What video games can teach us about motivating employees

Long flights are tiresome for most people, but even more so for youngsters. That’s why, on a recent flight, I was intrigued to see a young girl, about nine or ten, completely immersed in a hand-held video game for over four hours. I began to consider what could motivate her to stare at a small screen and keep her undivided attention for such a long period of time.  And what that might teach us about motivating employees. It occurred to me that there wasn’t much difference between what motivated her in the video game, and what motivates employees in the workplace.

What could this teach us about motivating employees?

This video game gave this young girl a challenge.  And it gave her choices. It gave her the ability to take action and immediately see results.  And it gave her instant corrective and non-judgmental feedback. It gave her the chance to learn from her mistakes. Everyone single one of these characteristics is also known to be hugely motivating for employees. These are the things that cause employees to go above and beyond the expected, day after day; these are the things that fire up average employees and take them to above-average. Employees are motivated by challenges and choices. They are motivated by the ability to take action and immediately see results. They respond positively to timely corrective and non-judgmental feedback. And they appreciate the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

Leaders, if you’re focused on motivating employees and building a rewarding workplace culture, take a page from video game design: create challenge, offer choice, and give feedback.

What have you found most effective in motivating employees on your team? Have you ever tried applying principles like challenge, choice, or real-time feedback? What worked—and what didn’t?  Share your experiences in the Comments.  I’d love to hear what you’ve learned about keeping people fired up and engaged at work.