Employee Motivation: Tips for Entrepreneurs

    CLEVELAND, July 14 /EMWNews/ -- The success of new business ventures

is tightly tied to employee motivation, and profitable entrepreneurs are

serious students of the art and science behind motivating their employees.



    "Understanding the diversity inherent to employee motivation is

important to a startup's success," said Tiffan Clark, Marketing Vice

President of JumpStart Inc., the venture development organization behind

IdeaCrossing (https://www.ideacrossing.org), a free online resource that

connects entrepreneurs with investors and provides entrepreneurs with a

multitude of resources to help grow their business. "Employee motivation is

different from person to person and from business to business. The

successful startup ventures we see pay close attention to the key factors

that drive employees to greatness."



    Employee Motivation 101



    The basics of employee motivation are consistent across most

organizations and include:



    -- Enthusiasm of leadership. If you demonstrate enthusiasm through good

times and bad, you'll find your positive spirit is contagious.



    -- Employee Interaction. Be available for regular, meaningful face time

with your team; this will help to keep the lines of communication open

between you and your employees.



    -- Recognition. Consistently compliment a job well done.



    -- Incentives. Cash isn't always king; a flexible workplace allowing

for no-hassle personal time and family obligations is important to

employees, and goes a long way in fostering loyalty and spurring

motivation.



    Employee Motivation for Top Talent



    Though usually self-starters, the best employees typically require more

from employers to remain motivated over time. A primary motivator for

exceptional talent is having the ability to speak their minds in a free and

unrestricted fashion. Offering channels for feedback, and acting on that

feedback, will go a long way to retaining and motivating your key people.



    The opportunity for self-improvement is another powerful motivator for

high-performing employees. Providing your people with opportunities for

professional growth through continual increases in responsibility, as well

as education, is a known method for keeping your best talent stimulated and

energetic.



    Finally, don't be afraid to consult a trusted business mentor for

advice on employee motivation; business mentors provide living proof for

what works and what doesn't. Online business communities such as

IdeaCrossing (http://www.ideacrossing.org) streamline the process of

connecting business mentors with entrepreneurs seeking advice on important

matters such as employee motivation.



    It pays to remember that unhappy employees usually leave supervisors

and managers, not jobs and companies. In addition to fostering motivation

through positive action, be sure to avoid these consistent killers of

motivation:



    -- Lack of clear organizational goals and employee expectations.



    -- Failure to provide performance feedback.



    -- Fostering an environment where fear prevents innovation.



    -- Threatening your employee's position or income -- probably the

easiest way to scare top talent into initiating a job search.

    About IdeaCrossing



    IdeaCrossing is a free Internet resource available to all individuals

and organizations with an interest in supporting and promoting

entrepreneurial activity. IdeaCrossing helps entrepreneurs find the

assistance and investment capital they need to launch promising new

business ventures. Additionally, IdeaCrossing serves the Angel and Venture

Capital communities by identifying and screening new investment

opportunities. Simply stated, IdeaCrossing is about creating the

connections that build businesses.



    For more information contact Tiffan Clark at

tiffan.clark@jumpstartinc.org or call 216.363.3400.






    Links:

    http://www.ideacrossing.org

    http://www.jumpstartinc.org

    https://www.ideacrossing.org/RegisterEntrepreneur/index.aspx

    https://www.ideacrossing.org/RegisterInvestor/index.aspx

    https://www.ideacrossing.org/RegisterBusinessMentor/index.aspx