6 Motivation Secrets to Inspire Your Employees

1. Individual attention matters.

While teamwork is an important element of company success, and grouping your employees together has advantages in building that "team" mentality, nothing beats individual attention when it comes to individual motivation. In large corporations, this is especially true, since employees can feel isolated or unrecognized in a vast sea of workers. Taking a moment to speak to an individual alone and personally can make him or her feel truly appreciated.

The best way to go about this is to offer direct praise when an individual exceeds performance goals or does some exemplary work. Not only does this make the employee feel recognized and appreciated, it also reinforces the positive behavior for the entire workforce. But the importance of individual attention extends beyond simple praise. If someone is underperforming, or is overwhelmed by a specific duty, take him/her aside for some personal coaching or one-on-one talks that can help that employee work through his/her problems. This type of individual attention demonstrates that you care about the individual behind the work as much as the work itself, and that you're willing to take extra steps to make the individual feel comfortable.

2. Advancement opportunities are enticing.

People tend to feel stifled when their job becomes repetitive or stagnant. Going too long in the same position, with no changes or hope for change, will eventually demotivate even the most ambitious employees.

However, if you offer opportunities for advancement and improvement, your employees will be motivated to work harder. As a simple example, promoting from within rather than hiring outside experts can have a profound effect on your company's overall morale. But advancement doesn't always have to come with a raise and a new job title. Offering new training or education opportunities for your employees is also motivating, as is offering new responsibilities to those willing to take them on. Help your employees grow and change in their own ways, and they'll be far more excited about working for you.

3. Leaders set the example.

As a leader within your organization, people are going to look to you to set an example for the rest of the group. You're going to be setting a tone, a work ethic, and a set of values for the company whether you mean to directly or not, and setting the right example can have a meaningful effect on the mentality of your group. For example, if you work hard and stay optimistic about everything, even in the face of enormous challenges, your employees will be likely to do the same. If you set an example of positivity and understanding, your workers will mirror you, and the entire culture of the work environment will become more motivating.

4. Environmental motivators can make or break you.

How you shape your work environment has a major effect on your team's mentality. There's no right or wrong way to go about this, since every company is going to have a different culture, but it is important to include both opportunities to "get away" from the traditional work environment and pieces of color or flair that make the office interesting. For example, some companies have torn down their cubicle walls in an effort to make a more open, team-based workspace. If this is too extreme for your company culture, implementing something simple like a decked-out break room could be just as effective.

5. Socialization makes people more committed.

Most people try to separate their personal and professional lives, and it's usually for the best. Trying to make everyone in the office best friends is a bad idea for a number of reasons, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have meaningful conversations outside of a typical work environment. Being friendly with your work force builds bonds and a collective sense of teamwork, and makes work seem less machine-like and more like an organic team effort.

You can prompt people to socialize with each other more by holding team-based events. They can be outside gatherings, like parties or group activities, or something simpler like group lunches at which people are encouraged to let their hair down and talk casually to one another.

6. Transparency is the key to communication.

Creating an environment of transparency, where you speak openly about your business to your employees and they feel comfortable coming to you with anything that's on their minds can do wonders for the collective motivation of your workplace. That's because transparency builds trust; when people understand that you aren't hiding anything, and that you'll listen to anybody, they're far more likely to respect you as an authority and appreciate you as a leader. It also opens inter-departmental channels, giving employees and supervisors greater clarity and more opportunities to openly communicate. Employees are more comfortable bringing up what they like and don't like, and there are more chances to nip potential problems in the bud by calling them out.

SOURCE:inc.com