Keeping People Motivated

Motivation and Engagement

As we approach the summer months, many people will be distracted from work or normal routines by increased outdoor activities, vacations and our kids out of school, business cycles and even the warmer weather.

Your challenge as a parent, manager or small business owner is how to keep people motivated to perform their assignments.

Key Motivation Factors

I think there are three key factors that you need to recognise and prepare for behaviour adaptation and modification during this period.

Recognise that you are the example people are keying off of.

Key Factors for Successful Motivation

Communication, always important, but this time of year it is critical.

Why, because everyone else is juggling their personal schedules as well as job assignments.

You must encourage two-way communication; this will assure everyone is involved and keeps the work flowing smoothly with minimal disruption.

Start communicating the critical milestones or dates that need to be supported and planned for now, then each of these items can be planned around.

Critical Dates

The identified critical dates can be the customer orders, product releases, holidays, and planned vacations; depending on your situation identify these through the summer months.

Be aware, your normal routine may not begin again until up to three months from now when the kids are back in school.

Maybe you should backwards plan from this date week by week until you can arrive at today.

Flexibility

Flexibility is your ability to adapt to change at any given time or when presented with an abnormal situation.

If you have/are a company with built-in flexitime (window of arrival and departure times for worker schedules) around standard core hours, communicate this to everyone; and as a manager, treat each situation differently if possible.

You may be limited by human resource procedures or state workforce regulations; check in to these if you have questions.

The key is to let the flexitime work in your favour, but everyone must be communicating so the work or task is still ultimately covered.

Positive Attitude

Positive attitude, keep your smile it truly is contagious.

Sure there are going to be disappointed people during this period but focus on the bigger picture, not just the individual situation.

Keep the goals informant of everyone: why are we doing this, how we are doing against the goals.

Schedule an activity that can be viewed as a reward and positive gesture about the midpoint and, if possible, prior to a holiday.

Appreciation and Reward

This can be a catered lunch for everyone, prize give-aways of some type, or let everyone off for the afternoon with pay.

You get the idea; let the people know you appreciate their efforts during this time of year.

Set forth a constructive model for everyone to follow.

Do not become the negative case in point.

This article was contributed by Kent Jacobson

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