People invest more into their work for a lot of reasons. First, their work has to be satisfying in some way (to them). Second, the incentives to do their job and do it well need to be fair--they need to get something out of the deal. Let people share in the outcomes, and see how their enthusiasm, interest, and dedication change.

We are most passionate about results when something is as stake. When we are personally invested in a our own or someone else's success, it's because we have something to lose or gain in the process. We will try harder to influence the results. Things at stake might be our pride, ability to learn, or our rank. So how do you make the results matter to everyone? Why should people's work matter to them? Why should we not allow ourselves to get by with doing just the minimum?

Help others make a meaningful connection between effort and rewards. They'll see little logic in trying harder unless they believe more energy is likely to bring them better returns. If you want more dedication from those around you, you should make sure they have a genuine vested interest in the results.

Maybe there's money that should be shared. Bonuses, profit-sharing, or communal tips. Compensation time or paid days off or some other kind of financial incentive. For sure, there are intangibles—psychological paychecks—deserved across the group. Give people their fair share of the recognition they earned. Determine the incentives most relevant to your team or organization. You can't expect to run a marathon on crumbs.

Figure out how to share the action across the group. Sharing implies ownership. Ownership is a core aspect of dedication.

Let’s deal with employees’ hot question: “What’s in it for me?
They can see that change carries quite a price tag. What’s harder for them to find are good reasons for giving it their best shot.
Their question is legitimate. You can’t afford to ignore it, and the logic in your answer must be solid.
People don’t put out extra effort unless there is some kind of special payback.

To perform well while under pressure, we need to develop habits to work more effectively. Making the right decisions, engaging with others effectively, learning to manage our own emotions takes practice.

Driving Dedication During Change: A pocket guide for becoming an effective linchpin enables you with all the tools and tactics you need to make your interactions less stressful and more effective.

Cohesiveness—the “we” spirit within the group—can wield heavy influence on commitment. The stronger the ties between the people, the more those personal bonds serve as a motor powering individual effort.

Sometimes this sense of family, community, or “teamness” comes about naturally over time as people work together during the regular workday. But sharing experiences outside of the daily routine often accelerates the process. Getting together after hours—for fun, maybe even for work—allows a unique and most valuable connective tissue to develop across the group.

Some people aren’t drawn to this sort of thing, of course, particularly if they’re already putting in long hours. So don’t force it. You can’t make camaraderie a job requirement. What you can do is encourage it and create a conducive environment that helps it to happen spontaneously.

Bonding that occurs beyond the boundaries of the job creates richer relationships. The relaxed atmosphere makes it easier for people to get to know one another on a personal basis. The feelings of unity take on more depth.

The payoff? Tightly knit groups make members want to try harder. We’re more committed to those we care for. We’ll pitch in to help them out. We’ll go further out of our way to make sure we measure up in their eyes. Call it peer pressure, group pride, or inspiration that comes from knowing your associates are cheering for you. Label it however you want, the force if formidable enough to drive personal commitment through the roof. You’ll see people push themselves to their absolute limits rather than let down their colleagues.

That cohesiveness is worth something. You can’t buy that kind of behavior. It’s born of feelings deep inside the human being, stirrings that develop out of purely personal ties. It’s commitment with a capital C.

Devotion to the job drops when working relationships get disturbed.
Personnel shakeups cause people to pull back psychologically. The social ties that connect employees carry a weaker emotional current, particularly if people end up working with others they hard know.
You should take time—make time—to rebuild relationships.
Commitment runs at a far higher voltage when people know and care for their coworkers.

Driving Dedication During Change: A pocket guide for becoming an effective linchpin enables you with all the tools and tactics you need to make your interactions less stressful and more effective.