One of the questions that I hear most leaders ask is, “How do I keep employees engaged?” Is money effective? How about bonuses, or a promotion?
As most of you know, very rarely do these work, especially in the long term. Usually it’s the simple things in life that works the best. Remember, you are dealing with people. What works for employees works for spouses, children, siblings, and your friends. Below are 3 very simple ideas on engaging and motivating employees. These ideas are simple, but still require focus and take the time to implement.
- Leaders, be yourself- Letting others see who you really are helps them understand you and become comfortable with you. More importantly, if you are trying to be someone else or portray a different image, that act is hard to keep up with and people will see right through it. People want genuine leaders. Employees will respect you for it, and people are more engaged and motivated when they have leaders that are predictable and authentic.
- Leadership offices- You shouldn’t be able to tell where the leader of the company sits by looking at the offices. We have all heard the phrases, “Corner Office” or “Called to the Carpet”. It is demotivating when an employee needs a tool to do their job more efficiently and can’t get it, meanwhile the executive leadership all have 1,000 sq ft offices with solid oak desks.
- Let them work- Give them objectives and/or tasks and let them work. Make sure the objectives are understood, agreed upon, and the due date is clear. For example, if you give an employee on task on Monday to be completed by Noon on Friday, you shouldn’t have to check with them every day. The only time you should get involved before the due date is if they ask for help.
To learn more about engaging and motivating employees, join John Williams at the 26th Annual Gathering of Games, where he will present an educational session on this topic. Join us in this highly interactive session where you will leave with dozens of new ideas on engaging employees.
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