If you’re a manager then you’ve been told at least once that you have to “motivate your people.” But how do you do that? Where should you start, and what can you do?

Forget about buying a motivational poster like the one here. Instead, start with something MUCH easier.
Start by making a change in your head.
First, forget about “motivating” people. Motivation isn’t something you do to someone else. It’s something we each do for ourselves.
You can’t see motivation. Motivation is inside another person’s head and heart. You can’t touch it. You can’t measure it. So it stands to reason, you can’t manage it, either.
What can you do? Manage the things you CAN see and measure. Start concentrating on behavior and performance. The things people say and do are behaviors. The results of their efforts are performance.
Use the things YOU say and do to influence the behavior and performance of the people who work for you.
Talk your talk.
Walk your walk.
Your people will pay attention to what you say and do, and they will try to do what you want them to do.
Tell people what you expect.
If your people don’t know what you want them to do, they’ll guess. And you probably will not get the behavior or performance you want.
Learn to give good directions.
Constantly check with your sales people to be sure they understand what you’re saying. If they don’t, patiently say things another way, and again, ask for understanding. Only then should you move on to the next expectation.
Tell people how they’re doing.
Give your employees frequent, and most importantly usable, feedback. If you’re the boss, your job is to help your people succeed and you need to remove any excuses your team might have for failing.
Bad behaviors and lack of performance lead to consequences. Consequences should escalate as behavior and performance worsen.
If you touch a hot stove, the pain you feel is a consequence of your behavior. If you make a great sports play or cook a great meal, the joy you feel is a consequence of your performance.
Good things should happen when behavior and performance are good. We call those good things positive consequences.
Positive consequences include praise, a better schedule, time off and monetary and non-montary rewards. Positive consequences are things people want. They get people to continue what they’re doing well or encourage them to try something new.
Make sure you reward good behavior and performance. Catch people doing things right by paying attention and actively looking for people behaving well and performing well.
Bad things should happen when behavior and performance are bad. We call those bad things negative consequences.
Negative consequences that you might deliver include discipline, more work, a less desirable schedule and other penalties. They get people to stop what they’re doing…if you make bad behavior and performance something that has a consequence every time. Remember: lots of small corrections are better than fewer, bigger corrections.
Most importantly, keep doing it. Keep paying attention to, and recognizing behaviors, both good and bad.
This is work that is never done and it’s the core of your work as a boss. Great bosses do the things we’re talking about over and over, every day.
This may be motivation made simple, but it’s not easy. You know this.
Your positive consequences for doing it consistently right are happier sales people, happier owners, happier customers, and eventually, a happier you because your paycheck, your consequences, are positive ones instead of negative ones.
And that’s a consequence that’s simply motivating for all of us!