It’s no shock to anyone in the business world that happy people in an organization are an essential ingredient to being successful. But what really motivates people? Traditional thinking tells us the more we pay employees, the more loyal and satisfied they are overall. In all actuality, this isn’t the case.
A recent study on employee motivation revealed nearly 40% of the workforce is disengaged in their work; 90% of leaders say engagement is essential to their business; and yet 75% of organizations don’t have an employee engagement strategy in place!
Engaging members of your team can be difficult. Individual values differ greatly person-to-person. And it’s values that are the driving force behind our behaviors; in other words, what motivates us to perform in the workplace.
When you look at an employee’s education, skills and training, it tells us WHAT they can do. Their behaviors tell us HOW they do it. Their values tell us WHY they do what they do – an essential ingredient to knowing what motivates them intrinsically.
Understanding the why in your organization is important, but it’s equally important for your team members as well. Help them find they why, and they will feel empowered!