The #1 Key to Employee Engagement, Performance, and Retention
Category: Blog
September 13, 2022 | Mark Altman
In our last posts, we covered why rewards aren’t enough to improve employee engagement and retention. We also shared why consequences have consequences when it comes to performance improvement. If rewards and consequences aren’t effective motivators of behavior change, what is?
The answer is intrinsic motivation. The most effective way to inspire employee engagement, retain talented team members, and improve performance is to learn what matters most to your team members.
A few examples of what might intrinsically motivate someone include:
- Personal growth – professional development opportunities
- Feeling challenged
- Inclusion
- Social justice and serving others
- Fulfilling a sense of purpose
- Sense of accomplishment
- Mentoring opportunities
- Allowing people consistent opportunities to do things they are passionate about
- Fairness
If you discover that your team member is motivated by personal growth, perhaps they want to take online classes, or spend time job shadowing a senior executive, and/or participate in a training program. (Hint: ask them!)
If someone is motivated by serving people, what does that look like in their role? In what ways can they serve people that align with the business mission and objectives?
Here’s a talk track to uncover your team member’s intrinsic motivation.
You: Hey Janae, I want to better understand what drives and motivates you. What are your favorite aspects of working here and what do you love most about your job?
Team Member: I care a lot about finding a sense of purpose in my work – I always want to understand how the part I’m playing contributes to the greater whole.
You: Do you feel you are making direct contributions to our success as well as your own? What can we do to help you feel more purposeful and fulfilled?
Team Member: Our mission statement speaks to me and was a large part of why I joined the company, but I don’t always understand how the work I do in the day-to-day fits into our mission.
You: That’s helpful, thanks. I want to better understand what we can be communicating differently and more frequently so you have more comfort around this.
Taking the time to understand what drives your team members intrinsically will pay major dividends in terms of engagement, performance, and retention. If you’re still struggling to have these conversations with your team, email us and we’ll share another conversation resource to get you talking to – and motivating – your employees.
Enjoy this post? Contact us at MindsetGo to empower your leaders and teams to build confidence, develop skills, and shift mindsets and habits for lasting change.