The more motivated employees are, the more efficiently they work. In modern science, there are two main types of incentives: internal and external. Their application depends on the activities of the company and specific personnel.
The stimulus manifests itself in people as an external and internal reward. For example, if a boss gives a successful employee a vacation ticket, it will be an external reward. But if the employee feels satisfied when he copes with the plan for the day, then this is an internal reward. In order to unleash the potential of employees to the maximum, it is necessary to use both types of motivation.
External and internal reward
The easiest way, of course, is to organize material incentives. For example, the best employee of the month receives a bonus of 25% of his salary. If your company has predominantly young employees, then you can use a competitive element ("best employee", "maximum sales", etc.), if more mature, then focus on teamwork.
Internal rewards are much more complicated. It is not always possible to get job satisfaction. In modern books on personnel management, it is often mentioned that the basis of such motivation is the assessment of personal contribution. If an employee sees that his work really brings benefits to the company, and the management appreciates it, he effectively improves significantly.
You can explain your personal contribution to everyone individually or in general meetings. For example, go to the chief accountant at lunchtime and say how much you appreciate his work and how much it makes life easier for the rest of the management. Or, during the meeting, when handing out decrees, mention that employee N made a huge contribution to the common cause last week.
Fairness and participation in governance
There is no direct praise here, but the person becomes incredibly pleased, he has an incentive to work even harder. Ignoring the achievements of the staff, you will only achieve a deterioration in the quality and efficiency of their work.
However, becoming a "very kind boss" is also not worth it. The employees are the same people, they feel sincerity and fairness. If something did not work out for them, say so, you can even reprimand, but if the task is done amazingly, praise must follow.
The last point is participation in decision-making and career growth. In Japan, very often young employees are put in management positions for 1-2 weeks, so that they understand exactly how employees at a lower rank should work. You can use the same technique or figure out ways to get the staff interested in a different way. For example, give everyone the opportunity to suggest an idea for improvement.
