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"Ask the Expert" -Liz Bywater, PhD

Liz Bywater, PhD, answers your questions about advancing your career, improving on-the-job performance and effectively navigating workplace relationships. Questions should be directed to Liz@BywaterConsultingGroup.com. Please include “Ask the Expert” in the subject line.

Dear Liz,

I’m looking for suggestions on how to motivate my employees. It doesn’t seem like money is still the magic bullet, especially with my younger employees. What else can I try?    

- MB, Chicago

Dear MB,

You’re right. It’s not all about money – although money does remain an important motivator for many. It’s actually best to present your employees with a choice of rewards whenever feasible.

Here are a few ideas for recognizing and rewarding excellent performance. (Note that I start with the tried-and-true perk of extra cash.)

• Show them the money. Give your employees what they’re worth. Consider how their efforts affect the performance of the entire team, department or organization as a whole. What’s the impact on the bottom line? Compensation (such as bonuses) should be based upon results achieved, rather than tasks performed.    

• Offer sincere thanks. A well-deserved pat on the back, a written letter of commendation, some private (or public) words of appreciation and recognition can be wonderfully motivating. 

• Provide non-financial perks. Allow your top performers to work from home where feasible. Give them the afternoon off from time to time. Provide a generous gift certificate to the restaurant of their choosing. The possibilities here are nearly endless, so be as creative as you like.

• Help them keep up the momentum. Motivated employees will be thrilled at the opportunity to work on challenging, new projects. Give your outstanding employees a say in where their talents will be used next. Encourage them to keep on growing, learning and raising the bar.  

• Develop them. Provide your best workers with mentoring, coaching and advanced skills development. Help them to keep growing and preparing for the next level of responsibility. The bonus here: developing your people to fill senior positions makes a vital contribution to your organization’s succession planning efforts.

Liz Bywater, PhD, is a consultant and coach to corporate executives, managers, and independent business owners. She consults, writes, and speaks on a variety of work-related topics, including workplace performance, outstanding leadership, and effective communication skills. To learn more, visit her at http://www.bywaterconsultinggroup.com. To subscribe to her complementary e-newsletter, filled with tips on improving performance, send an email to Liz@BywaterConsultingGroup.com.

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