5 Radical Things You Can to Do to Motivate Employees

5 Radical Things You Can to Do to Motivate Employees
Here are a few ideas on how to motivate employees beyond the typical promises and vague assumptions.

Motivation isn't always something that comes from within. Sometimes, it has to come from the boss. These techniques are a bit more radical than just handing out tokens to use at the company gift shop. They focus in on the core motivations of your employees.

1. Pick someone on your staff and send them on a mini vacation

One of the best rewards you can give an employee in your office is to send them on a quick vacation. Maybe it's just a weekend at a resort across town or something fairly inexpensive. But by sending one person on your team, you are motivating everyone, because it could be another person's turn to go next time. You're creating an atmosphere of rewards.

2. Remove yourself from a project

The de-motivating factor on a project could be your own presence. Maybe no one is very motivated because they know you will pick up the slack and finish everything. If you aren't around and the project depends entirely on their efforts, the team might suddenly become much more motivated--especially if they know you're not going to bail them out.

3. Turn the doldrums upside down

A good motivator for people is when some activity that seems fairly routine suddenly turns fun. I remember having to do a business trip that involved a boring drive from L.A. to Las Vegas. I decided to rent a Ford Mustang with a couple of team members. Suddenly, the trip became more inspiring and fun, and the business trip became more about building the relationships. It also hit home the point that other boring tasks could be fun.

4. Promise what you can deliver

Nothing kills motivation like a promise that isn't fulfilled. Yet, you can easily motivate someone by promising exactly what you can deliver. If the sales rep needs a boost and you know you can add a 5 percent bonus if he or she completes a certain objective, go ahead and offer that motivation. Take it a step further and get really specific about what the end result will be if the employee does what you are asking. The more specific you get, the more you can motivate. Don't just say there will be a bonus, say when, how much, and how often.

5. Give someone more leadership responsibility

Everyone likes being in charge--well, most people, anyway. One good motivator is to give more management responsibility to someone on your team. It's a reward that motivates because it shows you are aware of that person and their potential to lead. It helps an employee see that there is a bright future that could involve a promotion at some point. This is a radical move when it involves someone who might not be quite ready for the added responsibility. Just be ready to pick up the slack if the idea goes awry.

By John Brandon

Source: Inc.

3 Reasons Smart People Make Sure to Do What They Love

3 Reasons Smart People Make Sure to Do What They Love
Loving what you do is not a luxury.

When you get to your office in the morning, are you happy to be there? Do you dive into the day's tasks with enthusiasm? Or are you counting the minutes until you get to leave?

If you don't love what you do, no matter how successful you are, and no matter how much money you're making, you should probably consider doing something else. Many people seem to believe that loving what you do is a luxury. They plan their careers on the principle that making a decent living is necessary and that having work that you enjoy, and--more important--find meaningful, is a nice add-on, if you can swing it.

I think that's dead wrong. Making a living is essential, but so is having work that you enjoy and care about, and that you believe has real value. If your work is missing any of these features, and you don't see a good prospect for things to get better, it's time to consider doing something else. Here's why:

1. Work takes up a very big chunk of your life.

The average American spends 47 hours out of every week working. That means that during your working life, you'll be spending over 40 percent of your waking time at work. Or maybe much more. If you're running your own business, or working in management or in any of today's high-pressure, long hours professions, you likely are working even more than those 47 hours.

There's no getting away from it: Work takes up a huge proportion of our lives. None of us know how long or short these lives will be. But we do know that people who are dying often list the amount of time they spent working as one of their top regrets. Working takes you away from your family and from other activities you love. If you don't enjoy it or believe it serves a valuable purpose, then work isn't worth that investment of your time.

2. If you don't love your work, sooner or later you'll start sucking at it.

Oh sure, you might be good at the mechanics of something you don't particularly enjoy. But only for a while. Every industry is rapidly changing, and to stay good at something you have to keep up with the changes, which means constantly paying attention and constantly learning.

For most people, that means paying attention, reading, attending events, taking courses, and generally spending a lot of time outside of traditional work hours getting and staying up to date. It's going to be tough to get yourself to put in those extra hours if work is just what you do to pay the mortgage. And if you don't put that extra time in, you will fall behind.

3. You can't fake passion.

Even if you yourself can do a good job at something you don't like, you're going to run into trouble when you take on a leadership or sales role. You'll have a hard time inspiring deep caring in others for whatever it is you do if you don't feel it yourself. That will become a real stumbling block whenever you make a sales presentation, give guidance to an employee, or ask for money from a bank or investor. Unless you have superb acting skills, you won't be able to create passion in others that you yourself lack.

So why try? Most of us have a variety of career paths or professions that fit both our values and desires. Over your lifetime, you're likely to spend about 99,000 hoursmaking a living. If you don't want those hours to seem never-ending, better spend them doing something you love as well.

By: Minda Zetlin

Source: Inc.