MOTIVATION IN THE WORK PLACE In a nutshell, this animation explains why so many leaders are unable to motivate their

teams, how old work incentives don't work any more and why so many people get much more fulfillment working for nothing than they do from their job. Understanding this is crucial when it comes to managing, engaging and motivating people in order to build a committed workforce that is aligned to the business goal. Loss of productivity, which may occur when an employee is demotivated and eventually leaves an organization will translate in substantial monetary loss to any business. For example, a loss in sales revenue when a salesperson leaves; the HR cost associated with attracting and recruiting a replacement; the reduction in sales revenue until the time a new hire is fully effective on the job (since the newly recruited employee will need time to ramp up his/her competency); training costs incurred to support the abovementioned ramp up of job knowledge/skills. There are also a number of other attrition costs that are not tangible, and hence difficult to quantify. These costs do not appear on any balance sheet or income statement, but affects the organization in terms of loss of workforce productivity, additional administrative burdens, disruption to company culture, reduction of team morale, loss of critical knowledge, and damage to the company reputation in the market. Employees who are not engaged and demotivated are at higher risk of leaving an organization. There can be a variety of reasons - spanning from personal reasons, job dissatisfaction, to pull factors such as better compensation packages offered from competitors. Whichever the reason, the common underlying root cause behind attrition is often the organizations inability to meet the needs of the employees and to effectively motivate them. Most organization sought out on employees who are internallyor to use the technical term, intrinsicallymotivated to do their jobs well. Intrinsically motivated employees are passionate, responsible, affectionate, and eager to improve. They are happy to help someone else out, to contribute to a team, to add value to the organization or to take on a little extra responsibility themselves if need be. They look to their managers to support them and help them get the information and resources needed to do a good job. With the right amount of support and proper initiatives planning to maximize intrinsic motivation in employee, an organization will be able to produce self-motivated employees who are eager to perform well and believe in the importance of their work. An ideal way to manage this in the workplace is to layout a platform where employees are able to achieve the high levels of performance they desire. But in many cases, managers find themselves dealing with groups of employees who are in the habit of working more out of extrinsic than intrinsic motivation. This habit has been reinforced by their previous managers and by the systems within which they work. As demonstrated in this animation, the organization would have to keep providing external pressures to make them perform. They held threats over them, they offer rewards for performance, or any combination of both. But however the organization did it, employees are doing what they wanted only because that is how they can earn the reward or avoid the punishment. What happen if you turn your back for even a moment? The extrinsically motivated employees will stop working or becomes less productive. They will come in late and do less on days when you aren't there to watch them. They will try to sneak out of work or do a poor job when they think you won't notice. As a manager, you will always feel like you have to work extra hard just to keep them working at all.

So the main question is How do we keep our employees engaged and motivated? We should always remember that the managers assert a great influence in engaging their employees. Managers need to use communication to boost motivation, not just to focus on getting work done. The manager's role is to get work done through others, not just to do the work. And that means the manager's effectiveness depends on how motivated the employees feel about the work. It is critical for managers to actively engage with their employees, to identify any potential symptoms of disengagement early on, and to intervene with appropriate actions or initiatives when appropriate, in order to avoid poor performance and losing valuable employees. Below are some recommendation for future managers of tomorrow:

Communicate Work Expectation Clearly Communicate job roles and responsibilities accurately to the employees to avoid misalignment of expectation Ensure new hires undergo a holistic induction program where they receive clarity on their work expectations, job roles and responsibilities

Create a positive working environment Play an active role in creating a positive and emotionally comfortable working environment. Praise publicly, and be sure to be specific, genuine, and quantifiable when giving praises Foster team spirit by conveying to the entire staff that every person plays an important role. Encourage an attitude of cooperation rather than competition

Ensure a Work / Life Balance Diagnose the cause of lack of work/life balance that could stem from employee: i.e. ineffective management of time, insufficient resource allocation, unrealistic KPIs, and seek to rectify the problem Explore the available work/life balance initiatives that will support your employee professional and personal commitments

Embrace Creativity, Collaboration and Courage Encourage idea-sharing, debate, and dialogue by giving everyone a voice to contribute their ideas toward the achievement of goals Build an environment where individuals with a good idea freely comes forward and shares and is subsequently made to feel that his/her contribution is valued Construct a structured career path and promotional opportunities

As I continued to research more and more on leadership and which motivational key driver that managers should focus on, I have realized that there is actually no One Size Fits All answer and certainly no Silver Bullet to this issue. Managers must understand their employees. Each employee is motivated differently. Engaged employees experience a compelling purpose and meaning in their work. They think, feel and act positively toward their organization and our clients.So, do remember future project managers - first we have to rethink the way we communicate with employees, the way we structure work, the way we and they feel about the work, and other important elements of the basic performance environment. When these elements are aligned with our performance requirements and goals, then we can reinforce them with good incentives. Recognition and reward can be added to strengthen an already naturally high level of employee motivation. The goal is to turn people on and stimulate their natural drive to perform their work well, succeed in their careers, and help your organization succeed too. As Aristotle (380322 BC) once said Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.