By Sara Schorr
Ever heard the phrase, you attract more bees with honey than vinegar? There is a reason it’s been around a long time, it works, especially when it comes to employee policies and company culture. So many times when we talk about work it has a negative connotation.
Why? This didn’t work; that wasn’t good enough; we need more results – NOW! It’s all that we hear, day in and day out… It’s no wonder employees leave at the end of the day with a feeling that whatever they do, however much time it took them or didn’t take them, the end results just aren’t good enough.
There are some owners and managers that take the intimidation approach to motivate personnel, which becomes entrenched in the company culture. Their theory is that if a fire is lit under their employees and they’re shown everything that’s going wrong, staff will spring into action, making good things happen. If employees believe the walls are going to fall in on them, they will get scrappy and claw their way out to success.
It’s like a football coach who yells at his team to intimidate players into toughening up and getting the job done. The problem is, not all of us respond like football players. Negativity and intimidation doesn’t fuel us. More often than not, we react better to positive reinforcement.
How do you sell your business to potential customers? You outline your product and service benefits putting your company in the best light possible. The goal is that people will want to buy (and buy in) to what you’re selling.
Why not take the same approach with your employees? Promote positivity and focus on the great things that are happening in your company among the people that are in the trenches with you day after day. Staff will feed off of that positive energy and want to continue to be a part of an organization that encourages them to share in its successes, not just be blamed for its failures.
If your team puts in tons of hours on a huge project and you land a new deal, why not celebrate? You don’t have to throw confetti or pop the champagne… a simple email thanking everyone for all of their hard work and effort is enough. Or better yet, drop by their desk to let them know how much you appreciate their work. Acknowledging and communicating appreciation personally means so much more to people than an elaborate fête.
This approach to employee motivation sounds simple because it is. Everyone wants to feel accepted and know that his or her work is appreciated. You’re going to gain more productivity from those with a positive feeling for the company and their managers than those who are sitting on pins and needles, too afraid to make a move.
Whether you outsource human resources, have a one-person HR department or have none at all, try motivating instead of intimidating employees. You might be surprised how well it works.