Motivate Staff to be Better than “Good Enough”

When you think about motivating staff, don’t just thinking about how you are going to get them to do their job.  Consider how you will motivate them to be better than “good enough” – motivate them to be excellent.  When staff members are encouraged to reach beyond the scope of just getting the job done they will not only be bigger assets to the company but they will feel better about their position in the company.

Maslow identified a hierarchy of 5 needs.

1. Psychological  – the basic expectations of a job like money and acceptable hours
2. Safety – they want to feel that their job is secure
3. Social – they want to feel like they belong
4. Esteem – they want to be recognized
5. Self-actualization – they want to be challenged and work to their full potential

When the first two needs are fulfilled – they have a decent pay and hours they like and they feel secure in their job – the job gets done.  But if you want employees to reach beyond that and discover excellence you need to satisfy their social needs, their need to be recognized, and their desire to be challenged.  Only then will they stop focusing on being “good enough” and reach for something more.

One of the ways you can motivate staff towards excellence is by giving them autonomy.  When employees have the opportunity to decide what they want to do and how they want to do it they work harder.  They will challenge themselves when they find the opportunity to do so.  This may not be logical to give them all the time but staff that has the ability to choose projects or to choose who they will work with they often will give more effort and the results can be outstanding.

You can also motivate staff to go above and beyond their jobs by giving them the chance to become experts in their field.  When they have the chance to learn something they enjoy and to work on it on a regular basis they become masters at their craft or their skill and people will come to them for help.  This builds on self-esteem.

Finally, let them have a purpose.  When there is a purpose to their work, when they can see how they fit into the company, and when they are motivated from within they will challenge themselves on a daily basis.  When staff do not feel that they have purpose in the company get their jobs done – but that is about it.

Motivate your staff with purpose, the ability to become experts, and some ability to be in charge of their own choice and you will find that the last three needs are fulfilled.  They will feel like they are truly a part of the company, they will feel that the work they do is putting their skills to use in the most efficient way, and they will feel that what they do is recognized.  Only then can excellence be obtained, as individuals and as a company.