It all Adds up to a Humming Workplace....
1. Fewer boss-employee conflicts = better work atmosphere for all
2. Better work atmosphere = more productivity and less stress
3. More productivity = teams meshing well
4. More teamwork = goals met
5. Less work stress = more satisfied employees
6. Happy employees = higher retention rates
7. Keeping key employees = less time and money spent on recruiting and hiring
8. Lowered recruiting/hiring needs = more time and money for growth elsewhere
9. Growth + productive workplace = company stability
STRATEGIES FOR WINNING: Carrot, Stick or What? To Push or to Pull – That is the Question! How would you like to have all of your team chomping at the bit to do what you need them to do to make your business successful? Everyone wants that elusive ingredient – motivation – in the people to whom they entrust the development of their business. Well, sorry to turn the lights to dim so quickly, but here's the bad news: YOU CANNOT MOTIVATE ANYONE TO DO ANYTHING – people do what they do because they want to, not because you want them to. And they'll only want to do what you want them to do when the outcome of doing so appeals to them in some way. It is all in their hands, not yours.
For practical business purposes, motivation is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.
Two types of motivators make us act – intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation happens when an outside factor causes us to take action. For example, "Work an extra six hours and I'll pay you double time." Most management "motivation" is purely extrinsic, and amounts to little more than manipulation – enlisting promises, bribes and flattery to get things done.
The problem with extrinsic motivation is that it rarely has any useful long-term effect. Use extrinsic motivators to energize your team and you'll find yourself trapped in a cycle where those motivators must get bigger and better to repeat the same results. How long does the motivational effect of a salary increase last? Often only as long as it takes to see the post-tax figure! Traditional extrinsic approaches to motivation are all but useless aids to boosting long-term employee morale and productivity, or to stemming employee turnover.
How about intrinsic motivation? This happens when you take action because of internal reasons – for example, when you work an extra six hours because you feel that the project you're working on is so worthwhile you want to see it completed. Everything we do is ultimately determined by the values we hold. Values are what we truly care about – the qualities and standards we value and aspire to achieve. These values determine our attitudes and behaviors and determine what will motivate us to action. When people take action because the likely outcome of that action appeals directly to what they value, you have true motivation, and time spent developing that is an investment with long-term returns. The most successful leaders and motivators are those who (wittingly or unwittingly) uncover their followers' intrinsic motivations and take time to match these with the extrinsic motivators they have at their disposal.
Easy? Not at all. People are motivated by unmet needs, which will vary from person to person according to their particular circumstances, values and beliefs, education, family background, personality and work experience. To figure out what is important to your people you must ask them and then listen carefully. Ask often enough, and show your willingness to take action upon whatever you uncover, and your people will begin to let your know what is important to them – allowing you to figure out how to package the extrinsic motivators you have at your disposal in a manner that will meet their particular needs. This dialogue can be fostered with mechanisms as simple as frequent one-on-one discussions or well-considered surveys. There are no quick fixes, and this is not a one-time exercise; to be successful, this has to become an integral part of the way you do business.
While working upon uncovering what your people need to be motivated, be aware that recent research has shown that what motivated people as recently as 10 years ago is no longer necessarily relevant today. For example, modern employees view it as a right to have market-level remuneration in return for their efforts, so compensation is no longer a true motivator. In addition to a good salary and benefits package, you must now also provide:
- Development opportunities. If you don't develop your people at the pace they desire, they'll find someone who can. People want to grow.
- Balance. New research shows that the modern workers' priorities are leisure, family and work, in that order. Make number three the priority at the expense of one and two and you may motivate them to move elsewhere.
- Input to decisions. Today's employees feel they deserve input into any decisions that might affect them. Ignore this belief at your peril.
- Communication with management. Modern employees are educated and confident and demand ongoing dialogue with their management.
- Worthwhile goals. To hold their attention, people need the buzz of worthwhile short-term goals and lots of feedback on their success (or failure) in achieving these goals.
- Interesting work. Much of the research on employee satisfaction over the past five years has emphasized the important role that interesting, challenging work plays in motivating people.
Take these three seemingly straightforward steps to build a highly motivated team:
1. Right now: Honestly review the checklist above and if anything on it is not a feature of the way you interface with your team, figure out how you can make it so in the shortest time possible.
2. ASAP: Establish a program to ensure that you maintain a frequently updated profile of what motivates each member of your team. Use this information to match the extrinsic motivators you have at your disposal to best meet their requirements.
3. Ongoing: Look carefully at the extrinsic motivators you have at your disposal and use your knowledge of your people's values and needs to match them to their intrinsic needs.
This will energize your team and assure your success. Now, is that a carrot, or what?
*From the book 40 STRATEGIES FOR WINNING IN BUSINESS by Bud Haney and Jim Sirbasku. © S&H Publishing Co.
