Page 58 - How to Motivate Every Employee

that you make the most of all that potential around you. The results
will be well worth your efforts, as the synergy you develop will keep
growing, building, and motivating for a long time to come. In the
words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Make the most of yourself ... for that
is all there is of you.” Here are some more ways that managers
unleash the power of human potential in their employees:
Train ’em: The saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” It is not. What
is powerful is how knowledge is used. So what kind of training pro-
grams do you provide to help employees gain new knowledge and use
it effectively? Training helps employees improve their skills and per-
formance—and it shows in yet another way that you care about them.
Coach ’em: Once you’ve invested in your employees’ learning and
development, it’s time to start a coaching program. You go to a lot of
trouble to maintain your computers and other equipment. But when
it comes to sustaining the motivation of your employees, it’s easy to
forget that they too must be “maintained.” Coaching is an effective
way to maintain employee motivation. Here’s the definition of the
word “coach”: “Someone who lends experience, encouragement,
and understanding to inspire someone to his or her best perform-
ance.”
Love ’em: Like the hit song by Tina Turner asks, “What’s love got
to do with it?” The answer: everything! The truly successful manager
is a manager who actually loves his or her people and demonstrates
this love by encouraging a loving atmosphere on the job. Simply put,
“love” in this context means that you’re concerned about your peo-
ple and their success, that you feel glad when they succeed, and that
you are willing to help them out and go the extra distance when they
need it. The feeling of a loving and caring work environment is the
essence of inspiring motivated teamwork.

“Work can provide the opportunity for spiritual and per-
sonal, as well as financial, growth. If it doesn’t, then
we’re wasting far too much of our lives on it.”
—James A. Autry, Love and Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership

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