Motivation at Work in Today’s Tech World
The most powerful motivator at work today? It’s not really cash compensation. Or stock options. Employees these days want to know that the work they do matters. They want to learn from mentors and colleagues, contribute directly to the growth of the company and ultimately be recognized and gain responsibility.
This makes management an art and science. You must be both self-sacrificing and self-realizing in the professional world. It’s your job to help people discover their inner strengths and weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses that might just enable them to find new opportunities, outside your company, for more personal growth.
Since the inception of the pandemic in March 2020, the working world as we know it is upside down. I know I personally find myself with an entirely different perspective than before, and it’s been difficult to reset my expectations. But for most of us, we’ve entirely adjusted to both working in a hybrid-mode after only ever being in an office. But the issues of before prevail, and sometimes it’s harder to not bring home issues with us into work-from-home, and motivation can suffer.
To be an impactful manager in today’s working world is to provide a larger picture of what’s going on at the company. Transparency will show employees how they can grow on a macro level. On a day-to-day level, spell out how a project can achieve certain goals or completing one task can lead to something bigger. Try encouraging employees to see ways in which their work is meaningful and providing goals, metrics, KPIs and measurements to track progress — and you’ll see how your employees grow (and the bottom line will too).
For those of us who may have gotten some “micromanagement” feedback on 360 reviews: it’s hard to take your hands off the wheel, but the leadership style that fuels the highest motivation is one that encourages employees. Let them manage their own projects and by extension, workflows. Giving them the space to solve their own problems, within reason, will yield unparalleled results. Recognize self-initiated projects, shared perspectives, and independently made choices. Your employees will still need you, even without sharing the driver's seat, and you’ll find they’ll be more willing to request support when needed.