The Problem at Hand
Your team is NOT motivated. You see lack-luster effort, team members calling out for this or that, and overall poor teamwork. Oh boy!!! Money is being left on the table all over the place.
Like any good leader, you've been focused on getting your team to function as a well oiled machine for some time now.
- You've been bringing in free lunches and coffee carts
- You've tried contests, spiffs and spot bonuses
- You've been working on your 1 on 1 relationships and doing team-building events
But you are not moving the needle.
What now?
Before we dive in further, let's recognize that employee motivation is very complex and personal.
The tips in this article will guide you, especially if you find yourself with an entire team of unmotivated employees.
But at an individual level you will still need to actively listen and learn from each team member to truly understand what will motivate them.
But first, a little illustrative story
I once dated a guy that I will forever call "the nicest guy on the planet". Seriously, this guy....he was so kind and attentive, I almost felt guilty dating him. He brought flowers, sent me lovely affirmation notes, and always made me feel so appreciated.
Problem was, the relationship had things that I considered deal breakers. For one, he lived in Europe and I lived in the US. Seeing each other physically was rare and even phone calls were tough, so much of our communication was via text or email. Also, because our cultures were different, our dating rules weren't quite aligned, which made some of our interactions awkward. Buy me a drink and I can share details!
I tried to hang in there because he was SO DANG NICE, but eventually I had to end it. The deal breakers got us.
Later, I dated a guy who checked all the boxes in the "no deal breaker" column. Gotcha - I actually married this one. This was going to be great. I was happy, for a while. Thing is, he was kind but not particularly attentive - no flowers, no notes, and really not much beyond being just friendly.
Over time, although the relationship was amicable enough, there wasn't that feeling of true appreciation for me. It ended up being kinda "meh".
Long story short, I ended up switching out to my current husband. He checks ALL the "no deal breaker" boxes AND is amazingly caring, attentive and appreciative.
From Day One our future visions were aligned and I felt confident that what I wanted out of my life would be supported by him. And I was right. We've now been together over 25 years and we are still happy as clams (truth be told, I am not really sure that clams are happy) and committed to being together.
GET TO THE POINT, ELEONORE: OK, OK, my point is this - there's a difference between "deal breakers" and "relationship enhancers", and if one or the other is missing, the relationship won't thrive.
The same is true at work and applies to relationships between organizations and their team members.
When you are struggling to get your team motivated, start by taking a look at each "deal breaker" (satisfier) and "relationship enhancer" (motivator) and honestly assess each one on the list.
- Which satisfier needs to be addressed before you can move on to motivators?
- Are you truly focused on the things that will motivate your team?
Let's Dig In
The LeDev Advice
Midway through my leadership career, I learned about the Herzberg Two-Factor Authorization Theory¹ and it was a real "ah-hah" moment for me.
I learned that I had been spending time, energy, and budget money trying to motivate my team when I should have been working to satisfy them first.
I also learned that I was confusing the two - I thought that if I threw more money at them, they'd be more motivated. Turns out, not so much.
Once I started applying these principles, my confidence as a leader grew because I was able make a greater impact on team engagement, motivation, and ultimately productivity.
Herzberg's Theory
During the 1950s and 1960s, clinical psychologist Fredrick Herzberg researched the reasons behind employee satisfaction. He discovered that there were two groups of workplace factors. One group, the "Satisfiers" (also called the hygiene factors) are primarily factors for dissatisfaction. A second group of workplace factors, the "Motivators", contribute to motivation.
Herzberg found that people strive to attain the "Satisifers" because, simply put, they are unhappy without them.
What really motivates employees is having the "Motivators". According to Herzberg, motivating factors like those listed below, fill our need for growth and achievement.
Here's an illustration for you:
What are Satisfiers?
As you can see from the chart above, the satisfiers are the baseline needs of any employee.
If you have all of these pretty well dialed in, you will have a group that's not unhappy, which is great. But that doesn't make them motivated.
If you have gaps in these areas, you will have a dissatisfied employee. A dissatisfied employee is hard to motivate, because, well, they are too busy being dissatisfied!
According to his study (and many others that have followed since), here are the specific things you want to look for when evaluating the health of your Satisfiers.
- Company Policies and Administration: Fair and clear policies and a solid way to manage them
- Leadership: Competent and fair leadership
- Working Conditions: Safe, comfortable, and adequate work environment
- Salary: Adequate and competitive pay
- Interpersonal Relations: Positive relationships with colleagues and leaders
- Status: Recognition and respect within the organization
- Job Security: Feeling secure in your job and career
The key here: what you CANNOT do is skip past the satisfiers and focus on motivators. The level of dissatisfaction will overpower any gain from the effort to motivate.
What are Motivators?
So you have Satisfiers nailed, good job! Let's lean into the Motivators.
Even if managed brilliantly, satisfiers don’t motivate anybody to work much harder or smarter. People are motivated, instead, by interesting work, challenge, and increased responsibility. These intrinsic factors answer people’s deep-seated need for growth and achievement.
— Frederick Herzberg
Motivators are what leads to feeing truly satisfied in your work AND ready to give it your all. The themes you will see in this group are that they relate to the content of the work and to personal growth. They tap into the drive and desire for meaning, challenge, and achievement.
- Achievement: Feeling a sense of accomplishment from challenging work
- Recognition: Being recognized and appreciated for your contributions
- The Work Itself: Finding meaning in the work because it's interesting and purposeful
- Advancement: Seeing opportunities for promotion and career growth
- Personal Growth: Seeing opportunities for learning and growing within the role
How to Enhance Motivators
Herzberg shares some suggestions on how to enhance motivators. As this sales veteran can attest, they work, so try them!
- Consistent, direct and immediate performance feedback
- Increase levels of performance ownership and accountability
- Give your team input over their schedule
- Provide learning that develops new skills, knowledge and expertise
- Provide opportunities to be involved in decision-making
- Remove barriers to improve communication and collaboration
- Create opportunities for advancement
Wrapping it Up
Does this feel like a lot? Probably, but that's because it is.
Especially if you are a leader with little control over some of the Satisfiers.
You might be thinking, "that's all great but I don't control what my reps earn."
To which I would say "you are a leader for a reason. If you can't decide, you can still influence"
If you can't influence the Satisfiers, as a leader you are still capable of sharing recommendations to your senior leaders. To do that responsibly, listen to your team attentively, gather your thoughts, and present reasonable recommendations.
In the meantime, every leader can:
- study the Satisfiers and do what you can to make changes where needed
- focus on the Motivators and make sure you have good practices to provide value to your team members
It will take time, but if you are proactive, your team will see what you are doing and will appreciate you.
And with that, you will see more loyalty, lower turn-over, and higher motivation.