How Do You Motivate Your Employees?

How Do You Motivate Your Employees?

There’s an old management saying about the carrot or the stick. Carrots incent behavior, and sticks intimidate behavior. I'm going with the carrots.

Want some more? Of course you do. We all do. The old adage goes, if some is good, more is better, right? In most cases, this is true, and today I’m talking about employee productivity, so of course more is better.

This is a brand-new year, and it’s a perfect time to look at ways to make our new year more productive. Employee productivity is a complex subject and way too long to discuss in this forum. However, one of the key components of it, I believe, is motivation.

According to Wikipedia, motivation is: the reason for people’s actions, desires and needs. Motivation is also one’s direction to behavior, or what causes a person to want to repeat a behavior.

I’m the first one to admit that some people are self-motivated; for whatever reason, they just want to excel. Unfortunately, most need some type of outside force to nudge them into more productive behaviors.

Leaders know when and how to motivate their organizations. Make no mistake, there is no one style that motivates everyone. A good leader knows their people and uses different styles for different individuals.

There’s an old management saying about the carrot or the stick. Carrots incent behavior, and sticks intimidate behavior. Over time, both styles have been tested. My opinion is that long term, the stick becomes ineffective and can lead to burnout and even loss of good employees.

Employees want to be fairly compensated, recognized for good performance and gain satisfaction from their work. This doesn’t sound hard when you write it out, but doing it on a consistent basis with multiple employees is downright hard. It takes years of honing your skills and constant effort to stay sharp at it. You have to know your employees, and they need to understand you and your style.

Clear and open communication of goals and objectives is critical. They need to know what you expect of them and also know there is support if needed. Things don’t always go as planned. Employees need to know they will be supported with training and resources when the need develops to allow them to attain the goals. Over time, following and building a style that supports these concepts will inevitably make you a better leader.

The choice is yours. I’m going with the carrots.

You May Also Like

The Digital Blitz

We talk so much about how much collision repair is changing, but so is the world of media!

We talk so much in the pages of BodyShop Business about how rapidly the collision repair industry is changing, but the world of BodyShop Business is changing drastically too — the world of media, that is. Change is everywhere! Is there anything that is not changing? Change, as they say, is inevitable. I liken it to a freight train that will steamroll you unless you get on board.

Auto Body Shops: Building a Foundation for the New Year

For the new year, it’s important to conduct a thorough audit of your finances to look for areas of opportunity and things to change.

Auto Body Consolidation Update: There’s a New Buyer in Town

The good news for shops that want to sell but do not fit a consolidator’s
profile is that there is a fresh pool of new buyers.

Is Your Auto Body Shop a Hobby … or a Business?

So you want to provide safe and properly repair vehicles to your customers … even at a financial loss?

BodyShop Business 2023 Executives of the Year

Greg Solesbee was named the Single-Shop Executive of the Year, and Charlie Drake was named the Multi-Shop Executive of the Year.

Other Posts

This Could Be Your Last Text

A sign I saw on the highway that said “This Could Be Your Last Text” reminded me of my son’s recent car wreck.

SUNY Morrisville Auto Body Program Makes Students, Cars Shine 

A 1997 Mustang Cobra is getting the chance to shine again, thanks to students in Alexander Graf’s auto body technology classes.

3 Strategies to Improve Your Insurance Protection

If you’re looking to improve your shop operations and set yourself up for success in 2024, remember these three insurance strategies.

A Scary Moment Reminds Us of the Importance of Proper Collision Repairs

My son’s car wreck reminded me that we literally hold people’s lives in our hands in the collision repair business.