When it comes to running a business organization, it’s impossible to think about success without building a motivated workforce. Accomplishing major goals requires quality talents who put in the hours to take the enterprise from point A to point B.
No amount of strategizing and market research could replace the value of an energized workforce. As a business leader, motivating your employees and building a motivated workforce is a success factor you wouldn’t want to underestimate. Before you think about a major marketing campaign or restructuring initiative, figure out how you’re going to keep your employees engaged.
Here are a few tips to building a motivated workforce:
1. Make open communication a crucial component
As a working structure, your organization needs to be cohesive in that building a motivated workforce which knows how to complement each other’s roles. In short, you will need to make sure everyone is willing to communicate in the best situations and even crisis scenarios.
To achieve this, set an example by setting up monthly town hall meetings where employees could voice their concerns and work towards a solution as a single unit. By making communication central in your enterprise, building a motivated workforce allow members of the workforce to feel valued and invested in collective success.
2. Create a culture of (proper) incentives
Rewards and motivation go hand-in-hand in modern organizations, but many leaders often make the mistake of equating a rewards system as a way to boost productivity. Rather than seeing it that way, you should think of incentives as a part of your corporate culture. You don’t give out rewards and expect employees to work doubly harder. Instead, you design an employee benefits program because it’s part of your organization’s overall mission.
Realizing this helps you come up with incentives that not only raise productivity levels but also enable employees to take a more proactive role in growing the organization. Go beyond pizza parties and vouchers and offer incentives that reflect your genuine appreciation for the work they do.
3. Value independent creativity and productive autonomy
The era of micromanagement has passed. Today, motivating your workforce means making sure your employees have ample space to find solutions to problems. Allowing a certain level of autonomy communicates trust which is good for employee morale.
Your only role is to provide guidance whenever your workforce runs into problems that require leadership. This is also valuable in raising leaders who are willing to accept feedback as they navigate through a complicated task which provides them the opportunity to become self-sustaining.
4. Appoint the best leaders
Motivation doesn’t just come directly from the top. Supervisors and team leaders also serve as catalysts for engagement. As your eyes and ears on the ground, these essential roles will provide you with insights into employee morale, needs, and demands that inform future employee engagement programs.
As you scout for the most capable leaders in your organization, be willing to fill in as their mentor and help them uncover just how important they are in raising employee morale. Teach them how to listen and to function more as a conveyor of wisdom rather than as mouthpieces of the management.
Endnote
If you want your organization to thrive, you need a workforce that’s inspired, not pushed, encouraged, and not forced. Use these tips and start building up employees who perform with a genuine purpose in mind.
