Did you know companies that have more motivated employees are 21% more profitable and have less turnover and absenteeism? Motivation is the key to retaining good employees and increasing productivity in an organization. But how can your organization create an environment that will inspire employees to be more engaged and productive? 

To find the answer, BigSpeak Speakers Bureau consulted with the top motivational keynote speakers and business speakers. Here we gathered 10 tips to motivate your organization through inspired leadership, cultivating a positive environment, and creating a successful mindset so employees can do their best. 

Use Inspired Leadership

1. Coach, Don’t Criticize

Empathy is the key to inspiring and motivating employees, according to top motivational keynote speaker and author of How Winning Works Robyn Benincasa. Employees respond better to coaching than criticism. When employees feel like they are being listened to and are part of the team they will be motivated to go the extra mile for their leader.

2. Celebrate Small Wins

Sometimes organizations wait until the end of the year to recognize employee efforts through evaluations and end-of-the-year bonuses. In the meantime, employees are left wondering if they are on track. Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, Employee Engagement experts and authors of The Best Team Wins, suggest leaders celebrate small wins on the way to completing larger projects. You can do this by praising an employee in a meeting on their good work or giving a tangible reward like a gift card or a ticket to a show.

3. Empower Your Employees

Nothing demotivates people more than always being told what to do. Autonomy builds motivation. One way to motivate your team, according to business speaker Alden Mills, is to empower your employees to make decisions. Once you empower others, they feel invested in creating the best ideas.

Create a Positive Environment

4. Get Rid of Bad Bosses 

Did you know that 75% of employees leave a job because of a bad manager. Organizational change expert Robert Sutton, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss, suggests you create a positive environment by no longer tolerating toxic employees just because they perform well. By ridding your organization of toxic members, you will create an environment where everyone will feel motivated to thrive.

5. Use Internal Data to Address Inequities

Did you know that 67% of workers are looking to work at more diverse companies and that 87% of millennials say they feel more engaged when working for an inclusive company? Business speaker and diversity, equity, and inclusion expert Wema Hoover suggests organizations look at their hiring statistics, promotion demographics, leadership demographics, and engagement surveys to make their company more diverse and inclusive.

6. Encourage Diversity as a Strength

Traditionally, companies have encouraged everyone to be the same—dress the same, speak the same, act the same—thinking that treating everyone the same was equal to being fair. However, treating everyone the same can be demotivating to employees, since it makes people hide their differences. Business speaker and diversity expert Risha Grant suggests companies emphasize diversity as a strength. Companies that do so motivate employees to offer better ideas and often increase market share.

Cultivate a Successful Mindset

7. Set Big Goals

People aren’t motivated to do things they can already accomplish. Hence, it’s important for your teams to set a big goals just beyond their current abilities to motivate them to grow, says top motivational keynote speaker James Lawrence. This is how James was able to accomplish his feat of doing 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 states in 50 days, and exceeded that goal when he conquered 100 triathlons in 100 days in 2021.

8. Use the Goldilocks Principle for Setting Big Goals

While organizations should set big goals, these goals shouldn’t be too big or too far beyond the abilities of the employees. There’s nothing more demotivating than to fail at something big or to always do something easy. Business speaker and personal performance expert James Clear suggests company’s use the Goldilocks principle for setting goals. Find the sweet spot for your motivation—where things aren’t too easy or too hard to accomplish.

9. Set a Number Range for Your Goal

Sometimes we can lose motivation if we don’t hit the number we set as a goal. To increase motivation, business speaker and influence expert Robert Cialdini, suggests setting a number range for your goal. When you have a single number, you might give up. However, with a number range, you are more likely to achieve your goal and maintain your motivation.

10. Rejection Is A Numbers Game

We don’t always get a sale on the first call or get a promotion on the first try. However, rejection is only a numbers game, according to top motivational speaker and resilience expert Jia Jiang. If you use rejection as a learning opportunity, you’ll get better on your next attempt, which will keep you motivated to succeed.

Whether you’re looking to do a conference, keynote, or online meeting, choose one of these top motivational keynote speakers or business speakers who have the expertise to deliver an exciting and motivational experience.