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Motivate in good times and bad

Motivation is applicable to any season. Knowing the right approach in which to apply motivational tools is the key to maintaining a workforce that is productive, proactive, engaged and most importantly, impervious to any economic situation.

Employees are quick to pick up any form of discrepancy in what is told to them, which could potentially end up in a far greater degree of distrust and dissent.

Instead, leaders should do the reverse and tackle any negative issue head on. Even if a sure solution has not been thought out, the strongest influencer of how employees react is not in the message itself, but the implicit confidence that is conveyed especially in the face of uncertainty.

Communicate – Leaders very often make the mistake of second guessing their employees’ intelligence and capacity for composure. Clear and straight communication could turn a bad situation into a rallying flag by making a problem everybody’s unified responsibility. Besides boosting employees’ sense of worth, the simple act of listening would propel them to continue taking a positive and proactive attitude in any future issue.

Involve – Beyond creating channels that encourage input, employees should be directly involved in solution- forming and execution as much as their capabilities allow them to be. The more a leader adopts the role of a facilitator and supervisor instead of a commander, the more his or her staff would feel motivated to perform for the company.

Appreciate – Employees want to feel valued for their work and effort, and recognised for having been instrumental to the problems that are solved. Appreciation does not even have to be attached with a monetary value. A simple thank-you note or praise in front of the department can work wonders to a staff member’s pride and motivation. It could also inspire others around to strive for similar degrees of excellence as well.

The uplifting power of motivation can determine the solidarity of a company in both good times and bad. But even before a leader can attempt to motivate his subordinates, he or she has to first be motivated.

Therefore, leaders need a higher- than-usual level of resilience in the face of even the worst situations. And as the world faces the most severe economic crisis in recent history, leaders from the smallest companies to the biggest nations would undoubtedly be faced with a test of their own motivation. Ultimately, the rise and fall of corporations in the wake of this current downturn could be down to a matter motivation.