Ive been promoted at work recently and I realize that one of the key skills I need to have is the ability to motivate my staff, especially when big projects crop up and a lot of extra time and overtime is necessary. Good thing I have a mentor who has taught me a lot about these things. My aunt was once an owner and CEO of a successful company that provided medical supplies in the field of cryogenics. I have heard many of her past employees refer to her as the queen of staff motivation. Even then, I remembered thinking that I wanted to be thought of in the same way one day. Her methods were simple, direct and effective. For instance, one of her clients once told her that it was a joy to talk to her administrative assistant because she was so helpful. After the call, my aunt would walk out into the outer office and hand the administrative assistant a hundred dollar bill, say thank you and express how much she appreciated the good work. The assistant would be walking on Cloud Nine for days after that.

Of course, staff motivation isnt as simple as handing out money, but it isnt as complex as some people believe it to be. My aunt said it was not a matter of giving them money at all, but of making them feel appreciated. Perhaps the most important thing to know is what your staff really wants and, contrary to what some people believe, it is more than just dollars and cents. In a recent case, a major factory noted a big drop in production and, after several interviews with workers, still could not figure out the reason for the drop. Then one of the junior workers casually mentioned that the lights in the workplace were too dim. A member of management soon realized that they had installed new and inexpensive lighting fixtures factory-wide about two months ago, which coincided with the drop in productivity. The lights were still bright enough to work under, but the general darker atmosphere had affected morale negatively. As soon as all the lights were replaced with brighter ones, productivity picked up again and so did morale

Keep an eye on changes in the workplace that affect human needs because thats a usual cause of employee discontent. Still, theres still nothing like giving employees positive feedback to brighten them up. Its no wonder why some people refer to positive feedback as food for the soul.

Injecting fun into an otherwise bland office environment also helps. For example, in my previous company, we had make-your-own-sundae days, international food days, and show-and-tell days, just like in grade school but with adult objects and stories that temporarily distracted, enlightened, humored, and entertained the troops. Another key is creating an environment where employees are encouraged to make proposals and share their ideas.

On the other hand, there are practices that destroy staff motivation appointing managers because of political reasons rather than competence, shooting down each and every idea coming from the staff, keeping people in the dark about the progress of projects that they have worked very hard on, and the like. Sometimes, staff motivation is just a matter of communicating with your front-liners properly about developments and making them feel that they are integral parts of the team.