Employees aren’t robots, and smart managers know they shouldn’t be treated as such. To get the best performance out of your workforce, each individual contributor must be viewed as a complete person, and their motivations must be understood through this lens. That said, there are many ways to boost productivity and engagement in your team using a holistic approach. First, it helps to go on a fact-finding mission. Discover an employee’s “why.” “Motivation is always about what the person wants to achieve or to become. The company leaders’ job is to work with the team and discover what truly motivates them,” said Alexander Zheltov of Educate Online. “What’s their ‘why?’ Once we've found it, we can create a map of drivers for the team. Gallup and Red Bull assessments are also a great help, but they are no substitute for a heart-to-heart discussion.” It also helps to put each employees’ “why” into the greater context of your organization. Are employees fairly compensated? Do they have a sense of community? Are you supporting their professional goals? Are their opinions valued? By taking individual needs and understanding them from a holistic perspective, managers can better ensure motivation remains high.