By Alan D. Benson
As a leader, how you act has an immense impact on the motivation of your workforce. Establishing clear expectations for performance is vital to ensure that everyone in the workplace understands what they need to do and how their performance will be evaluated. You must also hold yourself accountable for setting a good example and rewarding those who meet or exceed expectations.
Consistency is another crucial factor in maintaining and motivating your staff. If someone is rewarded for meeting expectations one day but not the next, then this can create confusion and resentment among other workers. It’s essential to remain consistent with rewards, performance evaluations, communication styles, etc., so everyone knows what to expect from you as a leader.
It is also important to ensure that you do not show favoritism or bias towards any of the workers in your team. You should strive to be fair and consistent when evaluating performance, rewarding excellence, providing feedback, and setting expectations. This will help ensure that everyone feels like they are being treated equally and fairly.
Finally, having a workforce plan is essential for managing motivation levels within your organization. Planning activities, timelines, goals, milestones, and rewards ahead of time, make it easier to manage workloads and keep people motivated throughout the year. This helps set clear objectives for everyone involved so everyone knows what needs to be done and how they can contribute towards achieving those goals.
These five strategies – good leadership, accountability, consistency, fairness, and a workforce plan – are critical for energizing an unmotivated workforce. They provide a solid foundation for creating an environment of motivation and performance where everyone is engaged and working towards the same goals.
