Managers who are good at motivating others help their teams reach goals they might not otherwise reach, and certainly not in given time frames. Proper motivation will help your team stay on track, perform well under pressure, be more effective and focused, and help them achieve much greater results than those who fail in this area.

The better your skills at linking your motivational actions with meaningful tasks, achievement goals and effective rewards, the better your chances of creating a productive, efficient environment for your company. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine where your level of motivational skills rests:

• Do I communicate clear expectations and standards with my team?

• Do I link both discipline and rewards with those clearly communicated objectives?

• Do I create interesting, challenging assignments for my team and then allow them the freedom to complete those tasks?

• Do I match the level of reward or discipline appropriately to the task?

• Do I strive for consistency in both discipline and rewards?

• Do I praise and affirm a job well done?

• Do I ensure my team has the resources, tools and training they need to accomplish the tasks assigned them?

• Do I work to uncover the individual motivators for each of my employees?

• Do I use an equalized system of rewards and discipline across the board?

• Do I work to cross-train team members so they not only learn other jobs, but so they can better find what truly interests and motivates them individually?

Answering each of these questions will help you get a clearer view of the type of motivational skills you have, and what you might be lacking. Knowing where you stand can enable you to improve your skills in this arena. Better motivational skills means more motivated employees. So before you begin to think your team simply “lacks motivation,” do what YOU can to improve your skills at motivating them to higher achievements and more productivity.