For the small business owner, his or her employees constitute the core of the company. Without a staff that’s raring to go and is as enthusiastic about their jobs as you are, you face problems you don’t need or want. As an entrepreneur in today’s market, motivating the people who work for you effectively is vital.

As any leading entrepreneur knows, you must care, not scare, to get people motivated. Using fear as a motivational strategy may get short-term, temporary results, but future resentment from angry employees positions you in a very bad place of distrust, where that employee not only becomes unenthusiastic, but eschews any kind of commitment toward you or your business. On the other hand, when workers perceive that you care about them and respect them as valuable associates of your organizational team, they are much more likely to express cooperation, enthusiasm, and commitment for your small business.

In a small business, the proper environment for expansion promotes motivation, encouraging it to blossom and grow. When employees sense caring, appreciation, respect, and acknowledgement, almost all of them return these attributes with total effort, commitment, and loyalty. In a workplace environment where open, honest communication exists, creatively solving problems is part of day-to-day business. And entrepreneurs who provide sincere recognition for employees’ efforts and successes are way ahead of the game.

Entrepreneurs must be a role model for the behavior expected from employees, if motivation is expected to continue. Arriving early or at least on time, consistently acting with integrity, and expressing dependability and forthrightness are just a few positive, motivational behaviors small business owners need to adhere to if they expect the same from their staff.

Expressing your own motivation as a small business owner serves to motivate others. If you’re having a problem getting motivated, work on it immediately and change your demeanor. How can you honestly expect the people who work for you to be motivated if you show nothing more than grim determination? Entrepreneurs must learn what motivates themselves in order to understand what motivates others.

Just because you’re in business as a money-making, on-fire entrepreneur doesn’t mean laughter shouldn’t be a big part of your workplace environment. By all means, promote it! If you can create an atmosphere where work is associated with having a good time, you lower stress for yourself and your staff, enable everyone to build rapport with one another, and by associating work with fun, your employee absenteeism rate will drop dramatically. Encouraging fun in your small business helps construct the foundations for successful teamwork.

For the small business owner, motivating your employees must be a continual process. Because people grow and change, motivation methods must grow and change, as well. You must keep abreast of current motivation techniques and apply them. Some work, some don’t. A smart entrepreneur keeps trying, though, to find the right motivational methods that work to keep employees happy, mentally and physically healthy, and eager to come to work – every day.