The Manager's Pocket Guide to Motivating Employees

Process of Building an Enthusiastic Team

People want to be part of something special and exciting. At a picnic, I met a man and asked him what he did for a living. He shrugged and said, “I pick up change from vending machines.” I smiled and said, “Well, that sounds like an honest day’s work.” He responded by saying it was just a job. If that gentleman had worked at a company that had a positive, upbeat environment, a great enthusiastic leader, and other employees who were enthusiastic, then he would have had a different story to tell. Note that it is not the kind of work an employee is doing, it is the environment of the work that counts. This is the element that the manager can greatly influence.

The first step in the process is to do an analysis ...