Presenting

48 March | 2023 Business How to Motivate a Disengaged Person Dave has always been one of your best employees. Lately, though, he no longer goes the extra mile. Clearly, he is disengaged. What can you do? Don Phin, Esq., a management consultant and coach in Coronado, Calif., suggests that Dave's boss invite Dave to a conversation. An opening gambit may go something like, "May I share with you a couple of things I've noticed?" Then the boss states specific observations, followed by, "It might just be me, but I get a sense you were more engaged and motivated in the past than you are now." "The trick is to speak for oneself," says Phin. "Notice that there was no suggestion that Dave was unmotivated—only that the boss noticed certain behaviors." A follow-up question can invite Dave to share any hidden issues: "Is there anything going on here or at home that's causing this change in behavior?" Dave may reveal a personal problem such as a health issue, a divorce or some personal event that he normally would not share at work. Expressing an understanding might be all the boss needs to do for Dave to adjust his behavior. Perhaps Dave did not realize his performance had deteriorated, and if the cause is a personal issue, the boss might want to give him some slack until it is resolved. If the cause is something in the workplace, it is important for the boss to resolve the problem immediately. up with a story, there is something overwhelmingly bad in his or her work situation that needs to be addressed." Another tactic is to assure the confluence of so-called "Objectives and Key Results" (OKRs). "If a boss thinks an employee should be doing one thing and that person thinks he or she should be doing something else, there's going to be demotivation at some point," says Don Phin, Esq., a management consultant and coach in Coronado, Calif. He suggests having the employee write down the three most important tasks he or she does every day, then the three key results he or she expects. en have the owner or manager do the same for that employee. "It's surprising how often the two lists do not match," Phin says. "And no performance system will work if they don't." A cousin to periodic engagement reviews are so-called "pulse surveys." ese are frequent short questionnaires designed to spot trouble spots in a business environment. As the name implies, they take the pulse of the company. CREATING PROFITS Companies that fail to improve employee motivation and engagement leave money on the table that competitors are only too happy to collect. Conversely, companies that make a concerted effort to inspire their employees achieve the twin rewards of higher productivity and greater profitability. "Initiatives to bolster employee attitudes are proved to work," says Tosh. "Such efforts are practical and doable, and they drive success in the business." e right program will retain the best people and attract new ones. "If you want to be an employer of choice, you must understand you are in a major competition for top talent," says Rothwell. "at means you need to create a great work environment where people can do their best and never want to leave." Rothwell suggests one particularly useful question : Tell me a story about a time when you felt particularly motivated in the work that you were doing? What was happening, who was involved and, most important, what made it so motivating to you? Then listen.

• Cover