Page 29 - How to Motivate Every Employee

Let employees worry about
their performance
Help them achieve

greater performance

In the beginning lessons of this book, we focused on helping
employees become intrinsically motivated. We also focused on how
you as a manager or supervisor can more effectively influence the
forces that compel others to do the things they do to the best of their
talent. In this lesson and the preceding one, we’re shifting our focus
to getting employees to take direction and then stretch themselves in
order to turn motivation into stronger performance and higher pro-
ductivity. Here are some ways to consider doing this:
Stretch people beyond their perceived limits: Take your employees
above and beyond the status quo of just doing the same job the same
way. Make their work challenging, and help them to see the bigger
picture and the part they play in it. They may resist if they feel that
higher expectations are being imposed on them. Let your employees
know that you are simply trying to help them stretch and grow for
their own benefit. They will love you for it! You can do this by help-
ing them set individual performance goals that exceed the existing
requirements of their jobs. Further, when you can explain how their
work adds value to the organization and how what they do affects the
work of others, your employees can begin to figure out different ways
to improve and grow their talents on their own.

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