Recognize This! – Motivating employees requires work and effort, not wishes and hopes.

I never tire of learning more about the power of a strong company culture and how to foster such a culture in organizations today. Following on my post from yesterday about “3 Lessons for Core Company Values Done Right,” I couldn’t help but share with you a new book by Eric Chester: Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce.

Though I disagree with Chester on his points regarding the degraded work ethic of those new in the workforce, he does offer five solid strategies to employers who ask, “How can I motivate employees?” (quoting):

1. Carefully examine the core values that you demand from every employee. Create a definitive list of no more than ten, starting with the non-negotiables of honesty, reliability, respect, and professionalism.
2. Revisit your hiring process to see how you’re evaluating job candidates based upon these values. Make certain you’re asking questions that get them to describe in detail how their past work-related performance demonstrates the values you hold sacred (e.g. “Tell me about a time when you overcame a significant challenge to finish a project on schedule.” “Give me an example of a rule or policy in a previous job you found stupid. Did you comply with it?”)
3. Examine your training program to see how you can integrate these concepts into your present skills training. Remember: it’s not enough to simply mention values or provide a warning to those who do not exhibit them. For the values to be internalized, they must be integrated into training and daily mentorship.
4. Take significant measures to foster a workplace culture that is centered around your nonnegotiable core work ethic values. Begin meetings by allowing employees to share personal examples of how they went out of their way for a customer, overcame a challenge to arrive at work on time, chose to do “the difficult right” as opposed to “the easy wrong.” Share your own stories as well.
5. Celebrate work ethic. Talk about people (employees, associates, even celebrities) who you believe exhibit great work ethic and provide examples. When you see great work ethic exemplified by your employees, recognize and reward it with praise, awards, impromptu celebrations, or even incentives. Remember that what gets rewarded gets repeated

That last point in particular is of note. I don’t recommend incentives for something you expect (like a good work ethic), but rather “after/that” rewards that are a surprise and encouragement to keep doing more of the same.

What would you add to this list of ways to motivate employees?

I never tire of learning more about the power of a strong company culture and how to foster such a culture in organizations today. Following on my post from yesterday about “3 Lessons for Core Company Values Done Right,” I couldn’t help but share with you a new book by Eric Chester: Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce.