by: Batman
Part of a new series of blog posts from the Super Heroes on the LMN Support Team.
Ever wonder why there are days when you wake up with all of the energy and enthusiasm to conquer Mount Everest? Only to be counteracted with other mornings where you find yourself mustering the courage to roll out of bed? The desire to get up and accomplish something is a finicky road well traveled, with one’s degree of motivation in full control of the steering wheel. And guess what, the same highs and lows that you go through as a business owner are no different than what your field employees experience as well.
Triggering one to be motivated can be fairly easy to accomplish: from a ritualistic high-five to start the day, to email/in-person shout outs or staff meetings with clearly defined goals. The challenge therein lies with maintaining that level of motivation throughout the year.
Three main concepts to keep in mind to spark motivation and keep them at peak levels at your company are: autonomy, affiliation and accomplishment.
Autonomy
The ability to allow an employee to have a sense of self-governance is key to allowing them to feel a sense of ownership and holding themselves to a level of accountability for success (or failure). Having them fill out an “Employee Self Evaluation” form allows them to be honest with themselves when creating a checklist of their strengths and weaknesses, thus opening the conversation for feedback from yourself or their superiors on where to hone or improve their skills. This can be done before the start of each season to get them primed into the right mindset for the rest of the year.
Affiliation
Keeping everyone on the same page is another key factor to ensure that all parts of the machine are working in unison towards a common goal. Have everyone’s job progress posted in the meeting/breakroom, send weekly emails for updates, have your foremen host quick daily huddles to keep the crew up-to-date on job progress etc. The more inclusion each employee is exposed to, the more likely they are to claim ownership on a job and hold themselves to high regard to complete the job.
Accomplishment
Whether it’s a job being completed ahead of schedule, an employee showing initiative by problem-solving a situation in a novel fashion, or an employee not missing a shift for a month straight; everybody appreciates it when their contribution is noticed and brought to the forefront. Having a system in place to allow for your employees to applaud the work of their peers is a great avenue to cycle positivity and ensure your superstars are getting their due. Having an “Employee Commendation” form accessible for all of your staff to fill out at their convenience is one way to accomplish this. Have these accomplishments highlighted at your next meeting or part of your weekly/monthly email.
