Keep employees inspired and productive

It’s an essential question since companies today must accomplish more, with fewer people. The most successful start-ups must be lean, nimble, and fierce. In a nutshell, you should hire bright, energetic, innovative employees. Then offer them the right incentives – the ones that will impact their brain and and most importantly their personality types, in order to keep them mentally and emotionally invested in doing their best.

Consider Google’s approach with their “20% time,” in which employees may spend one day a week on whatever they want. This shining example demonstrates how allowing intrinsically-based motivations (a sense of accomplishment or purpose) can flourish. Personal endeavours from “20% time” resulted in Gmail, Google News, Orkut, and AdSense. Long before Google, 3M instituted the “15% solution” or “dream time,” which yielded both Scotch Tape and Post-It Notes and that was back in 1948!

There’s no question that intrinsic motivation is essential. However, a skillful entrepreneur keeps employees motivated by combining this with raises, bonuses, commissions, awards, titles, flex time, and other perks. As Daniel Pink (best selling author of Drive) shares “people perform best when they are given autonomy, opportunity for mastery, and the belief that their task is meaningful. Money is not the best motivator, and that employees want to be ‘players, not pawns’.”

That said, there is no cookie-cutter approach to motivating your people. What inspires one person may leave the next cold. When you understand an employee’s thinking and behavioural preferences, you’ll be able to maximize his or her enthusiasm. This will help you get your workforce aligned and moving in the same direction, and you’ll see incredible returns.

Extracts from article by Geil Browning

Do you have any nuggets of advice you can share to inspire and motivate others?