For most businesses, inspiration and creativity are always imperative. Good managers have to stay engaged, and guard themselves from becoming out of touch with the teams they serve and the processes they oversee. But how do you keep that inspiration going in your office or department?

Here are some recommended strategies for getting people motivated to do their jobs well, and keeping a work force collectively moving forward.

Be a Productivity “Solver”

One of the best ways to really motivate people is to get engaged in the core processes that they work on every day.

A lot of managers don’t get this, and spend their time basically “selling” productivity, or they try to use a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to push people further. But these kinds of methods are outdated and pretty much ineffective. Pushing productivity without explaining why often just turns people off. That’s because today’s workers know their rights — they understand that they are not required to just do whatever the boss asks them to do. That means to really motivate, the boss has to be on their side and actively pursuing problems in order to solve them. Work directly with the workforce, and they will work directly with you.

Putting Profit in the Back Seat

A similar idea is that the business has to pursue goal-oriented results, and not just talk about money.

Trying to induce people to work toward other people’s profits just doesn’t work. People have to have skin in the game, and they have to be motivated by their own best interests. So short of giving everyone stock options, evoking profit as a motivator just doesn’t work — however, talk about a common purpose, and people may decide to listen.

Free Employees to Innovate

Another big mistake is to hover over people with the rulebook.

Micromanage employees, and you will get redundant, common results. Free them up to take control of their own work, and you may see them excel in amazing ways.

Create a Corporate Culture of Mutual Respect

Some other great strategies for innovation include aspects of corporate culture that managers can create by taking a different approach to their relationships with their teams. First, mutual respect is vital.

People have to feel that they’re being supported, or again, they’re not going to do more than the minimum — and they’re going to complain about everything that they do. Also, give employees ownership of processes. Then the ball is in their court, and they are motivated to achieve. Foster trust, and you’ll see business processes improve accordingly. Give employees learning resources and promote personal growth, and they will rise to the occasion.

All of these things are core strategies for boosting a business through empowering those people who get those daily results that the bosses need. Today’s workplace is different than it used to be — it needs a collective mindset and an “all together” culture to really thrive and get a competitive edge in a tough industry.

For more, keep reading about how Full Steam Staffing helps businesses around California, as a top staffing services company with a lot to offer local firms.