The employee-manager relationship can be a tricky one to navigate if you are trying to cultivate a productive atmosphere that motivates your employees to do the best job possible. It takes a truly unselfish and observant attitude to know what type of communication and methods will work to encourage a particular employee to do their best. What motivates one may not motivate another. This is why getting to know each employee is the best secret weapon you can develop when it comes to stimulating growth and connecting with your team on a deeper level.
Dealing with Different Personalities
Perhaps, one of the most valuable skills a manager can develop is the ability to deal with different personalities effectively. This takes paying attention to detail and being able to actively listen. A manager that knows what questions to ask and in turn is willing to ask for clarification when needed is invaluable. If that quiet employee that continues to meet expectations but never seems to grow enough to exceed them can openly communicate with his or her manager, perhaps this person can be motivated to go further by making a few impactful changes with the help of a good manager.
Communicating the Value of Non-Monetary Incentives
We all love money, but there are other ways to motivate your employees that supersede monetary compensation. Perhaps, it would be an additional motivation to know that the employee that finished all his or her projects could take a long weekend once a month or earn tickets to a show or popular restaurant. Just understand that motivating incentives can come in many forms and should be communicated in a way that showcases their value.
Proactively Dealing with Under-performers
You may have an employee that lacks the motivation to meet even his or her basic expectations. This may be someone that’s consistently late turning things in and lacks follow through on many projects. They may show up late or leave early or both and be more motivated to enhance online presence. In this situation in particular communication becomes extremely important. It’s a good idea to arrange a meeting with this employee and find out if there is something preventing them from meeting their expectations. These conversations should always be open-ended, encouraging as much free expression as possible. The goal should be to gain enough understanding to put an action plan in place.
Communication is a powerful tool that any manager can use to guide, direct, and inspire his employees. It must be adapted to the individual employee, seek to motivate both over and under performers, and communicate incentives that are both monetary and non-monetary forms of compensation.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
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