Now, some people just aren't cut out for the
work they do. They hate their jobs, their
coworkers, even themselves. Others act like
children dressed up as men and women. There will
always be some percentage of any population,
including your group, that's difficult or
impossible to motivate.
If you've done your best and they still
don't get it, get rid of them. If for some reason
you're prevented from doing that, what can I tell
you; you're screwed. Barring that torturous
situation, most people want to work and will work
hard if they feel that ...
* their work is appreciated, recognized, and
challenging;
* they're compensated appropriately;
* their management is competent, hard
working, and doesn't have its hand in the cookie
jar, more or less.
And guess what? It's entirely up to you, the
manager, to provide an environment that will meet
those conditions. It isn't easy, but then, you've
got to ask yourself what kind of manager you want
to be? If the answer's a great one, you'll need
these 10 techniques for seriously motivating your
people:
1) Exhibit flawless work
ethic. Lead by example. If you screw
around, they'll emulate you. Likewise, if you're
seriously hard-working, they'll seek your approval
by doing the same.
2) Indoctrinate them with the big
picture. Everybody wants to be a part of
something useful. Make the work important to them
by telling them why it's important to
others.
3) Set goals and hold them
accountable. Goal setting in most
companies is ineffective. It's either too top
down, too bottom up, or there's little or no
follow-up. Strike a balance somewhere in the
middle. Where is different for each
situation.
4) Provide genuine, real-time
feedback, good and bad, no BS.Ask for the
same from them. This is one of the hardest things
for any manager to do, especially the negative
stuff.
5) Promote their accomplishments and
take the heat for their failures. They
need to know you've got their back.
6) Provide the tools they need to be
effective; keep management off their
backs; otherwise, get out of the way.
7) Give them as much
responsibility as they can handle, no
more, no less. That's sort of tricky if you have a
big group because it's really an individual
thing.
8) Communicate what's going on as
openly as you can within reason and
without unduly burdening them with confidential
information they don't need to know.
9) Give them personal time to get
important things done. We're not talking
about running errands, but important stuff that's
got to be done 9 to 5 like doctor's
appointments.
10) Have some empathy, humility, and
a sense of humour. It'll go a long way.
Mostly, be yourself. No jokes about sociopaths;
they probably don't read management blogs
anyway.
That's it; now go out and motivate
somebody!
Motivation in the workplace
is one of the most difficult things for many
managers to grasp as to the best way of
implementing or developing. 
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