The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing

Socrates

Thanks alot…While on the topic of knowing nothing, many managers do not recognize the responsibility they have in the workplace.  Often the biggest complaint by managers is not being able to get their workforce motivated.  Employees can be disengaged.  As an employee it’s easy to become disengaged.  Mangers expect workers to be engaged.  Workers expect managers to motivate them.  All too often money is the apparent motivator.  Today’s article is from Mindtools.

"Excuse me, I'm the new program office administrator, and I need to book a hotel for a meeting. Could you help me with that?" you ask another administrator.

"Uh, just go on the intranet," replies your colleague, who then turns back to the person sitting next to her and resumes her conversation about her weekend plans.

"Okay..." you might reply uncomfortably, even though you've already spent half an hour trying to find the right web page.

Sound familiar? You've just encountered a "disengaged" employee. If you had a workforce full of disengaged employees, how devastating would that be to your business?

Disengaged people exist in all types of businesses, across all industries. You can spot them by their indifferent, blasé attitudes. They don't care about the company, they probably don't like their jobs, and they send negative signals everywhere they go.

Disengaged people are like poison - they don't perform their own jobs well, they drive customers away, and they have a bad influence on your other staff. Yet few people start off disengaged. It's typically a process that happens over time, as employee and employer expectations grow further and further apart.

The re-engagement steps are:

1. Fact-finding

· Ask yourself when you ever felt unenthused and unengaged.

· Talk to your people about their expectations and issues.

· Schedule regular "one-on-ones" with members of your team.

· Survey employee engagement on a regular basis.

2. Establishing an Environment for Engagement

· Be honest and forthright about your own role in people's disengagement.

· Practice participative management.

· Be a model for commitment to the organization.

3. Hygiene Factors

· Identify and manage stress and burnout.

· Put people in the right jobs.

· Provide fair and regular feedback.

4. Motivators

· Provide growth opportunities.

· Help people understand the big picture.

- Align personal and organizational goals.

There is substantial background regarding motivation including Herzberg , Theory X and Y, Alderfer, Maslow, and possibly nootropics (Nootropic?). 

Read more about Motivation Here