Wondering how to engage employees? Struggling to match tasks with the right team members? In this video, I describe factors that influence employee morale and productivity and suggest ways you can help your team members do their best work.

Sometimes as a business owner or entrepreneur, you face human resources problems such as inefficiency, poor performance, and low morale among your team members. How do you solve these issues? Where do you begin when you want to understand and engage employees?

The best place to start is by identifying which part of the mind is behind an employee’s disengagement – is it the cognitive, affective, or cognitive area of the brain?

When the trouble is cognitive, your team members might not possess the knowledge, skills, or experience necessary to think through certain tasks. Spend time training and coaching your employees.

The problem may also be attributed to the affective portion of the mind, dealing with feelings, desires, and values. Boost employee morale and productivity by matching job descriptions with your team members’ deepest values. Employees with meaningful jobs tend to work WITH you instead of FOR you.

The third area influencing employee motivation is the cognitive area of the brain, having to do with instinct and the way we strive, act, and carry out tasks. You can use the Kolbe model to recognize four action methods in your employees: fact finder, follow thru, quick start, and implementor.

If you want to engage employees, get to know them. Figure out what makes them tick. Dig deep into the three components of the mind. Realizing where problems originate is the first step to finding solutions and maximizing employee morale and productivity.