18 Ways to Motivate Different People in Your Workplace

Motivating employees can be one of your biggest challenges as an employer, but learning how to inspire each individual is the key to a successful organization. This article will provide you 18 ways to motivate different people in your workplace. Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, the following information will be beneficial to you.

If your workforce resembles that of most organizations, many different kinds of people are toiling under one roof. In one area, you have a person striving for better pay and benefits working next to someone for whom the pay is secondary to the job duties. Nearby, an employee struggles to balance work and home life. And yet another worker on the same team is looking for a new position because he thrives on change and is seeing the same old tasks every day.

Unless you know your workers' differences, the music they make together may sound more like a cacophony than a symphony. Research conducted in 2004 found six different segments in the American workplace. All workplaces, especially large ones, will likely employ some of each type of worker. The list includes:

Fair and Square Traditionalists, who want their work to provide stability and a secure future. Motivate them by: – Asking for and giving them feedback – Talking to them frankly – Discussing the mission and their role in making it happen

Accomplished Contributors, who prize teamwork. Motivate them by: – Nudging them toward team leadership roles – Giving them specific measurements of their success and growth – Asking them what they want to do next

Stalled Survivors, who see work as work, not life. Motivate them by: – Focusing on work-life balance and what to do when one is out of kilter – Putting them on teams that provide support, empathy and role models – Helping them plan for their career future

Demanding Disconnects, your least satisfied workers. Motivate them by: – Giving them non-routine tasks – Discovering their strengths to use on the job – Paying attention to their ideas

Maverick Morphers are enthusiastic and like trying new things. Motivate them by: – Providing a congenial work environment – Letting them know what's going on – Discussing their progress

Self-Empowered Innovators like work for the sake of work. Motivate them by: – Giving them responsibilities that allow for learning and growth – Ridding their path of obstacles – Allowing them to stretch the company's vision

Another easy way to motivate your workforce is to find out what drives each individual employee. The answer is simple: assessments. Employee assessments will provide you with insight that could lead to higher productivity and job satisfaction throughout your organization. The information collected from assessments provides company leaders with perspective on the current reality in their organization's workplace and highlights areas of concern affecting the total workplace experience.

Many companies use employee assessments to help them find ways to motivate employees and make them want to live up to their full potential. This provides better results as each employee's reason for working is unique. Addressing each individual's needs in the organization will create a highly motivated workforce that strives for the best as a whole.

Leading the organizations of today and tomorrow requires knowledge that yesterday's leaders did not need. Think of managing today as trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with millions of tiny pieces. You cannot force the pieces together; you must examine each one to see where each fits in the picture. Your goal is not to finish the puzzle, because it is ever-changing; your goal is to keep putting the pieces where they fit.