What motivates your team?
By Tom Borg

What motivates your team?

In a survey, researcher Dr. Ken Kovach found differences between how employees rank 10 possible reward factors and the ways their managers rank them. Here is the comparison:



What Employees Want:

  1. Interesting work;
  2. Full appreciation of work done;
  3. Feeling of being “in” on things;
  4. Job security;
  5. Good wages;
  6. Promotion and growth;
  7. Good working conditions;
  8. Personal loyalty to employees;
  9. Tactful disciplining; and
  10. Help with personal problems.


What Supervisors Thought Employees Wanted:

  1. Good wages;
  2. Job security;
  3. Promotion and growth;
  4. Good working conditions;
  5. Interesting work;
  6. Personal loyalty to employees;
  7. Tactful disciplining;
  8. Full appreciation of work done;
  9. Help with personal problems; and
  10. Feeling of being “in” on things.



Why do business owners and managers choose to ignore the reward preferences chosen by most of the workers under their supervision? Dr. Kovach suggests that managers may operate under a self-reference system, assuming employees want the same kind of rewards that they, as supervisors, would want.


"Instead of assuming that money is the primary motivator, managers should ask what types of rewards employees would value most."


What should gift shop owners and managers do to align their motivational rewards with their employees? Ask them!


Instead of assuming that money is the primary motivator, managers should ask what types of rewards employees would value most.


Get employee feedback


Hold a group brainstorming session to identify all the different ways your team members like to be rewarded. This will give everyone ideas that they haven’t even considered in the past. Implement the ones that are practical and watch team members strive to excel.


Next, sit down with each of your team members and discuss how they like to be appreciated and rewarded. This can help you retain your best employees.


Now, get out your calendar and schedule your group brainstorming session. Once that is completed, schedule your one-on-one meetings with each of your team members to discuss how they want to be rewarded. Contact me for my list of the top 20 ways to motivate your team members.