An MSP business will attract a certain kind of employee above others. Certainly, not all your personnel acquisitions will be the best “fit”, but those who stand the test of time will generally be fascinated with technology. They’ll already be in a position where they are passionate about what they do; motivating them doesn’t have to be a battle.
Key Strategies
Remember, you’re dealing not with computers, but people. Determining a statistical motivation model may not serve you as well as leaning into the humanity defining your situation. Following are three key means of motivation which don’t require additional funding or anything like that. They include:
1. Assure Your Directives Are Built Around Purpose, Not “Busy” Work
In the military, there are thousands of young men between the ages of 18 and 30 who have nothing to do and trouble at the forefront of their minds. The military has to keep them busy, or contend with the consequences. The same is not true of an MSP. With tech people, you’re dealing with highly educated individuals who maximize every move. You don’t want to just give them work for the purpose of keeping them busy. This will diminish morale and demotivate staff. Instead, put purpose behind directives, and clearly communicate that to employees. Every single position has a core role to play. Be sure you help communicate the gravity behind jobs that don’t seem to have much purpose. Do it right, and your employees will naturally be motivated by their own ethic.
2. When Staff Meet Objectives, Recognize As Much
An MSP business will have a lot of objectives that require feverish work sustained over long periods of time. The “scrum” method of organizing software development, update, and management is core to many MSPs. What this means is that many individuals and small teams will have distinct objectives they need to reach so you can accomplish larger goals.
Well, whenever such objectives are met, you should recognize that to the whole team. A bell, a bit of candy, a scoreboard, a buzzer, or something similar that an employee can go and activate as they hit a goal will do much to maintain team morale and motivate everybody.
Understand, Trust, and Encourage Employees
Some employees are better at certain functions in your MSP than others. You need to understand who is who in your technology zoo. You need to put them in positions they can handle. From there, trust them to get the job done, and encourage them in varying tasks. Such an environment naturally motivates workers.
Organically Motivated Staff
When your MSP business understands, trusts, encourages, recognizes, and purposefully directs employees, the propensity for natural motivation will increase. The more naturally motivated employees are, the better their ultimate service to your MSP. Techniques like those explored here can help you achieve the outcomes you need for profitable long-term sustainability.
