To effectively motivate employees, what must a manager understand about them?

To effectively motivate employees, a manager must understand their desired behaviors to meet goals. This understanding allows a manager to align the team's objectives and employees' efforts in a meaningful way. When a manager knows what behaviors employees consider important, they can tailor their motivational strategies to encourage those behaviors, making it easier for employees to achieve their goals. This approach creates a performance-based environment where employees feel their efforts are acknowledged and rewarded, fostering greater motivation and engagement.

While understanding personal interests, salary expectations, and work hour preferences may contribute to an overall positive workplace atmosphere or employee satisfaction, they do not directly influence the understanding of how to motivate employees to achieve specific organizational objectives. Focusing on the behaviors that lead to the successful completion of goals creates a more structured method for motivating employees and ensures that the motivation is relevant to the needs of the organization.