A recent article lists “14 Management Do’s and Don’ts to Motivate Employees.” Yet, unlike many opinion pieces on this topic, every one of the suggestions is fantastic advice.

The work appeared in Entrepreneur magazine, and is divided into seven “DOs” and seven “DON’Ts.” Here are some selected tips:

• DON’T send mixed messages to your employees so that they never know where you stand.
• DON’T act more concerned about your own welfare than anything else.
• DON’T avoid taking responsibility for your actions.
• DO what you say you are going to do when you are going to do it.
• DO be responsive (return phone calls, emails).
• DO admit your mistakes.
• DO smile and laugh.

Here at The Methodology Blog, we’re used to seeing tremendously bad advice from many sources about workplace productivity and motivation. In fact, we hear stories about people trying to force increased employee engagement more often than doing so through direct empowerment!

This article from Entrepreneur, however, demonstrates real understanding of what actually motivates individuals. Ultimately, the worst kind of incentive is something external (like a bonus) and the best is something internal (like increased freedom).

Take the advice of this great article. But watch out for shortcuts to motivation in the form of bribes or threats. Rather, engage your colleagues as human beings and demonstrate your confidence in their ability to explore, discover and succeed.

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