Some time ago, I was asked a small question by our marketing team; if I could add a quote to my LinkedIn header. A quote that would capture both my personal and professional passion. Well, a simple question but not an easy exercise, as you can imagine. However, it was good to reevaluate and get in touch with why I love my job.
I quickly came to the realization, that what gets me going professionally in the world of recruitment, is people; and how to bring out the best version of themselves. Not surprisingly, I even wrote my thesis about the same topic many moons ago. Then and now, positive reinforcement is still the best motivator to get people to do their best work. However, how do you walk the line between encouraging, complimenting, and motivating?
Performance management is about behavior and positive reinforcement. It will not only improve profits and productivity for your business but will also increase employee satisfaction. A happy employee is someone who works hard, has a positive attitude towards co-workers, and is a great company ambassador. It improves job satisfaction, loyalty to the company and produces long-lasting, measurable change. It is not surprising that most performance problems in organizations are motivational.
If you break it down, you’ll find that performance problems can be either ‘can not do’ or ‘will not do’. When using Positive Reinforcement to manage and motivate your team, they will perform the desired behavior. Again, it’s a great motivator as people just work better when they feel good about themselves and the environment they work in. Being happy, feeling valued, and getting praise will improve the overall way of working.
This sounds quite obvious, however, it is quite often overlooked. Most managers feel that the monthly, or even annual review, is the only moment when the performance can be evaluated. This is actually not the case. Positive feedback works as encouragement and is the best way to motivate people.