What good is exceptional talent if you don’t let it shine? One of the worst things we can do as HR leaders is work to bring top talent into the organization and then allow the culture or team dynamics to stifle their ability to excel and contribute to the extent to which we hired them. Yet organizations often do just that. How do we avoid this?
Principle 6: Foster Employee Engagement and Motivation
This Principle focuses on creating a positive work environment where employees are deeply engaged and motivated to perform at their best. This principle recognizes that you play a pivotal role in nurturing a workforce that is passionate about their work, committed to organizational goals, and driven to achieve excellence.
At its core, Principle 6 underscores the significance of employee engagement and motivation in driving organizational success. You must design and implement strategies to empower employees, recognize their contributions, and foster a culture of open communication and transparency.
Fostering employee engagement involves several essential strategies. You must implement recognition programs to acknowledge and celebrate employees’ achievements, creating a sense of appreciation and value within your organization. Additionally, promoting work-life boundaries and providing opportunities for professional growth and development contribute to higher employee satisfaction and motivation.
I’m going to get on a little box here for a minute.
*Stepping down from the box now*
We talk a lot about motivating employees: “Managers need to motivate their team members.” “We need to implement programs to motivate employees.” “It’s time to implement a different incentive to motivate salespeople.” etc., etc.
When we dig into the research on motivation we learn that motivation really is an internal thing, not an external program. Salespeople may sell more when we implement a different incentive, a program may increase employee productivity, managers may inspire their team members. But in each of these situations, each person likely has their own reasons for responding to the incentive. More concerning is the possibility that extrinsic rewards may undermine intrinsic motivation.
As we discuss Principle 6, think about what you can do to draw out the personal reasons someone wants to achieve more and focus on that.
Principle 6 also emphasizes the importance of open communication and feedback mechanisms. You must encourage continuous feedback from employees, enabling them to voice their ideas, concerns, and suggestions, fostering a culture of trust and openness.
Principle 6 highlights the critical role we have as HR Leaders in fostering employee engagement and motivation. By applying this principle, we empower employees to be passionate about their work, dedicated to the organization’s mission, and committed to achieving excellence.
Next, we’ll look at the key principle of ensuring we are including everyone to their full potential.
