Page 44 - How to Motivate Every Employee

Campbell set out to walk 16,088 kilometers across Africa from Cape
Town to Tangiers, it amazed everyone. When asked why she was
doing it, she replied, “Because I said I would.” When asked who she
said it to, she answered, “Myself.” Ffyona believed in herself, and it
was that inner belief and confidence that inspired her to take on the
more treacherous terrain on foot and alone. Her self-motivated and
extraordinary efforts earned her the title “The Greatest Walker of
Them All.”
Help others bridge the gap to achieving goals: Staying self-motivat-
ed and accepting responsibility is the bridge between setting goals
and reaching them. It’s always the driving force behind people’s
achievements. Here are two effective ways to help your employees
bridge the gap to achieve their goals. One, help employees face fear.
Encourage employees to openly discuss their fears and what scares
them most and then take action in spite of those fears. When
employees start moving toward their goals, their fears and anxieties
will soon dissipate and confidence will begin to strengthen. Two,
help employees focus on the end result. Help them visualize what
success might look like and then drive toward it.

Hold employees accountable: Being accountable means taking
responsibility for your actions and their outcomes. Real accountabil-
ity goes beyond the performance of a task. It means they feel respon-
sible for their work and for the results they achieve. Here are some
tips for holding your employees accountable: develop a list of mutu-
ally acceptable performance criteria; connect expectations to
employee reviews and put expectations in writing beforehand; estab-
lish rewards for success and consequences when a job is done poor-
ly; make excellence the only option and demonstrate a low tolerance
for mediocrity.

“We must exchange the philosophy of excuse—
what I am is beyond my control—for the philosophy
of responsibility.”
—Barbara Jordan, lawyer and former member of congress

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