Every day, business leaders face the task of motivating their employees to work efficiently and effectively. At times, though, workers do not seem determined to work toward reaching common goals.
Reasons employees may lack motivation can include: not understanding the objective of their role, not feeling supported in their position, or feeling they are not compensated enough for performing their tasks.
Business leaders need to understand every challenge should be met with the mindset that there is a solution at hand.
Let’s explore some common challenges business leaders face in the workplace for motivating employees and how to solve them:
Communication
Communication in the workplace is necessary for clarification of a role or task and is also essential for approachability. As a business leader, you want your employees to feel comfortable enough to come to you with a conflict or questions. For example, an S personality type needs to be informed of what exactly is expected of them. S personality styles also need to feel as though they can trust you and are safe to express any concerns in the future. Instill an open-door policy and be approachable in a way that anyone can come to you at any time.
Challenging employees
There are instances where a team member may have all the skills needed for a position but lacks the social skills to cooperate with the rest of the team. Weaving a problematic employee within a group can be a less challenging task if an employer has an open mind. One of the leading solutions is not giving in to negative talk or gossip about the employee (do not add fuel to the fire). Instead, take any comments as feedback. For example, C personality types do well with feedback if you offer them a detailed critique. Make sure to approach them in a positive way they wouldn’t mistake for malicious criticism. For instance, instead of saying, “employees do not like the way you speak to them,” you can instead say, “employees have a difficult time listening to you due to the volume of your voice.”
Letting go of a worker
When an employee no longer adds value to the company, it can be burdensome for a leader to let go of an employee. Leaders should not frame the letting-go of a worker as “they no longer serve this company” but “this worker can provide their skills they obtained at this company to another.” Letting go of an employee is never easy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a negative experience. For example, I styles are the optimists of the DISC personality. If this type of team member is met with kindness and with the prospect of adding value to another company, the I personality will leave the meeting empowered.
Building rapport with employees
Connecting with your employees on a professional level is crucial when solidifying a team. Workers should feel comfortable enough to ask questions and provide feedback to an employer. Building rapport with employees can instill teamwork and trust, giving employees motivation to work harder. For example, S styles are team and process-oriented workers. Once an S feels comfortable that they have a steady professional relationship with their manager, they will be determined to complete projects successfully.
Change
A sudden change in a business model or company merging can throw off an entire team's workflow. How you lead when the change happens makes all the difference. In a time of change, managers and supervisors must remain calm so that employees can trust the process. For example, D behavioral styles do well with change. They can think on their feet and take on the challenge. If D styles can get I personality types on-board, they can help influence others to follow.
Micro-managing
A leader will naturally look at every detail so complicated tasks can be executed successfully. If done too often, micro-managing can drive employees away from their manager, and they can potentially begin to look for another place of employment. For example, C behavioral style tend to want control over processes and tasks to ensure employees perform them at their high standards. They can become overly critical of others on their team or waste time pouring over non-critical details due to their need for perfection. For C DISC profile be clear about your expectations, their job role, and timelines.
Not implementing feedback
Feedback is not just essential to take in as a leader, but it is necessary. Leaders have to realize that they will not always be perfect. By coming to terms with this realization, supervisors should see this as a time to grow. When you take in feedback and adjust your leadership style accordingly, this can help build rapport with your employees. For instance, an D personality style is straightforward and will have no problem expressing what you can work on as a leader. You can rely on this DISC profile to be a problem solver, and since they are known to take the initiative when you do implement their feedback, they will do so with haste.
PeopleKeys understands that running a well-oiled machine is far from easy. We have an array of tools you can use to be an expert at leading your team, including an online leadership DISC assessment and DISC certification to aid in your leadership development for building stronger teams.
