Three Ways to Motivate Employees

Facebook Business

February 25, 2019

Three and a Half Degrees, an original podcast series by Facebook, brings together unexpected pairings of business leaders, mavericks and entrepreneurs who share surprising parallels in values, visions, experiences and ideas. Hosted by David Fischer, Facebook’s VP of Business and Marketing Partnerships, this podcast series shares common lessons learned when building new businesses in today’s age of connectivity. Tune in to hear stories of challenges and triumphs, get inspired by innovative entrepreneurs and learn from the common practices, insights and motivations of successful business leaders.

In the latest episode of Three and a Half Degrees, we connected veteran and Team Rubicon lead Jake Wood with Victor Lezama, another former Marine and founder of the PC Landing Zone and veteran hub, The Barracks, to discuss the lessons they learned as Marines that shaped how they run their organizations today. During their time in the Marines, both Wood and Lezama learned what it takes to keep troops motivated, and in this episode, they share how these same principles can be applied to motivating employees. The vets offer three ways to help improve people's connection to work, which ultimately helps businesses succeed.

1. Weave people into your business narrative

Wood says that many businesses create bold business stories, but they fall short when they don't consider how their employees fit into the narrative. Businesses should consider how the team can provide value to the narrative which creates a sense of purpose for those doing the work and drives motivation.

2. Communicate clearly

Both Wood and Lezama reflect on how important it was during their time in the Marines to distill information and make sure everyone was on the same page. This principle also applies to running a business. Lezama says keeping things simple and ensuring there's a personal connection to the information is key to align on a shared goal and drive motivation. He created The Barracks as a one-stop shop to help support veterans who were buried under too much information.

3. Determine how purpose plays a role in your business success

Both vets agree that when people feel good about the work they're doing, they report higher levels of personal resilience and higher senses of purpose and community, and these, in turn, help drive business success. So it's important to think about the larger purpose your business is serving and how employees can contribute to it.

Check out this week's episode to learn how putting your team first can help drive business success.

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Best Practices Interviews