We work an inordinate number of hours over the course of our lifetime. Here are some thoughts on how managers can motivate their team members so that everyone achieves more.

At the request of a regular reader I previously shared my thoughts as they relate to career advancement in my 24 Career Advancement Tips to Help You Take Control of Your Professional Future article.

We all have 168 hours/week. On average, full-time employees work ~37.5 – 40 hours/week for ~48 - 50 weeks/year; this excludes commute time to/from work. That translates into ~1,900 hours/year devoted to work or ~57,000 hours over 30 years.  There are 8,760 hours/year which means that if you were to work non-stop (every second, every minute) you would spend ~6.5 years of your life just working. Depressed yet?

For some of us, the statistics are much worse. If you’re anything like me before I retired two years ago, ~37.5 – 40 hours/week is a slow week. Perhaps ~50+ hours/week is more representative of your typical work week. NOW do the math!

50 hours/week x 48 weeks/year x 30 years = 72,000 hours!! Now that’s over 8 years if you were to work non-stop.

I’m so sorry. Now some of you are really depressed!

Imagine spending that much time on this planet toiling for managers who take little interest in your career advancement.

Managers…you’re much like your team members. You also want to be appreciated and valued. Do you report to someone who makes you feel excited about coming to work or do you struggle to get out of bed knowing it is going to be the ‘same stuff, different day’ day after day after day after day….?

I totally agree that each employee needs to take responsibility for their own career. I am also of the opinion, however, that managers owe it to themselves and their team members to motivate their team members.

In this regard I am sharing an interesting article published by ClickTime on common sense tips as to how top managers motivate their employees.

Have a read and drop me a note with your thoughts on this subject matter.

Thanks for reading!

Note: I sincerely appreciate the time you took to read this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected]