How to motivate employees to peak performance in times of economic uncertainties

There’s no doubt, 2016 is a year of economic uncertainty, not least because the income base of the various governments in the country has been “degraded” due to the sharp drop oil prices. The impact is already taking a toll on businesses. The pressure to perform is on already. More than ever before, your available human resources would be your only sustainable competitive advantage. When the people you lead don’t perform at acceptable levels, you must try to find effective and acceptable ways to influence or inspire them to want to do what you believe they should do.

There are five primary reasons people underperform. Understanding the reasons behind nonperformance is the first step to using your abilities to influence others effectively and without resorting to manipulation or coercion.

Reason 1: I don’t know what to do…

Solution: Educate – If people don’t know what to do, you’ll have to tell them what they need to know to get past this obstacle. Show people what they need to do by building a strong foundation for their performance during new employee orientation and the on-boarding process or later during education and development opportunities. Unless people clearly understand what they need to do, they will make mistakes or allocate their time to the tasks inappropriately.

Reason 2: I don’t know how to do it…

Solution: Train- When they don’t know how, you can teach them the practice and skills they need to begin to move forward. Training is the answer. Take people through the step-by-step process of performing tasks and how the correct execution of those steps creates success for them and the organization.

Reason 3: I don’t believe I can…

Solution: Coach- This area reflects your confidence in their ability to perform. It is important to show them that the job can be done and that they can do it. Coaching is not just a matter of cheering your employees on, but of helping them see why they have been selected to perform the task or why they have been appointed to the team. Instill in them a belief in themselves and the confidence to use past successes as a stepping stone to future opportunities.

Reason 4: I don’t know why…

Solution: Vision. When other people don’t see the reason behind your directions, you need to get their support to move forward. This is often a trust issue. A senior leader’s vision for the organisation is a good start, but employees also need to know how they fit into that vision and why their organisational processes are critical to accomplishing the vision.

I don’t want to…

Solution: Motivate- This is the most challenging reason people underperform—when people know what to do and how to do it, but they are not motivated enough to do it or they feel they have a better way. Sometimes people even try to sabotage the process to slow down changes. In this situation, you must use your influence to get results. Motivation is the key. If people know what to do, how to do it, believe they can do it, and know why they should do it, non-performance must be due to some other barrier that may not be immediately discernable. Look at how the organization is inspiring its employees. Are they being kept busy without knowing how their activities relate to the organisation’s mission or vision? Inspired employees have the internal desire to achieve the vision.

In your quest to beat the performance challenges of this uncertain year, you’ll do well to find the real reasons behind the underperformance issues your organisation might be facing and focus your attention accordingly.

Patrick E. Nwakogo