This post has been contributed by Mr. Hasan Jamal, a longtime veteran of Pharma Industry. The Guest Blog Posts are also published on https://pharmaveterans.com . You are welcome to contribute. You may write your own story or about some memorable events of your career or about Pharma Industry. Please send your posts to asrar@asarqureshi.com .
Motivation
Further to my last article on how I handled two difficult situations i.e. Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, published under blogs # 11 & 12. I would like to move forward and share with PharmaVeterans readers some thoughts and experiences on an important aspect of general corporate life and activity ‘Motivation’. I would like to take it up in some detail.
My experience with the two situations mentioned in the last blogs and many other situations of similar or lesser intensity show that motivation always played marvels in successfully addressing the problems and unifying the teams to achieve the ultimate for the company.
The experts maintain that the self-driven employees are the real blessing for the organizations. This calls for the discussion of organizations’ effort to drive the employees as a whole towards their performance and ultimately towards organizational achievements.
Therefore, the study of motivation forms an integral part of industrial and vocational psychology.
Everyone faces a dip in motivation now and then and maintaining consistently high levels of motivation in the workplace can be challenging. But is pivotal to keeping you and your team motivated, day in and day out for meeting the company’s objectives, and the very survival of the organization.
Simple and Effective Ways to Increase Motivation
Being able to motivate the team is one of the biggest assets a manager can possess. Here are some effective ways to make sure morale and productivity remain high while at work.
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Praise workers for their accomplishments
Sales and office staff want to know if they are doing a good job and when you as their boss acknowledge that with brevity, it goes a long way. This can be done by simply saying, what a good job you did, during a meeting. However, be specific. Instead of saying you have been doing a great job, let the person know the specific instance.
If an employee continues to expend discretionary effort to produce exceptional results, and that effort is not recognized, do not expect it to keep happening.
Money is appropriate much of the time, but it is not the only or even the most effective motivator. Treat them as valued team members, not as numbers.
Find ways to eulogize top talent that they are an asset to the company and give them some senior looking additional responsibility. Such gestures help refining their prowess further, boost them and keep them steadfast to the objectives set by the company.
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Set small, measurable goals
It can be incredibly demoralizing to work on a project that seems like it will never end. Give projects with unequivocal objectives and clear timeline for its conclusion.
Visible progress not only feels good, it is also a clear indicator that their work is making the difference.
Setting clear, achievable goals provide a real boost of motivation each time one is conquered. You can magnify that effect by transcending into the next step and celebrating those achievements.
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Do not criticize directly
It is highly demotivating when manager tells them that they did something wrong. Rather try an indirect approach to get staff to learn from their mistakes and rectify themselves. Have a conversation in which you talk through problems and find a solution rather than just pointing out the mistake that was made.
It is worthwhile to provide direction via positive reinforcement. Instead of telling a teammate where they went wrong, focus on the things they did right.
The fact is that expecting rainbows and sunshine all day every day is quite unrealistic.
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Create Vision and share positive outcomes
It is easier to achieve success when you can envision it. Professionals of every industry practice this technique to improve motivation of co-workers.
if you are providing a clear objective, you are already more than halfway there.
Help the team understand what it would mean to achieve that objective. When someone makes real progress toward that objective, share that success as the source of motivation for everyone.
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Encourage teamwork
Teamwork is one of the greatest motivators out there. Pulling together, seeing everyone’s hard work and yours coming together is an amazing feeling. When, as manager, your motivation is flagging, your teammate is right there to help carry the company past that point into its next piece of great work.
Think about how you are structuring company’s work environment. Does it encourage teamwork, or does it limit interactions amongst teammates. If you are not giving them an opportunity to work cohesively, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.
· See and share the big picture
A large part of understanding the purpose behind your work is seeing how it fits into the larger picture, and you can help boost motivation in the workplace by ensuring your team understands how each of their efforts impacts the larger goals of the organization.
Completing one task provides a sense of accomplishment that generally boosts motivation but seeing how that work helped the company grow can multiply the effect.
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Growth opportunities
All those working in a company want to know that there is growth potential within the organization. The managers should provide opportunities for continued learning, training and honing of skills. This will show the workers that they have a future with the company. Be open and receptive to new ideas.
Remember that money is important but is not the only motivating factor that makes members come to work. A congenial working environment is also a vital factor giving worker splendid feeling going to the workplace and developing semblance for the company.
A happy and motivated sales and office staff will result in a prosperous organization.
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Team building activities and having fun
You cannot expect to maintain workplace motivation when everyone’s burned out. It is therefore, important to take regular breaks. Stepping back and taking a brief hiatus to refresh and recalibrate energies which will not just be helpful in staying motivated, it is also important for you and your team’s mental and physical health.
Take a break, avoid monotony and organize social activities from time to time not necessarily on holidays always, such as, birthday parties, happy hour, games coupled with luncheons. It will build camaraderie between the teams and office staff.
During games, contests are a great way to have friendly and healthy competition. By pairing up different members, they not only get to know each other better but they recognize having a common goal to toil-up for and bring success.
You and your team will be amazed at how motivating a little bit of fun can be in making working in the organization great and ricocheting results for the company.
