A Concentrated Shot of Motivation

War movies are always great. Aside from the great action and the drama, we will always be exposed to the motivational speech of the leader before the climactic battle. It’s always the same really. All of the soldiers form in planks, the leader goes up front, everyone goes quiet and he delivers this rousing speech that energizes everyone. A charismatic leader with the gift of gab can easily pull of this feat. But what if you don’t possess these gifts and you still want to motivate your employees. Don’t worry, it’s really easy. All you need is a concentrated shot of motivation.

What is a concentrated shot of motivation? To explain, we need to discuss long term and short term motivation. Long term motivation is actually good, because it can energize an employee for an extended period of time. These people are focused and don’t give in to distractions. They only account for 10 – 15% of the total workforce, they’re really special and they don’t need a lot of attention from you. Short term motivation or concentrated shots are reserved for the other 85-90%. These workers need to be reminded daily, maybe even hourly why they’re working. You can remind these employees with a simple phrase, or a thumbs up, but the thing is, you need to know what makes them tick. Follow these tips to make you an awesome motivator.

Make Them See the Bigger Picture

Always remind your staff about the bigger picture. Companies have goals that are usually shared by their employees. Remind them of what you want your company to achieve. Tell them that they’re part of the company and the company’s success will be reflected on them.

Their family and their dreams can also be good motivators. Are they working to sustain their child? Do your employees want to get promoted? Find what makes them work hard and use it to up work output.

Study the Patterns

People are creatures of habit. They have routines that they follow everyday so they can proceed to do some work. The parts of their processes can be a cup of coffee in the morning or a look at their family’s picture. These habits can be simple, but it means a lot to your employees. Study the patterns, the small things that are part of your employee’s working day and use it to your advantage. If one of your employees seems tired, offer him a cup of Joe. Say something positive about the family picture on their desk. These efforts can be small, but they can mean a lot to the right people.

Give Small Rewards

A “Good job” can energize your employee to do better. A daily prize can also be exciting. You can give a small incentive to the one who gets the most memberships for the day. The one who thinks of the best idea gets a gift card from their favorite restaurant. Ideally, greater rewards should be given to deserving employees like cash and promotions, but for everyday motivation, small rewards are the way to go.