Comment this discussion : Can leaders really motivate employees? If so, how and
ID: 328749 • Letter: C
Question
Comment this discussion :
Can leaders really motivate employees? If so, how and for how long?
Is there a way to create and sustain a motivating environment that will also help retain talent? What is it? How does it work?
According to the Lawson Consulting Group (2013), “To be a successful manager/motivator you must first understand that you cannot motivate anyone. You can only create an environment that encourages and promotes the employee's self motivation”. Leaders can provide direction for employees for short periods of time through providing short term goals and for longer periods of time by providing vision. It is important that people have an understanding of the purpose of efforts and how their role contributes. Leaders who are happy and actively engage others in positive ways foster work environments where workers tend to enjoy going to work and are more comfortable. When leaders can get their teams involved in the decision making process they are able to gain buy in and increase commitment to achieving goals. People like knowing that their opinion is valued and that it helps drive the team. By using these simple techniques leaders provide a workplace that is more conducive to creating and maintaining motivated team members.
I have worked for a couple of leaders who were oppressive. Under their leadership production seemed to crawl and employee turnover was high. People did not want to come to work and many who stayed were just waiting for retirement or could not find a comparable paying jobs. The climate that leaders work to create can make all of the difference concerning the mood and productivity of an organization. I have had numerous leaders over the years and most have been pretty good. They were dedicated to the job and cared about the people they worked around. They were willing to seek input from others and recognize achievements. Over all everybody was happy coming to work and did well and looking out for one another. Empowered teams did a good job of policing themselves and looking out for one another.
I have been fortunate to work for a couple of outstanding leaders who were highly motivated and their enthusiasm was absorbed by the rest of the team. They were very good at maintaining very positive attitudes and when there was a need to address a negative subject it was done quickly and directly. As soon as the concern was addressed they rapidly transformed back to positive messages and actions. By creating and maintaining a climate where team members had input recruiting and retention rates flourished. By listening to team members these leaders stayed in tune with worker needs, concerns and desires and acted accordingly to keep them satisfied and productive. These leaders maintained situational awareness of their organizations and were able to anticipate and prevent potential problems before they materialized. As the reputation of these leaders and the teams they led spread though the larger organization more and more people asked to join the team. This provided the leaders with a lot of high quality people to choose from and made the teams even stronger.
Explanation / Answer
Business history is witness to the importance of effective leadership and the success of an organisation depends largely on not how good a leader himself is but how far he can motivate the human resource at his disposal to work as a team and carry everyone forward together. Motivation basically is creating an atmosphere of positivity, competitiveness and achievement where employees are personally compelled to want to give their best. Motivation to any extent can only induce it cannot perform it however, becomes a leaders irreplaceable intangible asset.
Leaders can motivate employees for sure and the most important factor is by walking the talk. A leader has to lead from the front and prove his ability and expertise, if he gives lengthy lectures but fails to act decisively and quickly whenever needed the employees are likely to see him as a braggart. Then the leader has to be empathetic, he has worked his way up the ladder and is aware of inherent problems so he should be able to correct negative behaviour in a quick and calm manner and take immediate corrective action. This prevents flow of negativity due to failures or botch ups motivation is not about handling success and appreciating achievements only but using failures to motivate can be superlative and take performances a notch higher. Its very important for the leader to maintain and nurture competition without sacrificing team spirit. Each person should be motivated to excel not to defeat another but to utilise his latent skills and talents to the maximum. The main mantra of motivation should be to utilise each persons resources to the maximum possible by appropriately rewarding them in value and lateral perks. A positive and energizing work atmosphere is one major perk a leader offers to employees they can enjoy their work. Motivation is an ongoing and continuous process which can never end. It is a quality the leader inculcates which is available every moment he is present and the effects of which last long into his absence. Implementing these methods for creating a motivating environment will ensure not only performance peaks and the company retains talent but also attracts new and the best talent from across large pools and competitors also. A good leader will ensure the employees are self motivated and have personal targets and achievements by always providing them ample scope for being independent and take decisions where required. By delegating and assigning accountability teamed with responsibility the leader builds trust in the employees and creates a feeling of belonging and being an integral part of the structure. This not only fosters loyalty and retention but also improves performance as the employees identify the success and achievements of the organisation as personal success also. A leader holds the key to success in his hand and let us say that his motivational skills is the force needed to turn the key in the lock.