I've pondered time after time how to ensure people give their best without necessarily having to hound them 24/7. I work for a company that believes in the sanction approach for even the slightest of infractions, but am not like that with the immediate team I supervise as I like an environment with a bit more freedom of expression. Perhaps my approach is wrong.
The problem has been that am constantly faced with the problem of having to almost babysit some members of my team. In the sense that one has to follow up with even the slightest of tasks which is really discouraging. I've mentioned this to them in countless meeting sessions but I honestly don't think things have gotten any better. It has left me in a confused state, as the option to sanction is there but I've deliberately ignored, perhaps not making a joke of myself.
For those of us who are constantly under the threat of sanctions, I believe that while it certainly puts us on the edge, it doesn't in any way lead to peak performance. Instead it generates room for resentment as more and more people become robotic in their functions, simply counting the days till they exit the company. While am not going down that rabbit hole with my people, I wonder what else can be done to inspire, motivate, or even compel some people to take their jobs more seriously. It is important to not that the power to hire or fire doesn't lie with me, and while I can make recommendations off bad behaviour, I'd like to think of it as being stuck with the team I have.
There are some wonderful exceptions to this. Some people are completely self motivated and require very little supervision. The problem is that they are few, making up maybe 30% of the team. I find myself working with these people a whole lot to get things done and sometimes it feels like I overburden them. If you've been in my shoes any advice will be appreciated.