How to motivate people?

Many times I have heard in the business environment that people have to self-motivate or that the company is looking for a person self-motivated.

Personally, I consider myself a person able to find motivation in their work as in life and therefore I do not need someone who gives me motivation in everyday life.

At the same time, however, I believe that the solution of saying that people must self-motivate seems to me to be a bit like one oversimplification.

There people management and their motivation is one of prerogatives of managers so giving it up, from my point of view, helps to empty the manager's role of meaning.

A person who is satisfied with his work also produces 10 times more than one who is dissatisfied.

What motivates us?

The concept of wealth
By wealth we mean any good, material or immaterial, to which we aspire because it is believed that it satisfies, directly or indirectly, human needs or desires, and that it is scarce compared to those needs or desires.

The above economic perspective is well suited to explain the mechanisms of motivation.

Sources of motivation

Material incentives

• Salary increases;
• Bonuses and rewards for achieving goals
• Benefits (mobile phone, car, personal computer, company products)
• Award travel

Intangible incentives:

• Participation in high-level meetings;
• Participation in special committees and working groups;
• Coaching or Mentoring;
• Awarding of special assignments;
• Participation in training courses;
• Praise for a job well done;
• Public acknowledgments of merit;
• Frequent face-to-face communication;
• Creation of a climate of mutual trust;

The classification is not intended to be exhaustive. Furthermore, it must be specified that aspirations differ from person to person and therefore what motivates one person may not be relevant to another.

(H. Sedehi)

Responsibilities of managers

Management by objectives
To define clear, challenging and achievable goals: the objectives should not be imposed, but must be agreed with the collaborator.
Most individuals know how to make their work richer and meaningful;
The stimulus or motivation disappears completely when the achievement of the goal appears virtually impossible.

Define production standards: the manager must clearly state what you expect by the collaborator.

Define objective measurement methods: when the objectives are defined, the criteria for evaluating the work performed must also be defined. These criteria must be as objective as possible and must be measurable.
Giving direct visibility on the achievement of objectives is in itself a motivating factor.

Maintain discipline: bad behavior is to blame. To tolerate is to approve. The reproaches must be made when the fact is detected, in a timely manner, and must be accompanied by an encouragement to the person. It is not the person who is no good, but only a single behavior of this one. See also "The management of blame"

(H. Sedehi)

The most frequent mistakes

Mistakes to avoid

• The fact that the manager has more or less sympathy with his employees does not favor the creation of an atmosphere of approval, while the consideration in which he holds the potential contributions that its employees can give to achieve the objectives business.
• In the annual evaluation of collaborators, attention shifts to the person and not to the behaviors held. In this way people will see any negative results as a criticism of the person and not of one or more actions.

• Noticing an individual only when he makes a mistake
• Few face-to-face meetings with collaborators;
• Poor or ineffective communications;
• Inaccurate or wrong inputs;
• Entrusting tasks with low intellectual content;
• Excessive control or not focused on results;
• Entrust proxies in half;

Inappropriate use of reprimand or punishment; blame management must also be a training opportunity. Also, giving a scolding in front of colleagues is humiliating.

(H. Sedehi)