NFIB

Are Your Employees Enthusiastic?
08/ 21/ 2002

by Jeffrey Moses

In today's competitive business environment, a small business will have difficulty succeeding if its employees aren't enthusiastic. But how can you fire up employees?

There are numerous ways to motivate employees, but perhaps the most compelling and long lasting solution is to demonstrate to your staff that they're not just "working a job." If you can find ways to point out how your employees are making a difference, you're much more likely to have an enthusiastic staff.

Most employees want to be doing something they think is important. Though they may consider their jobs pretty ordinary, when you show employees how their work contributes directly to the well being of others, they take greater pride in their accomplishments. This translates directly into increased commitment, greater enthusiasm, greater willingness to assume responsibility and eagerness to advance in their chosen careers.

When you recognize employees, make sure you vocalize how their work has helped customers. Most people want to do something that helps others, even if it's only making it quicker and easier to purchase what they need.

Once youÆve shown employees that what they do really matters, donÆt forget these other motivational techniques:

1. Offer employees financial incentives such as commissions, profit sharing and bonuses for jobs well done. However, studies show that emotional, not financial, motivation is most successful in the long term.

2. Assign specific tasks and goals to individual employees or to teams. Having goals for which they're responsible (and for which they will be recognized upon successful completion) is a surefire motivator. It gives them something tangible and immediate on which to focus.

3. Have regular company meetings to encourage team commitment and build group enthusiasm. At these meetings, emphasize positive accomplishments, not failures.

4. Encourage closer management relations with employees, with an emphasis upon "catching employees doing something right" rather than focusing on shortcomings.

5. Continually present new motivational encouragement to employees, in the forms of professional speakers, new company goals and new products or services.

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