Pebble - 14th March 2023

When one thinks of ways of motivating others the first image that comes to mind is that of a coach gathering his team members together before a big game and giving them a pep talk and getting them all revved up to go out on the field to play their very best. While this initial form of encouragement may work at the onset, usually halfway through the game it has worn off. It is therefore more important to find more permanent ways of motivating others.

While it is strongly believed that individuals cannot be made to act in one manner or another, it is possible on the other hand to create a favourable environment that will encourage people to act in a certain way and also will help to foster a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment for their achievements.

People become motivated when others defer to them for advice. Many individuals make the mistake of assuming that it is demeaning to them in one way or another to ask for advice from another, especially from someone who is less experienced, has a lower grade/rank or is from a different area of work. This is not the case. When you ask advice from a person who is more knowledgeable in a given area than you are, you instill motivation in them because they realise that they must be viewed as competent or otherwise no one would ask them for their thoughts, ideas or suggestions. This helps employees to feel that they are a worthwhile part of the greater whole of their workplace. 

When it comes to employees, be aware that "people support a plan or a programme which they have helped to develop."

Always seek to keep other people "in the loop" about what is going on whether it be family meetings or staff meetings at the office. At work make sure the meetings are relevant to those who attend and make sure they are full of useful information. Workers feel more confident and are more motivated to do their best work when they are kept informed about the happenings around the office. As well, people are pleased when management communicates vital workplace information to them.

Make sure you share the end goals with your employees as well because no matter how choked full of information a meeting is, if it does not include the hoped-for goals or results employees will quickly become bored, restless, confused and frustrated and will probably be looking for an excuse to get out of the meeting and return to work!

Being praised for work well done is one of the greatest motivators for anyone. This can be done most easily in the workplace but it can also be done in the home, such as when you praise someone for a delicious meal or praise how he or she painted a room or redecorated a wing of the house or when you praise someone's flower or vegetable garden.

Praise makes a person feel recognised and it also adds a sense of meaningfulness to just about any project, task, assignment or chore. All praise is relevant and appreciated but sometimes zeroing in on a particular aspect of a job and praising someone for that is so important. This is especially the case when a person has been working towards a goal for a very long time and needs all the encouragement and motivation he or she can get.