JumpStart Your Employee Motivation: Ten Motivation Secrets to

Empower Your Team

by Ed Sykes
 
One of the important keys to employee motivation is to empower your employees to be
successful.  An empowered employee leads to the following benefits:
 
 Increased creativity
 Increased productivity
 Increased teamwork and motivation
 Increased initiative
 Increased ownership of work
 Reduced employee turnover
 Reduced human resources situations
 Better work environment
 Increased results for your organization
 Increased career opportunities
 
The following are ten motivation techniques to jumpstarting your employee motivation and
empowering your team to outstanding results:
 
1. Motivate Your Employees to Find Solutions
Encourage your employees to be solution creators instead of problem creators.  When
employees communicate a problem to you, look at it as an opportunity to empower
the employees.  Ask the employees how they would solve the problem, express your
confidence that they are the person to solve the problems, give them the tools to
solve the problem, and follow up with them.  You have just empowered those
employees to find ways in the future to create solutions and made your team more
productive at the same time.
2. Motivate Your Employees by Soliciting Opinions
Many times during our busy work day, we find it difficult to ask for opinions from our
employees.  But just the act of asking for their opinions tells your employees that you
value their input and motivates them to accomplish more.  Just imagine, it may be
the first time that an employer has ever asked them for their opinion, and they
appreciate it.
3. Motivate Your Employees by Managing to Their Level
Learn your employees’ skill, experience, and motivation levels for performing
workplace tasks.  Then assign the task and follow-up based on your findings.  For
example, you may need to follow up more frequently with an employee who is fairly
new to the project or organization as opposed to the “veteran” employee who doesn’t
need much follow-up.  Remember, the most skilled employee may not be the most
motivated for performing the task you
request.                                                                   
4. Motivate Your Employees by Delegating Tasks
Delegation is one of the most powerful motivation tools for empowering employees in
the workplace.  The sheer act of your delegating a task shows your employees that
you have the confidence in them that they can do the job.  Make sure you understand
the task to be delegated so that you can clearly and concisely communicate how to do
the task and hand off “ownership” of the task to the employees.  Delegation is
 providing your employees with ownership of the task, providing the tools for
successfully completing the task, expressing the reward and consequences for
completing the task and following up accordingly.
5. Motivate Your Employees by Encouraging Ideas
Ideas are the lifeblood of any organization, department, and team.  I always say that
every mind is too important to miss that one idea that can increase productivity,
reduce expenses, or increase profit.  Empower your employees by creating a safe
environment for your employees to share their ideas.  Remember, the idea that
doesn’t make sense today might be exactly the solution you are looking for a week
from now.
 
Always give your employees credit for the ideas they express.  Nothing will decrease
employee motivation and dry up the flow of ideas quicker than having managers take
credit for their employees’ ideas.  If your employees are coming up with ideas, reward
them publicly.  You will be amazed how the flow of ideas from motivated employees
will increase with each public recognition.        
6. Motivate Your Employees by Letting Them Run Your Meetings
One of the best ways to motivate and empower your employees is to involve them in
running your meetings.  Of course, you will set the agenda; but there are many
opportunities for you as a leader to let your employees run portions of or the entire
meeting.  Take the time to work with the designated employees ahead of time so that
they are confident with the assigned meeting tasks. During the meeting, you are
there to support them and help with any sections of the meeting that may provide a
challenge for them.
 
I suggest that you allow as many opportunities for different employees to lead
different meetings as possible.  By allowing your employees to play leadership roles in
your meeting, you will develop your employees for future opportunities and open
additional opportunities for you as a leader.
7. Motivate Your Employees by Embracing Mistakes
Without mistakes, there is no growth.  Allowing your employees to make mistakes
allows your employees to grow, be creative, and provide a vehicle for empowerment. 
Create a safe work environment so that when your employees make mistakes, they
are not punished.  Use the mistakes your employees make as learning experiences. 
Ask your employees how they would have performed the task differently and allow
them to tackle the task again.  Your employees will gain a new sense of
empowerment and feel confident that you will support them when they try something
new.
8. Motivate Your Employees by Assigning Leadership Roles
Leadership comes at all levels and doesn’t require a title.  Take the time to align your
employees’ skills with leadership opportunities.  Make sure you provide training in the
areas of opportunities for each employee so that they are empowered to step up to
new opportunities.
9. Motivate Your Employees by Rewarding Initiative
Create rewards for employees who take initiative.  Publicly recognize employees
during meetings, with reward boards, etc., so that other employees are motivated to
take initiative.
10. Motivate Your Employees by Getting Goal Setting Buy-In
Your employees will be far more motivated to achieve your goals if they are allowed
to help develop those goals.  Involve your employees in the goal setting process and
 get their input so that it becomes believable for them.  Once your employees feel
ownership of your goals, they will be motivated to move quickly to help accomplish
your goals.
 
Apply these employee motivation tips and you will motivate your team, achieve greater
results, and quickly accomplish your goals.