Connections: the key to motivation

Effectively managing employees requires several skills. One of the most overlooked is a manager’s ability to motivate their staff. Motivation can be difficult in regular circumstances, let alone when teammates are trying to juggle kids, bandwidth, communication, and other issues. All of this has resulted in particularly challenging times for many managers.

In this, our third in a series of articles on Managing in the new Working-From Home paradigm, we look at motivation and how this special skill goes a long way in our present working environment.

Everyone is experiencing varying levels of helplessness, depression, cynicism, and even anger, and that’s without adding work to the mix. These feelings are very demotivating for remote employees and many managers are struggling to deal with issues that they have never had to address before.

The manager’s responsibility is to oversee their employees and to create the conditions for successful productivity. There was a time when managers relied on negative motivation – the fear of consequences for not performing – but those ideals have increasingly been proven to be ineffective and managers who continue to practice them will be out of their depth. The stressful conditions created by COVID for remote employees now requires positive motivation. Those managers who know how to apply positive motivation will reap the rewards.

Good managers have always understood the value of coaching employees to positively motivate them. They appreciate that their team is composed of individuals who respond to often differing motivations. 

The effective manager also recognizes that a properly motivated employee often becomes a competent and engaged employee who can become more effective and a better ambassador for their company. 

There are many ways to positively motivate an employee.  Beginning with clear communication and encouragement. These two simple, yet often overlooked, traits facilitate an employee’s buy-in to their responsibilities. Which in turn, develops personal accountability and even self-discipline.

Motivation is not a “one-size-fits-all” process.  Not all employees respond to the same types of motivating. It is also not a “one-off”. It requires regular and frequent contact through a variety of “connections”. 

For example, virtual team meetings, currently a staple for all workplaces, are good for motivating most teams. These are most effective when they have agendas and provide opportunities for input. Teams feel connected when they can celebrate a success and share challenges.

Managers should also be looking at additional connections to motivate and encourage teammates including one-on-one meetings. These types of meeting are really where the rubber hits the road for many of us, as they are often viewed as the best for motivating remote employees.  

One-on-one meetings provide an opportunity for the manager to engage with the individual. By checking in to see how employees are coping will also create the opportunity for them to bring up their concerns. Simple questions that we often take for granted – how they are coping, how’s the family, or task-oriented questions – can go a long way. These are stressful times and providing the opportunity for them to talk will help. On the flipside, if they don’t want to talk, that also needs to be respected, but they will know that their well-being is important to you.

Finally, do not micro-manage. Continue with regular communication and ensure that they have the tools they need to meet expectations, trust them, and leave them to it.