As I write this, I’m sitting outside Starbucks at sunset in Sedona, Arizona, looking at the majestic red rock scenery. It’s great motivation for me to be able to write leadership articles and post on my blog from anywhere! As a keynote speaker and trainer, I love writing and conducting seminars. But my favorite way to work is when I can write outdoors with a gorgeous backdrop.
This got me thinking… if you’re a manager, supervisor, or team leader, do you know what motivates your employees? They have to be intrinsically motivated. But for extrinsic motivation, do you have good reward programs in place?
As a trainer conducting leadership seminars, here are 24 tips I hear most often in terms of what works when managing people and motivating employees:
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Show genuine appreciation.
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Offer money for milestones if you have the budget.
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Flextime or flexible hours.
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Get input from your employees, and implement their ideas whenever you can.
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If you don’t have any budget, have a potluck with a theme such as Valentine’s Day, or near 4th of July or Thanksgiving. Set the ground rules such as no peanuts, chips or pretzels, and tell everyone to really make a presentation out of whatever they bring.
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Bonuses, stock options.
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Acknowledge someone publicly when they go above and beyond either at a meeting, in a memo that goes out to everyone, or both.
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Casual Fridays.
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Have free, great tasting food at meetings, trainings, and other gatherings. This is almost guaranteed to get everyone there on time and feeling happy.
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Letting an employee leave early or have a day off. In my leadership and managing people seminars, time off seems to be the biggest motivator of all for employees.
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Offering an employee their birthday off.
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Gift certificates that are personalized. For example, a gift certificate to a special restaurant or store.
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Movie tickets or tickets to sporting events of employee’s choice.
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Management serving the employees once a year at a breakfast or picnic.
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Raffle contests.
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Taking everyone to a movie and lunch once a quarter.
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Flowers/plants given to new hires.
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“Motivational Monday” praises.
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Field trips.
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Annual gift cards with a memo from the Director or President.
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Gym and other vendor discounts
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Special parking spaces.
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Parking costs paid for the month in cities where parking is expensive.
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Gas cards.
Most importantly, show sincere and immediate appreciation and recognition to employees who have gone above and beyond. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. No one ever looked at their budget at the end of the year and said, “Oh my gosh! We forgot to include praise!” The best part is…praise is free. So consider incorporating some of these ideas to boost morale and build team spirit.
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