The difference between wanting more and doing more to get more becomes the fuel toward any development goal. In business, the effort is known as turning up the heat on increased productivity and performance, and it comes down to types of motivation and skills of motivators.

One of the most important tasks for managers is learning what motivates individuals on their team. More experienced managers know that different types of motivation work for some individuals, but not others. In the same way, one motivation could be a successful influence once, but then an irrelevant motivator later.

Good managers dedicate time to conversations for motivation effectiveness. Great managers always have a motivation heat source ready to charge employee productivity and performance.

Review these industry-leading best practices for coaching and motivating employees:

1. Praising their effort. Research studies show that employees rank praise from their manager as the number one motivator of their performance and engagement. Be sure you know if your employee prefers public or private praise.
2. Dedicating your time. After praise and recognition, employees cite time with their manager as the next leading motivator. A weekly face to face conversation with employees is recommended.
3. Developing their skills. Opportunities to showcase skills can be found in small project ownership or research assistance initiatives.
4. Championing rewards. While money motivates a vast majority of employees, research shows that this particular motivation is short-lived. Managers should always balance financial rewards with other rewards.

In preparation of your next goal-setting discussion, consider staging the conversation around how better teaming can help fuel engagement and growth in your organization.