1001 Ways to Motivate Employees

Author: Bob Nelson (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: How to motivate employees, colleagues, or managers and boost their morale? There are many methods! According to a recent survey conducted by Towers Perrin, a consulting firm headquartered in New York, 75% of the surveyed employees believe they have a direct impact on the company's success, and 72% of the respondents feel a sense of achievement from their work. Think about the particularly terrible day you recently experienced—either the copier kept jamming or a customer vented their anger on you. Amidst the chaos, your boss walked over and praised you for your outstanding performance on a project you were quite proud of. Suddenly, the annoying copier and the angry customer were forgotten—replaced by the personal satisfaction that comes from being recognized for your excellent work.
Cigna Group, an insurance company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, has a tradition: during its busiest times each year, executives push coffee carts in the office to serve drinks and snacks to frontline employees. While serving them, they also guide and encourage them, and at the same time, gather important customer feedback from these employees who understand customer needs. Herb Kelleher, one of the founders and CEO of Southwest Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, has long discovered that by being present on the ground and participating in the work of employees, they can unleash their incredible potential. For example, Kelleher often helps flight attendants serve drinks to passengers when flying on his company's planes.
Tom McConnel, the CEO of New England Securities in Boston, encourages his employees to independently solve problems and takes pride in being the "owner" of the solutions. To energize his team, McConnel also distributes custom shirts with the phrase "See the problem, solve the problem, achieve success" printed on them.
WinterGardens Salad Company, headquartered in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, has a CEO named Harry Severt. To ensure employees know he has read their reports, he stamps each report with a "Harry Has Read" seal and returns it to them, often adding personal comments. Severt says that since using this rubber stamp, the quality of the reports he receives has improved. Employees who feel responsible for the products they produce are energetic employees. At CooperTires in Findlay, Ohio, there is a tradition that makes the company's employees very proud: operators can have their names printed on the inside of the tires they manufacture to reflect their contributions to the company.
Ron McGaughey, the CEO of Brinker International, headquartered in Dallas, has cows everywhere in his office, including cow neck bells and cow-shaped ceramic lamps. Why? This is his unique way of motivating employees. By placing these small decorations, he encourages every employee of his Southwest-style national chain restaurant to take action, identify, and eliminate business practices that reduce the restaurant's revenue and profits. McGaughey calls this the "Go-getters" program.