There’s no doubt that the key to a company’s success lies not only in the competence and planning of the management staff but also in the hands of each individual employee and the organization as a whole. Obviously, employees are more capable when they’re properly educated about the tasks at hand and sufficiently motivated to get them done in a productive manner. Therefore, finding ways to educate and motivate your staff members should be a top priority for any business that is interested in improving the capabilities of its workforce. With that said, here are seven ways you can motivate and educate your employees to initiate change in company operations:
1. Bring in an Authoritative Speaker
Let’s face it, not every company owner or manager can be one the best business speakers in the world and deliver a speech that will provoke a powerful response from employees. There are experts who have taken years to study the art of public speaking and motivation, developing profound content that promotes inspirational thoughts and discusses the logistics of running a business properly. Assuming that the average manager can achieve the same effect without guidance is simply unrealistic. Hiring a business speaker is an ideal solution to consider when you know that your management staff has potential but you feel they may need a bit of mentoring to get there.
2. Offer Incentives for Good Performance
Offering bonuses or commissions to employees who are able to meet specific performance goals is a great way to get your staff members involved in a competition that improves productivity and quality of service company-wide. Furthermore, establishing a reward system lets the employees know that their performance and progress is being assessed on a scheduled basis, so they’re more likely to work towards their objectives more zealously.
3. Provide Access to Free Online Courses
There are a variety of online universities and educational platforms that provide a plethora of courses on practically every topic you can think of, especially in relation to business management. Consider providing your employees with an access pass or login credentials to one of the many sites that provide business training courses and informational videos. This will ensure that your key team members have access to edifying materials that they can use to further their work habits and industry knowledge in their spare time.
4. Consider a Coaching or Training Service
Just as a speaker can be a valuable asset, so can an in-house trainer or coach who monitors the actions of employees and focuses on making adjustments accordingly. Many times these programs operate based on proven sets of criteria or strategic points that simplify the process identifying and resolving operational problems on a personalized basis.
5. Hold Frequent Meetings
One of the best ways to be sure that your staff members are adequately informed about the topics that matter to you is to hold daily or weekly meetings during which you can have brainstorming sessions, discuss the next week’s agenda, go over the progress made the previous week, and cover any issues that might be of concern for the company. These meetings give you a chance to see who’s the most involved and ready to participate in shaping the future of the business, as well as the weaker links that aren’t willing to go the extra mile to make a difference.
6. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Most employees don’t like to be taught by individuals with negative or condescending attitudes. Such offensive behavior instantly instigates a defensive mindset, thereby making it difficult for the listener to absorb and retain information. Aggressively spoken, drawn out lectures that continually reiterate past failures and shortcomings are almost always counterproductive.
7. Monitor Progress and Address Deficiencies
Finally, another way to ensure that you’re educating employees in the areas that need attention the most is to use employee monitoring techniques to assess and address obvious deficiencies. After all, you can’t know where the workflow problem is occurring if you’re not actively involved in gauging employee performance using a specific set of metrics that can facilitate valuable analysis on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Motivation and Education Are Ongoing Efforts
In conclusion, remember that motivating and educating your employees is something that upper management should strive to do continually for the sake of optimizing company performance. Thus, be sure to consider this area of development as a critical investment when deciding how to allocate your budget and how to interact with employees on an everyday basis.
