to score a 6. Your excellence, others' performance, and favourable circumstances must align for success. A challenging feat, over which you only have partial control.
  Read Article >
• Understanding Human Motivation: Fear of Rejection
  The fear of rejection can stop people from applying for their dream job, simply because of the fear of failure. Learn how to overcome this irrational fear and live life on your terms.
  Read Article >

Looking for Leadership and Management Training?

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