Do you manage a team? Do your employees need continuous engagement and motivation building? Here are 5 steps worth remembering when building employee motivation.
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Before important undertakings, give the employee the opportunity to make a choice – an independent choice. Every employee before any special undertaking should have the opportunity to learn about all its pros and cons, should know the price that must be paid for its implementation, and only then make a fully conscious decision. Only after voluntarily taking on a task can an employee, in case of failure, double their efforts. Otherwise, they start (much more often) giving up. In short, without a consciously and voluntarily made decision, achieving long-term success is impossible.
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Get to know your employees! If you don’t know anything about an employee’s motivations, their successes, capabilities and their limits, you cannot motivate them well. The greatest impression you’ll make on an employee is being able to recite their achievements and successes “from memory.” This is the best proof that you pay attention to their merits, recognize them, and that they are important to you. An employee will never fully mobilize their strength if they feel that their achievements don’t attract much attention or seem important to anyone.
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Show interest in the employee’s personal matters! Under no circumstances make the employee feel that you only see their successes or efficiently executed orders in them. Show them that their health, their future, family, and private concerns and needs are also important to you. If you, as a boss, don’t show personal interest in them, why should they care (more than necessary) about your priorities? Besides, your interest in the employee means they don’t have to look elsewhere to satisfy their need for warmth and security, but can use all their energy for the good of the company.
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Be patient! This requirement seems to cause the greatest trouble for many managers. They themselves have enormous capabilities and expect their employees to achieve extraordinary results at the same pace and with equal commitment. However, this belief is false. The highest achievements require patience. They also require superiors to have faith in their employees and their capabilities, even when problems and failures arise. The ability to patiently mobilize employees and continuously set new requirements for them is probably the most valuable talent of a manager.
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Be the first to reach out to employees! Don’t lock yourself in your office, but go out to them. Stand face to face with them, talk and keep your finger on the pulse. Give one (short) informational speech too many rather than too few. Look for opportunities to talk, be in constant contact with employees. Distance, introversion, shyness, or other communication barriers make effective motivation and management impossible.
Author: Anna Kowalska
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are Hannibal’s motivation strategies still relevant for today’s workplace?
Yes, the core principles — voluntary commitment, personal knowledge of team members, genuine interest, patience, and proactive communication — are timeless leadership fundamentals. They align closely with modern research on intrinsic motivation and employee engagement.
Which of the five strategies has the greatest impact on employee engagement?
Getting to know your employees individually tends to have the strongest impact because it forms the foundation for all other strategies. When employees feel that their achievements are recognized and their contributions matter, they naturally become more engaged and willing to go the extra mile.
How can remote managers apply these motivation strategies?
Remote managers can adapt these strategies by scheduling regular one-on-one video calls, publicly recognizing individual achievements in team channels, and proactively reaching out rather than waiting for employees to come to them. The principle of reducing distance and staying in constant contact is even more critical in remote environments.
What is the connection between voluntary choice and long-term employee success?
Employees who consciously and voluntarily choose to take on challenges develop stronger internal motivation and resilience. This self-determined commitment means they view obstacles as problems to solve rather than reasons to quit, which is the foundation of sustained high performance.