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Motivate Your Employees With This Proven Strategy (And Eliminate Carrots And Sticks)

Businesses across the globe face the growing challenge of workforce retention and boosting employee engagement, while at the same time staying focused on results. Keeping employees happy while holding them accountable seem like mutually exclusive goals, but not according to David Hassell.

Motivate your employees without carrots or sticks with these tips ((Image: Shutterstock)

Hassell is the CEO of 15Five, a leading employee performance management software company that has grown considerably over the past five years by creating a culture that focuses on granting trust, being transparent, being willing to be held and hold others accountable, and embracing freedom and flexibility. He believes when you build an environment where people have the space to be their best selves, they are self-motivated and accountable. He shares five tips on how create that type of environment in your company.

  1. Fear Doesn’t Motivate

Some leaders equate accountability with micromanagement. They think the only way to ensure results is watching employees like a hawk. But that command-and-control style of management produces fear, which never results in true accountability, Hassell says.


Intimidation also stifles creativity in the workplace. Hassell says while an employee who is worried about his or her performance may strive to do better, they’ll also be stressed out and frustrated from perpetual fear, which “locks up the flow of creative ideas and lowers motivation.”

Employees should be committed to their jobs from a place of desire, not fear. “Fear can motivate, but it will never inspire people to be more engaged and show up as accountable, reliable people,” he adds.

  1. Trust Your Employees 

One way to ensure you’re not leading with fear is by trusting your employees. Trust is the center of accountability and the core of a healthy company culture. It leads to self-motivated engagement, instead of fear-driven motivation. Some studies show more autonomy leads to better employee performance.

“As the leader of an organization, your primary job is to communicate the vision, give people the information, tools and resources to march toward it, then get out of the way,” Hassell shares. “Not only will getting out of your staff’s way allow them to be as productive as possible, it will also allow you to focus on your responsibility to drive the company forward strategically.”

  1. Set Clear Expectations

The workplace moves quickly today, and employees can become confused by changing priorities and goals. It’s difficult to hold workers accountable if you don’t clearly explain expectations and update them regularly as projects and responsibilities shift.

“Without well-articulated goals, employees quickly get frustrated, and frustrated employees stare longingly at the exit sign,” Hassell explains.

He suggests managers have regular conversations with their teams to let them know what’s expected of them individually and collectively. “Meet weekly to realign everyone around their high level objectives. Give and receive regular feedback so expectations remain clear. If you wait until an employee’s annual performance review to discuss accountability issues, you’re way behind the curve.”

  1. Focus on Positive Reinforcement

No one likes to have tough conversations about performance in the workplace—not employees and not managers either. But those conversations around poor performance are a part of accountability. Your move? Accentuate the positives.

Employees know when they’re falling short of goals. They don’t need a tongue-lashing; they need support. “Positive reinforcement and constant support work better than intimidation or fear of being fired,” Hassell says. “When employees know their manager supports them, they’re more likely to be fully engaged in their daily tasks.”

It’s also important to have those conversations when employees are doing well. Highlighting strengths and offering compliments and rewards fuels productivity and creativity and increases engagement.

  1. Trust is a Two-Way Street

When leaders apply the preceding tips, it creates an environment where employees are more likely to grant trust to their leadership. When there is mutual trust between employees and managers, there can be transparency, vulnerability, and authenticity.

Leaders can model these values by holding themselves accountable. “A leader willing to say, ‘I dropped the ball on this initiative’ welcomes the same candor from everyone else at the company,” Hassell says.

Mutual trust also improves communication between managers and employees. “By regularly asking your team questions, you invite them to communicate their big wins, their innovative ideas, and the places where they’re stuck. You instill a sense of ownership in your talented team,” Hassell says.

Having those types of conversations regularly creates a safe environment in which accountability doesn’t seem like a burden, but rather a support mechanism.

Ultimately, your business can get the results it desires without throwing carrots around the office or using sticks to prod people into action. It just takes the right kind of accountability. He concludes, “By giving and receiving regular feedback in a culture that highly values trust and accountability, people will naturally show up more engaged, empowered, and driven to do their best."

@kate_l_harrison is a branding and marketing consultant specializing in nonprofits and sustainable businesses (katelharrison.com). 

Kate L. Harrison is branding and marketing expert with a passion for helping nonprofits and eco-friendly businesses succeed. She has a Master's in Environmental Manageme...