When your employees genuinely sense their presence at work really matters for the success of the company, you've succeeded as a motivator. When they feel deeply that you sincerely care about each of them, not just as an employee, but also as a person, you've succeeded as a motivator. When your peers see the positive outcome of you human relations efforts, you've succeeded as a motivator. When the chips are down and your employees come through once again, you've succeeded as a motivator. When your staff stands up again and again to receive the plaudits for their achievements, you've succeeded as a motivator.

It takes a special type of person to be a motivator. Unfortunately they are few and far between. A well known market research director had the opportunity to reorganize his department, and took the opportunity to speak with each of his fifteen employees to ask them what area they really wanted to pursue, if he could make that possible. I had the opportunity to help him develop the structure, and amazingly he was actually able to retain everyone, and he was able to structure the work so that every single employee would be able to work in their preferred area.

The director called everyone together to announce the new organization, but I was delayed on another project and missed the first fifteen minutes of the meeting. When I entered the room I was dumbfounded to see that an amazing accomplishment had turned into a complete debacle. The director had found a way to turn everyone against him, despite having offered everyone the job they wanted. While he had been one of the top researchers in the business, he was a total disaster as a motivator.

Another director in the same company, actually in Human Resources, was privileged to have a higher percentage of employees who had received the corporate Award of Excellence, an award resulting from commendations from the entire workforce. How many employees in your company would bestow their highest award to the Human Resource division? That director was a brilliant motivator.

A motivator understands that results are achieved through people, and superior results are achieved by the manager who instinctively understands the human dimension of a business. A superior motivator is a great communicator who naturally keeps information flowing through up and down channels, and whose motives are completely transparent. A superior motivator will be cut a little slack for a mistake when staff know it wasn't made with malice. Employees trust motivators implicitly.

Motivators are excited for their employees when they reach major goals, and they take a back seat when department performance is recognized. They may not be stars in the functions performed by their departments, but they are natural facilitators who help and coach subordinates to be the very best they can be.

If your employees believe that the make a positive difference to the company each and every day, you have succeeded as a motivator.

Learn more about this author, Ian Buchanan.
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