Welcome to our skills for motivating people. There are three FREE DOWNLOADS:
Workbook Skills for Motivating People here.
Training slidedeck: Skills for Motivating People here.
The relevant Psychological Manager book extract here. Many thanks to the author Pete Storr.
Mosaic’s training skills FREE RESOURCES
- People motivation skills training
- Managing people skills training
- High-performing team skills training
- Managing change skills training
- EI skills training
- Resilience skills training
- Career skills training
- Coaching skills training
Summary of skills for motivating people
Skill/Motivation Matrix
| High Motivation | CONSULTATIVE | DELEGATING |
| Low Motivation | DIRECTING | PARTICIPATIVE |
| Low Skill | High Skill |
Follow these tips to use the managing styles more successfully:
Directing management skills
(for people whose skill and motivation are low)
- Clarify expectations
- Develop a vision of future performance
- Structure tasks for quick wins
- Provide training
- Provide frequent feedback
- Praise and develop
Consultative management skills
(for people with low skill and high motivation)
- Provide training up-front
- Clarify expectations and answer questions
- Ask for suggestions
- Allow for mistakes and learning
- Reduce contact as progress is observed
Participative management skills
(for people with high skill and low motivation)
- Identify reason that motivation is low: is it the work, your management style or personal issues affecting their work?
- Motivate with genuine praise
- Provide continuous feedback
- Monitor progress
Delegation management skills
(for people whose skill and motivation are high)
- Set objectives and provide freedom to do the job
- Actively involve in decision-making
- Praise
- Give more challenging assignments
Motivation skills framework
Merely coming out with a “what motivates you” type question may be too abstract without giving it a framework, and this is where modern Motivation Questionnaires come in; they get at these answers through the back door.
One such questionnaire and supporting motivation framework is the Blue Edge Motivation Questionnaire (BEM-Q ã). The model they use assesses eleven factors that can either be motivators or demotivators (by their absence) at work. You can use this table as a framework for motivation conversations (and for your own development, of course . . .)
| Factor | Description |
| Affiliation | a desire to work closely with other people, getting to know them and being at the centre of social events |
| Recognition | a desire for acknowledgement for their efforts and receiving positive feedback from others |
| Caring | a desire to nurture others in the work role and being seen as a “shoulder to cry on” by others |
| Independence | a desire to work autonomously without the heavy involvement of superiors, valuing personal freedom |
| Development | a desire for ongoing personal and professional development through training, coaching and other learning opportunities |
| Responsibility | a desire to take positions of responsibility and influence over others, valuing the status associated with those more senior positions |
| Achievement | a desire to set and achieve stretching goals, being recognised for achieving them |
| Variety | a desire to do original, creative, interesting work, valuing work environments which encourage innovation |
| Material | a desire to make money and achieve a good remunerative package |
| Security | a desire to work in a secure and stable role and organisation; more likely than most to believe in the “job for life” model |
| Environment | a desire to be happy and comfortable in the physical working environment |
Further Motivation skills reading and motivation skills information
- “Fish!” SC Lundin, by H Paul & J Christensen, Hodder Morbius
- “The Psychological Manager” by Peter Storr, lulu.com
- “One more time, how do we motivate employees?” by Frederick Herzberg, Harvard Business Press
- “The tao of motivation” by Max Landsberg, Profile Books