Employees Are Motivated When They Feel Valuable and Important

Another method of motivation is to fill a basic human need - the need to feel valuable and important. Mary Kay Cosmetics has a reputation for motivating their sales force, and at the front of this effort are the many things they do to make their people feel special. Here are some ideas they use to make their employees feel special.

1. Listen to people. People feel important and perform better when they think their opinions are valued. Have a weekly production meeting including the project managers, estimators, owner and accounting staff. Progress on jobs, billings and a variety of issues should be discussed. Everyone has a report to give and everyone listens to each other. Each individual knows that their contribution really counts and so they are motivated to do their best.

You can see the importance of this concept and some ways to implement this in your business. There are also ways to extend this to the field. If each superintendent realizes the value of their performance to the success of the job and company they will be motivated to perform at a higher level. This can then extend to everyone working on the job. Having weekly tailgate meetings (which are often already required for safety discussions) gives workers an opportunity for input on how things could be done better.

2. Don't give responsibility without authority. Giving employees responsibility will make them feel important, but only as long as long as they also have the authority to fulfill their responsibilities. This may be difficult, especially when your business is growing and you have to turn loose decisions you previously made. However, for the business to be successful this must happen, and if it is done right the employees will grow into the job.

3. Let people know you appreciate them. People are motivated when they know they are appreciated - plain and simple. There are a few little "tricks" you can use - such as noting the "hire date" of your employees and sending a card or some other action that is taken on the employee's anniversary date with the company or on employee birthdays.

4. Put people on a first class basis. One way you can do this is to provide tools for your employees which will make their work easier and more efficient or which results in a more attractive finished product. Give office personnel the ability to enhance forms such as invoices and statements. Whenever they print these they will be reminded that this is a first class company; the type of company where they want to be. The same is true of tools in the field. If these are old or out-dated then employees will be frustrated. If you are on the lookout for new methods and tools, look objectively at their potential and then try out those which are promising then employees will feel that this is a progressive company, not one still working in the ‘Dark Ages.’ Employees do take pride in their work and if the client shows employees that their work is important enough to look "first-class" they will be motivated to perform.

Another way to make employees feel important is to tell the world they are important to you. You can show your client how to do this. You may publish a quarterly newsletter which is sent to clients and prospects as well as employees and vendors. One feature in the newsletter is an "employee of the month" type article with the employee's picture and an article about that person.