Set clear expectations.

Another way of putting this is that managers give people reasons for what they are doing and help them figure out how to work toward those reasons. This is not a trivial thing. In work situations, as in life in general, many people feel that they are routinely doing things they don’t understand and that they don’t know why they are doing them. They just know that they are supposed to do them. When this happens, they become demoralized. They see no point in what they are doing, and they often do their best to sabotage the efforts of the people they work for.

The manager who can’t point to a clear reason for what she wants done is doomed to working with demoralized people. If the manager has a reason that makes sense to the employee, it will help keep the employee motivated toward the goal. Even if the employee is unaware that the reason is compelling, she will be able to muster her energies in support of it. And if she can see how the goal is connected to values that are important to her—values that transcend the work at hand—her energy will be amplified.

If the employee finds that she is not achieving the goal, she will know that she is not being successful and that she needs to figure out how to improve. She will also have a good idea of where to look for the information she needs to solve her problems. She will have the knowledge she needs to look for help.

Setting clear expectations and giving people reasons for what they are doing is easier to do when you have the power to reward or punish them as a result of how well they do. But it can be done even in situations where you have no power over the person. It’s just harder.

GamdAi Media
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Photo by Andrew Neel.