How To Motivate Employees At Workplace

Most humans need a larger, greater purpose towards which they channel their efforts. Without this large mission or goal, they will be restless and question why they need to give it their best. Articulating that purpose is the role of the leader.

- USHA CHIRAYIL

A frustrated people manager who faced the umpteenth instance of absenteeism at a crucial phase in the project was grappling with a dilemma: how do you motivate an employee who does not want to get motivated? "You can take a horse to the water but how do you make it drink?" He had tried everything - a sympathetic one-on-one discussion, nomination to an external training program, suggested an K incentive; yet nothing seemed to work. This technical genius was just not motivated to produce his best in the constraints of the given project. Yet his rare skills made him temporarily indispensable. Sounds familiar? Psychologists distinguish between Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: they believe that external factors can motivate someone to a limited extent - be it an employee or a teen who is reluctant to go to school. An external motivator can at best be a short-term medicine. So how does one solve the puzzle of motivation?

The carrot or the stick? Which works better? While facing a war-like crisis, an authoritarian approach might work. After all the ability to brainstorm, be democratic, and take multiple perspectives is too much of a luxury in a crisis. However, in a normal situation, dictators would face a revolt. Very often in the pursuit of productivity and quick results managers fail to understand human psychology and do more harm than good when they seek to motivate their employees. Strict rules or a penalty for not following rules have a limited shelf life. Indeed, a delicate balance seems to be required.