Page 30 - How to Motivate Every Employee

Set standards and be clear: Identify those standards for a particu-
lar job and be specific about the outcomes that characterize out-
standing as well as unacceptable performance. Involve your employ-
ees in doing this. Employees who are involved in developing stan-
dards are more likely to discuss the obstacles that might impede
their efforts along the way, allowing you to handle those issues head
on before things get out of hand. Involved employees are also far
more likely to understand the standards and reasons behind them,
so you won’t have to work so hard to communicate these standards
again and again. And these employees are far more likely to accept
such guidelines for success and be motivated to meet them to the
best of their ability.
Define employees’ scope of responsibility: Make sure everyone
understands who is responsible for each job activity. When employ-
ees know their roles, this reduces confusion and gives them a better
sense of how they might work with their fellow employees to meet
their individual objectives. Once you’ve done this, you’ve set up the
next step, which is to help employees broaden the scope of their
responsibilities and open new opportunities for them. As an employ-
ee responds, you might want to suggest that he or she assume greater
decision-making authority on a certain project. But be careful. Your
goal is not to heap more work on the shoulders of your employees.
They need to know that you genuinely appreciate their efforts and
want to provide them with the opportunity to learn more and excel
on the job. You want your employees to feel that it is in their best
interests to go the extra mile.

“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should
have an equal opportunity to develop our talent.”
—John F. Kennedy

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