Page 33 - How to Motivate Every Employee

Don’t worry about rewards
and recognition
Be clear about rewards

and recognition

Let your employees know up front what to expect if they meet or
exceed the standards of excellence you’ve set for them with their
help. Be clear about potential rewards for hitting those goals. In
other words, let employees know what’s in it for them, then plan on
them succeeding beyond your wildest imagination. Sure, it may be
less expensive for the organization if employees fall slightly short on
meeting your expectations, because then you’d be saving on those
rewards. But the smartest managers know that success, even when it
entails additional expense, breeds greater success and motivation
among the ranks.
When your employees do hit the target and meet a standard
you’ve set for them, reward them immediately. Never stall. By doing
this, you help employees directly connect the reward with the behav-
ior and higher performance they’ve attained.
Never make a promise without a plan to deliver. When that hap-
pens, it sends a message to employees that you can’t be trusted and
that you really don’t have faith in them. On the other hand, don’t
make the promise of rewards the main reason for employees to per-
form. What you want is for employees to know that rewards are
recognition of a job well done and not simply the goal of doing the
work.

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