You have a team, but they are looking a bit lackadaisical these days. How can you motivate employees who have lost their enthusiasm? Do they even care anymore? Here are the top 4 how to motivate employees who don’t care methods used by highly successful contemporary leaders.
If you can get them enthusiastically motivated, it can make the difference between success and failure. Let’s face it, you could do this on your own, but what sacrifices would you have to make to go it alone? You are miles ahead if you can get buy-in from the team you already have assembled, right?
To some managers, enthusiastically leading teams comes natural, it is part of their DNA, they are born with this gift, but the skill can also be accumulated, and it is far easier if you have all the necessary components.
Let’s take a look at the necessary components of an enthusiastic leader who supersedes other methods of motivating team members.
How to Motivate Employees Who Don’t Care
Positive Correction
When you have noticed that someone on your team is not up to par, then you can, and should, approach them but have your ducks in a row before entering into a conversation about changes that you would like to see.
To line up your ducks, have a list of the areas where you would like to see improvement. At the top of the list should be attitudinal adjustments you would like to see because this can have a negative effect on the whole team.
Now that you have your list, you can schedule your meeting. Do not let the employee see that you are not happy with the employee’s enthusiasm or performance. Stay psychologically centered and neutral.
When you interact with your team member, never express your concerns in the negative. Whenever possible (always) state what your expectations are. Instead of saying, “You are late,” say, “I would like to see you on-time more often.” Keep your professional demeanor present.
Practice Tolerance
Tolerance is compassionate and empathetic. You try to imagine what it might be like to walk a mile in your employee’s shoes. You don’t bark out, “You don’t care about this organization!” That will only distance your employees, most likely take them straight into fight-or-flight, or to take a defensive stance.
Instead, reach out sensitively, “Are you okay? Is there anything I can help you with?” Because you really do not know what your team member might be struggling with, “It’s just that I noticed that you are just not yourself, lately, and I was wondering if everything’s okay?”
Allow your employee to share any concerns they might have and let him or her know that you are noticing their numbers are not as consistent as they once were. Let them vow to make adjustments and help them when it is appropriate if you can.
Leadership Sleight of Hand
I love this little tactic that allows enough leeway and space for your employee to think of solutions to solve any concerns at hand. Through positive reinforcement, the team member comes up with the idea you were thinking of as a solution or an even better solution that may not have occurred to you.
Without patronizing or being sarcastic, thank them for being such a valuable member of the team and for having come up with such an incredible solution to the problem.
Empower Them
Empower your staff to in a sense take responsibility for their own actions. You do not need to overpower your staff or lead with an iron fist if they feel like they are empowered to police and manage themselves.
This is the winning component in any successful enterprise and is the foundation of positive work culture.
I think that we all agree that employees are our eyes and ears in the trenches. We cannot always see what is going on at the frontline level clearly without their experience and input. So, we ask them questions and highly regard their answers, weighing them individually based on their merit.
This builds trust and affinity among your workforce.