I often see employees working unmotivated in the companies they are in, and often, this doesn’t mean they dislike their job or the role they perform, but that they’ve lost the enchantment for what they do. And when we stop believing in what we’re doing, soon it starts to make no sense at all, and eventually, we end up giving up.
Of course, motivation doesn’t arise overnight and isn’t something that will suddenly happen in a person’s professional life, especially when they’re already discouraged, but it’s a process that the leader needs to try to stimulate day after day, as if it were part of the routine of tasks. In some cases, simple actions can change an employee’s feelings. The difference lies in the perception of details.
However, the problem begins when leadership starts seeing the motivation of the team as a mere obligation. You must be wondering: why is this a problem since I said it needs to be part of the routine? The thing is, from the moment the leader believes that motivating employees is just an item on their list that needs to be checked off, it’s a sign that it’s not working.
According to data from a survey conducted by the consultancy Robert Half, which aimed to understand how companies and workers feel about work, the role of leaders in consolidating employee happiness is considered very relevant. About 94% of the professionals interviewed believe that satisfaction is influenced by the leadership’s performance.
Quite a significant number, don’t you think? This only proves what I’m saying that managers play a fundamental role in the team’s motivation, and some attitudes can really make a difference. For example, active listening by the leader can make people feel seen and heard, which will have a positive impact on how they see themselves within the company.
In this motivation process, employees need to understand that their respective roles make a difference for the organization as a whole and that together, they’re participating in a large gear that allows the business to function. And this will only be possible to understand if leadership points out and shows that each one has their value, encouraging them to be even better.
One of the ways a leader has to motivate and keep the team motivated is to make clear the direction they’re heading, what the objectives are, and why they exist. Over the months, in meetings, this leader should practice the active listening I mentioned earlier and direct the employees’ efforts toward this team mission that contributes to the organization’s mission.
Frustrating expectations is also a way to undermine motivation, which is why having clear metrics that show we’ve reached the goal is fundamental. This will facilitate interactions, making discussions more objective and less loaded with other, more qualitative factors that often cause more noise and distraction than contribution to achieving the end goal.
Motivating employees is not just an obligation
