How do I motivate my subordinate to perform above expectations?

One of my ex-programme participants asked me via e-mail a couple of days ago:  

How do I motivate my subordinate to perform above expectations? To put it another way, how do we obtain the ability to awaken their enthusiasm, commitment and passion to go the extra mile?

The thought of engaging employee's discretionary effort has always been appealing to leaders. Why? Obviously, because engaging employees discretionary effort plays a major role in shaping the success of the talented few leaders who know how to do it well.

The basic premise that we must use is that everyone is motivated by WIIFM – What’s In It For Me. If your subordinate / follower refuses to go the extra mile, you have to ask these 6 questions to yourself to determine why he doesn’t do what you want him to do:

1. Does he know what he is supposed to do?;

If he doesn’t have a clue on what he is supposed to do, how can he be motivated to do it? Your job is to ensure that the task is doable, and explained to him clearly. DO NOT ASSUME that he knows.

2. Does he  know how to do it?;

Your subordinate may be technically competent to do his job. But that doesn’t mean that he also knows how to do the extra task that you asked him to do. Make sure he does, and DO NOT ASSUME.

3. Does he think that he is already doing it?;

If he thinks that he is already doing it, you need to correct this misperception. You need to tell him the exact results that you expected.

4. Are there obstacles beyond his control?;

Sometimes in order to perform the extra task, the subordinate needs to get cooperation from other people or other department. Maybe due to his inability to work well with people, he couldn’t get the much needed cooperation. Your job is to remove the obstacles and provide all the support that you can give by bridging the gap between him and other stakeholders.

5. Does he think that something else is more important than the extra work that you asked him to do?;

You really need to talk to him on this. If you discover that he is working two jobs because he needs the extra money, for example, you need to counsel him on company policy and persuade him that this extra work you asked him to do is just as important as whatever something else he is doing. Please bear in mind that you should NEVER undermine or bad mouthing his something else just so that your extra task shines. NEVER!

6. Is he rewarded, in some ways, for not doing it?

Why was he promoted in the first place? Was it some kind of emotional bribe that you can use later? Please go deep into your conscience and answer this truthfully. He may not have been a promotable employee in the first place, and the fact that he got a promotion despite a ‘B’ grade performance can bloat his ego that he is so good that he can still expect to be rewarded even if he is not performing his best. If this is the case, then you need to counsel him and pop-up some ego balloons so that he will understand where he really stands. Please do this discreetly.

What to do now? Once you have determine your answers to the above questions, provide him with FEEDBACK. Yes! Frequent and meaningful informal feedback is more effective at unlocking discretionary effort than all other leadership techniques. This truth was discovered by the American Institute of Human Resources which commissioned research into the drivers of employee performance. They discovered that frequent, meaningful informal feedback has more impact on employee performance than any other leadership technique. All that is required is for you as the leader to illustrate how the employee’s performance, strengths and personal characteristics are critical in helping your team or organization to achieve your respective goals.

Yes, motivation comes from within. However, that doesn’t mean you as the leader cannot do anything to motivate your people. Yes, you can do something within your power to use these 5 keys to unlock the human side of supervision, which acronym is I-CURE:

1. Make people feel IMPORTANT

Demonstrate that the extra task is meaningful and important to you and the company. Make sure that he understands that the extra task you give him is actually a vehicle for his growth. As his leader, after you have made your goal clear you must empower him to perform on his own.

2. Show that you CARE

Take a sincere interest in his private life. But you need to draw a line where you shouldn’t cross.

3. UNDERSTAND  the person behind the employee

What makes him tick? His family? His hobby? His ambition? His extra time with his friends? What makes him feel satisfied?

4. REWARD employee’s efforts

Only give reward if you sincerely believe that he really deserves it that you will give it to him even if he is your worst enemy. Make sure that the reward is immediate, specific  and meaningful. Remember this general guideline: PRAISE IN PUBLIC, REPRIMAND IN PRIVATE. The operative word here is “general guideline” because there are people who are not comfortable to be praised in public.

5. ENCOURAGE two-way communication

Finally, you must be approachable at any reasonable time so that he can come to you for advise, guide or just to talk. Make sure you make some time to talk to your people EVERYDAY. Yes, everyday! And it doesn’t have to be long; 1-5 minutes a day per person is good enough. Don’t hide behind your never ending reports and meetings until you don’t have time for your people.

Finally, what you need to do now is to talk to him privately and without interruption, as in counselling. Prepare what you need to talk about, and how you are going to say it. If it doesn’t sound right, rephrase. And then practice, practice, practice until you are confident enough to say it without offending him or anyone else. 

Remember that you are not paid for what you do. You are paid for what your people do!