What Are Motivational Skills?
Motivational skills can be defined as actions or strategies that elicit a desired behavior or response from a stakeholder. These strategies and actions vary based on three major factors:
Steps in the Motivational Process
Motivation is a process that requires careful strategy for success. These steps can help you to reach the desired outcome:
Examples of Motivation
Motivationcan be used in many different ways to elicit a positive result. Examples of how motivation can be used in the workplace include:
Allocating professional development resources to the most motivated staff Allowing team members personal problem-solving autonomy instead of micromanaging the team Asking for input regarding departmental objectives Assigning desirable projects to staff who are highly engaged Awarding a performance-based bonus or salary increase to employees who achieve the right results Being open to discussing, in a constructive and non-judgmental manner, employee concerns Continually noticing the contributions of staff and conveying appreciation Creating a pleasant and ergonomic workplace for your team members Drafting a budget proposal for additional staff to management that emphasizes how revenues would be enhanced Empowering staff to choose the way in which they will address goals whenever possible Focusing on ways to learn from rather than punishing mistakes Giving to office collections to support favorite staff charities, celebrate birthdays, or sympathize with personal family loss Helping to build bridges across staff and management levels to heighten interconnectedness, foster collaboration, and build a shared sense of mission Implementing a public tally board to record comparative sales by different members of the sales team Identifying and acknowledging the unique talents and contributions of team members Joining informal “water cooler” discussions to gain an understanding of staff interests and personalities Keenly assessing the interest of staff in various tasks and projects Launching voluntary health and wellness programs Limiting the length of staff meetings by sticking to a strict agenda and concluding discussions quickly Meeting with a subordinate to set performance goals Mentioning positive aspects of your supervisor’s leadership approach to her superior at an informal gathering Mentoring new personnel in an engaging and supportive fashion Noticing and quietly thanking peers for unsolicited acts of both project/work initiative and of interpersonal kindness Offering to support colleagues or subordinates who are under stress Providing in-person testimonials by potential beneficiaries at a presentation to a grant funding organization Quarterly implementing team-building workshops to increase collaboration, mutual respect, and project ownership Recognizing the contributions of key donors in public communications Sending a note to an IT staff member’s supervisor after she helped with a successful implementation Taking a strong departmental contributor to lunch and thanking them for their efforts Thanking a supervisor for their support Utilizing rising technologies to streamline work processes, increase efficiency, and reduce caseloads Validating the individual progress of your subordinates in assuming greater levels of responsibility Warning a subordinate of the consequences for continued lateness Writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a helpful business partner Examining your own personal communications and work style to identify better ways to motivate others and lead by example Yielding control, and ownership, of various project stages to subordinates or colleagues who deserve the opportunity to lead others Zeroing in on opportunities to increase staff engagement and accountability
Motivation is an important skill that can bring you positive results. If motivating others is one of your key strengths, then this is a skill that you want to make known to employers, as it can lead to growth for both you and the company.
