EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: A REALITY
Pawan Kumar Taneja

Employees are the backbone of any organization and the enthusiasm among them can really change the world. Millions of brilliant, million-dollar ideas are being lost each year, and you may be helping the problem. Two forces are battling in the minds of employees across the globe, and it's up to you to make sure the positive force wins in the end. Companies are putting in lot of efforts to motivate their employee still it is their daydream to raise level of motivation among employees.

Imagine stepping into an enormous kitchen overflowing with uncooked meals and desserts. All of the necessary ingredients for a countless assortment of dinners are there - you simply have to prepare them. Now imagine preparing and cooking them in identically the same way. It doesn't matter what meal you are dealing with - you follow one set of instructions without fail, perhaps your favorite meal is a thick and juicy hamburger. If you're actually preparing and cooking a hamburger, you're right on track. But what if you're dealing with ice cream sandwiches. How well do you think throwing some ice cream onto a grill would work? Trying to flip it so both sides get evenly cooked?

The greatest management mistake should become painfully clear: many managers treat all employees as the same assortment of ingredients trying to motivate them toward greater success using one cookie-cutter approach. Just as failure results from throwing ice cream on a grill, so too will a manager fail in inspiring his people if he attempts to do so using a single method. The people on your team are as different as baked beans and apple pie. They each work from a unique set of motivators, responding to some with excited action and others with boredom or even anger. It's up to you to discover what drives each one of your team members. What elements excite them? What elements turn them off? It may take a little time and concerted effort on your part, but uncovering the powerful motivators that drive your people will be the best thing you can do for you and your team.

In many Organizations yes-boss rules the environment they promise moon but not deliver even a candle but by the time a manager realize, he had undergone a loss of very precious resources. Because it is the truth, which can lead to the growth of an organization, “The Best WAY to WIN is to Accept Failure”. If everything moves fine means your organization cannot grow more. The growth depends on the tone and atmosphere you create within your company, department, or team. While many men and women in positions of power frown upon failure, the smartest of leaders expects and welcomes it.

To learn, you must fail. A quick example will help to make the need for failure clear. If 100 happy customers enter and leave a department store, there is nothing to build on. You have no clue as to why their experience was satisfying, only that they left without a complaint. While they may be happy with their experience (or unhappy and unwilling to tell you about it) you have nothing to gain in the long-term. However, a complaining customer is offering you success on a silver platter. He is telling you exactly what you can do to improve your service. No guessing, no assuming. You are given specific instructions on how not to do something which will lead you to the secret of doing it better than ever before. When an employee feels free to try new things, to offer their ideas, and to run with projects regardless of the potential for failure (assuming the necessary steps have been taken to ensure the idea is sound and relevant) you will have thousands of ideas coming your way from every corner of the company.

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to have your employees or team members come into work each day bursting with excitement and enthusiasm about the workday ahead. Imagine what it would be like to work in an electric environment with new thoughts and ideas constantly jumping around the office. Imagine what it would be like to work within a group that has a vision, a dream about the future of the company and is motivated to make it happen.

This doesn't have to be a daydream - you can take steps today to make it happen.

# Education

The first step in the process is to create or maintain a program that constantly educates your employees about the latest trends, techniques, and methods available in your industry. This will satisfy one of the strongest needs a human being has - growth. If we don't feel that we are growing - as employees, as fathers/mothers and husbands/wives, as people - we will feel that we are dying. People need to grow in order to work at their peak levels. There are countless resources out there to help you complete the first step.

• Purchasing books or having other compile their books to create a work library is an excellent way to educate your people.

• You can also send your team members to live seminars or workshops. While these can be more expensive, they can deliver a much higher return. Industry newsletters, magazines, etc. are an quick and easy way to keep your people growing without spending a great deal.

• Lastly, one of the most effective methods to educating your employees or team members is to learn the information yourself and share it with power and passion.

To be a great leader, you have to be willing to know your industry inside and out before you can expect your people to do the same.

# Let the Ideas be Heard
This step is crucial. Millions of dollars are spent each year to further the education of employees, but upon returning to their companies, the ideas are soon forgotten. The investment was a waste. You have to create an atmosphere in which the new ideas your people learn are valued and shared. You have to gather your people together and ask them about what they're learned and how they feel their ideas could improve the company. Don't let the information you or your company just spent a great deal of money on be lost. If you don't make use of the ideas, you are simply wasting you and your employee's time. There is success in new information, but you are the one who has to bring it to the surface.

# Put the Ideas into Action
The last stage is action. While not every new idea or gem of information will pan out, recognize and test the ideas that you feel may improve the company. This is important for two reasons. First, the company will profit through new ideas. This is the most obvious benefit of educated employees, but it doesn't end here. While the company will improve in the short-term because of the new information, it will succeed in the long-term because of the type of employees constant education creates. When an employee feels that he or she is needed, productivity will skyrocket. Think about how you would feel if you went to a seminar on reducing employee turnover and returned to your company without once being asked about what you learned. You were excited about the chance to grow, learned some really useful ideas that would fit well with your company, and then poof - everything you have done is wasted. What a different situation it would be had the boss or supervisor eagerly awaited your return, anxious to tap your mind and hang on your every word? You would feel needed, important, and like an integral part of your company. Feelings like these would drive every employee to do whatever they could to make the company better. If your employees already have the opportunity to grow on a consistent basis, keep it going strong and follow the latter two steps. If not, get started today. The faster you satisfy the needs of your employees, the faster they will work to satisfy yours.

Managers around the world are committing a fatal error that is depriving their people and companies of improvement, progress, and success. While very few know of the dilemma, its solution is the most important and powerful principle that any coach or manager will ever learn.

By Pawan Kumar Taneja
Lecturer,
Punjab College of Technical Education,
Ludhiana