Motivating employees is challenging for every employer. Many small businesses simply can’t afford to give large cash bonuses to reward employee performance. If you are an owner of one of these businesses there is good news. A recent study produced by Workforce Management asked employees “What factor most attracted you to your current position?” Only six percent of respondents said compensation was the factor. In fact, there was only one response that ranked lower then this and eight categories that had higher response rates.

The results of this study show that there are several low cost options for the frugal business owner who wants to offer employee rewards.

Here are a couple ideas: If you are trying to inspire the hard work of a sales team create a monthly competition where the winner receives a small reward and is honored in staff meeting. If an administrative employee is producing particularly good work have the CEO take him to lunch. If a customer support employee has done something extraordinary recognize them in a company newsletter.

Understanding that most employees are attracted to their current position for reasons other than money is critical to developing a motivation plan that is both cost effective and productive. Simply doing something that is thoughtful and that displays appreciation often goes further than a few extra dollars.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

There have been several studies conducted and a pile of books written about leadership and the qualities that good leaders exhibit. I don’t profess to be an expert on this topic and certainly haven’t been on any teams that have researched the subject. However, I have worked for and with several people that I’d consider to be great leaders.

What made these people great leaders wasn’t their superior intellect or uncommon capability to motivate. It was their ability to act. After gathering a reasonable amount of information, conducting an analysis and weighing the risk these leaders jumped in with both feet. As a result, I jumped with them as did many other people.

In President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous speech given on April 23, 1910 in Paris France he said “It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

It was an inability to act that sealed General McClellan’s reputation as inept leader during the civil war. He was responsible for the Union Army and all things that accompany that charge. He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers at his disposal and continually held back. When pressed by President Lincoln he said “Do not misunderstand the apparent inaction here, not a day, not an hour has been lost, works have been constructed that may almost be called gigantic—roads built through swamps & difficult ravines, materials brought up, batteries built.” While General McClellan was preparing to fight, the Confederate Army was actually fighting. With an inferior army the South continued to win key battles because General Lee was acting on the best knowledge he had at his disposal.
I believe there is no such thing as a “sure thing”. I also believe that success requires some calculated risk. Most people I know are willing to follow someone who after careful consideration makes a decision and then goes for it.

Newton’s First Law of Motion states “An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Leaders who are constantly acting may not always be moving in the right direction but are more likely to find the right course then those who are in a perpetual state of rest.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits Inc..

So I’m a bit of a history nerd. I’m no expert, but I love to read about people that have shaped our current world and am fascinated by their stories. Maybe I enjoy learning about the past because hind sight makes it much easier to see what people did right and wrong. Then we can apply the good things to our own lives and discard the bad. I’m currently reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This book is captivating. Especially when considering President Lincoln’s leadership skills in an incredibly strenuous time. As a leader, Lincoln possessed many salient strengths most of which, if implemented by business managers and owners today, would greatly enhance the nature and effectiveness of work places. One of his great strengths was patience to see plans through. While he was certainly capable of making course corrections when necessary, he had an incredible capability to let things play out. Short-term results were taken seriously but not at the expense of long-term success. I realize that businesses have to create results today, but perhaps we could all take a lesson from Lincoln and give our strategy the time it deserves before making major course corrections.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits Inc..