About this Tool

The Motivational Levers tool was originally developed because managers in our middle management program were constantly feeling powerless in motivating their employees. They did not have the monetary rewards at their disposal some organizations provide to motivate employees behavior. We have found this tool helpful in coaching and teaching leaders and managers about the power they do have, encouraging them to be more proactive. It is also helpful in working with teams to consider what they can do to reward a proposed change.

Motivational Levers	Your Degree of Control L-H	How effectively do you use this lever?	Subordinates this lever will work best with
Develop Your People: (keep them learning & growing)
1. Handling project and task assignments effectively: high exposure project, tied closely to future of company technically challenging, difficult, they'll learn a lot special assignment to help make organization better
2. Taking your time to coach a person, help them learn.
3. Attendance at special meetings to represent the group, company, etc.
4. Opportunities to present to top management or the board.
5. Encourage involvement in professional societies to learn how other companies and professionals handle problems, identify cutting edge approaches, etc. If money is scare, plan out as an organization.
6. Sending someone to a special seminar
7. Sending someone to training
8. Take subordinates to higher level meetings so they can appreciate the bigger picture issues.
9. Assign a person a summer coop student to help person get their important work done quicker and so they can learn to supervise.
	Your Degree of Control L-H	How effectively do you use this lever?	Subordinates this lever will work best with
Effective Use of Rewards & Recognition:
1. Words of praise, pat on the back
2. Thank you note either from yourself, or encourage a boss or client to do it.
3. Host a recognition dinner for individuals and their significant others, give praise and appreciate sacrifices of significant others.
4. Arrange a team outing to have fun.
5. Discretionary use of raises.
6. Promotions
7. Use of monetary bonuses.
8. Recognition meeting, with refreshments and words of praise, etc.
	Your Degree of Control L-H	How effectively do you use this lever?	Subordinates this lever will work best with
Engage in Effective Management Practices:
1. Get person tools, office equipment, etc. to allow person to do a better job more effectively.
2. Fight the bureaucracy to get a deserving employee's needs meet.
3. Provide increased signature authority to the person.
4. Give a person more freedom to act, discretion around decisions they can make without reviewing things with you.
5. Give a person more leadership responsibility.
6. Allow someone to sign their own letters, get their own business cards, etc.
7. Decisively address poor performers.
8. Providing compensatory time, flexible work hours or flexible work place.
9. Assignment to jobs where the travel schedule meets personal needs.
10. Arrange for periodic project reviews/briefings that give person an opportunity to demonstrate what they have done.