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One of the best motivators I've found is SHOWING a team of employees about what their effort creates and how their customers use and benefit from it. Identifying with customers, and knowing how they use and benefit from the product or service your team creates can inspire a whole new level of commitment, enthusiasm and excellence. Can't show your employees what they create? Ask a customer to come in and tell them. Customers LOVE this opportunity -- they KNOW it will benefit them! Try it and see.

Keeping employees motivated day-in and day-out isn’t the result of one-time events like parties, cookouts or passing out cupcakes on Tuesdays. Employees aren’t trained seals who will patty-cake to get their sardine – build an environment where they motivate themselves. Let them know you have their back. Let them make decisions. Seek out and listen to their feedback. Say thank you and mean it. Say I’m sorry and mean it. And then pass out cupcakes on Tuesday.

Have each employee put a tag line on their email signature block that says: How's my service? Please contact my manager to let her know at jane.schulte@PRISMsuccess.com. When a manager receives a compliment, that employee is given a pair of slippers to wear that day as well as each subsequent time they receive a compliment. The benefits: comfy feet and recognition not just from their manager, but from the client and their peers when they see them wearing slippers!

Frederick Herzberg did the seminal study on motivation in the 1950s. Nothing has changed since then. Based on his findings in this study and my forty years of experience in the world of work as an executive, consultant, and teacher, I believe that money spread over an extended period via a progressive wage or salary program coupled with a well defined promotion system and bonus plan for exceptional performance is the most effective way to continually motivate employees.

Recognizing the worth of employees and acknowledging that worth by placing faith and trust in them is critical for motivation. Employees should have control over their work and be evaluated and recognized on how well they handle it. Frustration occurs when employees don’t receive proper recognition and are not given enough control over their job duties. With a sense of ownership and proper recognition in place, employees will be more motivated to deliver excellence day-after-day.

Too many times busy executives neglect the employee selection function. The Human Resources function is often treated as the step-child of executive leadership. My counsel is for small business owners to spend less to zero time thinking up the latest trick to motivate employees and spend a huge amount of time thinking about how to build a team of highly self-motivated employees. As motivation is wholly from within, choosing the right team of self-motivated employees is the only way to go.

A major barrier to experiencing joy in work is the annual review. One needs to remove barriers that rob workers of their pride of workmanship. In one company, you can work on a product until you are satisfied; in the other company, you work on the same product, but are required to make a given amount each day, regardless of circumstance. In which environment would you experience greater pride in your work and feel you had a common purpose with the management/shareholders of the company?

Research tells us that employees are primarily motivated by four things: 1) Having a manager who shows care, interest and concern for them 2) Knowing what is expected of them 3) Having a role that fits their abilities 4) Receiving positive feedback and recognition regularly for work well done. I’d call this ‘effective people management’ and many people call it common sense. It does make sense, but it sure ain’t common!

To motivate and bring out the best in your employees is to 'wow' them making them feel special and significant, that their contribution is important. Managers should learn to give them the three 'A's:

- Attention, making them feel important
- Admiration, when they have contributed something valuable to the team
- Affection, a hug or pat on the shoulder to show how special they are!!

Excellence is achieved by giving more than people expect to receive!

I love to make each team part of the decision making process. They want to be listened to, they want to be a part of the success of the enterprise. It's all of us achieving a common goal. As a leader I do have goals to achieve. I need a team to support these goals. That's why they must be part of the process.