MOTIVATION
in a Nutshell

QUICKIES: - Motivational stories, thoughts and applications - we can only list a few.

Carnegie Steel - one morning the day shift showed up and chalked on he floor was the message: "Night shift did 3.0 tons." That night the day shift chalked a message,: "Day shift did 3.1 tons." And the competition started. I suspect some smart supervisor may have started the whole thing, but the shifts certainly had pride and teamwork and were motivated to succeed.

Posting statistics - on a very large board in a non-public area preferably near the exit of the building that shows progress towards a set of goals inspires the staff to reach those goals.

Branding motivational programs with a logo works - when a program or goals are set. People want to identify with and be part of a team.

Ice cream bars - I once observed a friend passing out ice cream bars to all of his employees on a hot afternoon. He periodically did this with different “goodies.” No announcement or justification was necessary, they knew it was an appreciation of their contribution. I was amazed at the look on the faces of his employees. If a run-away truck were to descend on him I was convinced that every single one of them would have thrown their bodies in the path of the truck. I learned a valuable lesson, except the truck still got me... just kidding.

High tech - high touch - John Naisbitt, in his book Megatrends foresaw the need for working closely with employees and customers as the high technology revolution descended upon us. It is critical today to train employees and customers to deal with technology to avoid frustration.

Quality Circles - languished in America, found a home in Japan in the early 1950s and under the leadership of W. Edward Deming was credited with drastically increasing “quality” in Japan. QC returned to America in the early 1970s and found a home at the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California. It is used extensively in many organizations including my former banking group. Oversimplified, OCs uses a group of approximately 8 employees to study a specific problem in production, quality or safety and present their conclusions to management. QC must be a permanent, serious, structured, communicated program in an organization. Another approach when seeking an answer for “anything” ( new product development - new product introduction - advertising campaign - incentive program - ?) is to assemble a group and present them, in a highly positive manner, with a scenario (similar to a Harvard Case Problem), have them develop solutions and present them to the appropriate manager.

Total Quality Management TQM - is an integrated, structured program that improves the performance of all areas of an organization - quality, customer satisfaction, employee morale, productivity, costs, team work, new products, sales, market share and profit margins to mention a few. This is accomplished only through total commitment by senior management and the entire staff - it must become the “culture.” Some of the characteristics of TQM are consistency, goal setting, communications, feedback, recognition and participation of all parties - internal and external - management, employees, customers and vendors

At First Interstate Bank I was deeply involved with two programs - Best in the West (back room performance and quality improvement) and TQB (The Quality Bank - vision and mission statement), started in 1978 and 1979. I believe we executed exactly what TQM represents: We just didn’t know it then, maybe we were good or lucky, but it worked extremely well for the bank.

KUDOS - a program in an Atlanta company - any employee can “post” a self stick Kudos sticker on a fellow employees cube or office door. The KUDOS are an employee’s observation and respect of the recipient employee’s: Excellent Work - Promoting A Team Environment or Supporting the Community. A short written report is distributed to the recipient’s manager and the Human Resources department. Great program that can only help build teamwork and a more positive working environment.

Know your employees - and their styles.. Are the characteristics of an employee’s style subjective, objective, supportive, driving, analytical, expressive, right brain or left brain. Better relationships will develop with this knowledge. There are many programs to determine style.

Change - forces that bring change are beyond our control, but the means we employ to adapt to change are within our control. Manage change and avoid frustration.

Written policies - must be maintained and communicated clearly and implemented. Remove confusion and unnecessary frustration. If required, train people. Bank of America once had written policies for everything, including going to the bathroom (joke). However, the policies were clear, concise, fair and well communicated and designed to let the bank and its employees reach their full potential. The bank at the time was the largest bank in the world, today, it has changed and it is not even in the top ten.

A rose by any other name is still a rose - designations for employees, such as. “associates” or “crew” and other attempts to build a team is only valid if significant motivational practices are in place.

Contests, incentives and goals - are only effective if they are realistic and obtainable, supported by management, structured, provided resources to accomplish them.-

Motivation related words, direct and indirect, that all gurus and disciples use:
Goals - hard work - self worth - behavior - discipline - respect of people - faith - quality - energy - commitment - persistence - focus - creativity - appreciation - environment - leadership - rewards - values - esteem - recognition - responsibility - structure - status - family - potential - teamwork - pride - caring - productive - consistency - delegating - personal life - principles - attitude - support - reinforcement - feedback - communication - needs and earning. I am sure there are others..

How do you implement motivational programs?

You must remember this ...
read, learn, observe and translate positive knowledge into your organization
There is a wealth of information out there, use it.

Implement those activities that people want and need. All the theories advanced in this article and those you read and observe. There is a magic to the results of motivation, but no magic to the factors that create those results.

> Official article quote: “You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that’s assault, not leadership.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

Two of thousands of articles written about motivation.

If you can answer "yes" to all questions, then you obviously are in a job where you feel part of a team and where you feel you can grow and advance. If you answer "no" to some questions then this quiz will help you identify reasons why you are unhappy in your present job, areas you might want to discuss with your boss.

1. Do I understand what I am expected to do? Has my boss explained exactly what my duties include?
2. Have I received proper training?
3. Are refresher and continuing education courses offered?
4. Do I have room to grow in my job?
5. Is there room to exercise judgment? May I make personal judgment calls?
6. Have I been exposed to other functional areas?
7. Does my job have a future? Has my boss discussed possible routes of advancement?
8. Do I have good working conditions? Are they safe? Well lit? Well planned and equipped. Working conditions high on list.
9. Is the boss reasonable
10. Does the boss ever tell me I've done a good job? Is the boss as free with his praise as his criticism?
11. Do I have a clear understanding of my pay and benefits? Has your boss explained pay levels and formulas?

The Commitment Matrix

What is Compliance? Most of what is practiced today in organizations is still compliance. The manager uses his/her position to order subordinates to do something. The subordinate carries it out but does not feel ownership.

What is Loyalty? Loyalty is the feeling of belonging, and the willingness to do what one is asked to do, in return for being treated as one of the family. Loyalty does not automatically encourage independent and creative thinking, and a sense of initiative.

What is Involvement? People who are involved will feel a sense of responsibility to be conscientious in their work and live up to their own internal standards of quality and productivity. However they can just as easily pull up roots and move across the street and become a star performer for the competition.

What is Commitment? Commitment involves the act of being mentally and emotionally impelled. When you are committed to something, it takes precedence over other alternatives. Commitment grows when the manager delegates responsibility and shares influence; the employees feel a sense of ownership over their work.

How can commitment be generated? The goal is self evident. Management wants its people to become star performers, but they do not want to encourage these employees to leave. Management is looking for committed employees, not just compliant, loyal or involved employees. But the path to achieving committed employees is not an easy route to take. Excellent organizations who boast of having committed employees still number in the minority.

Five strategies to improve commitment
1. The first and foremost task is to modify the day to day management philosophy. To become committed, the employees at each level need to perceive that management respects their ideas and their dedication.
2. Employees should be asked to take a greater role in decision making.
3. Management may want to set up cooperative teams to address quality and working conditions issues.
4. Management should examine their reward system - objective performance reviews to determine compensation.
5. Management should also reexamine its people strategies. If management wants loyalty from its employees it first must be loyal to its employees. Watch layoffs, promote from within, treat all levels the same when cutting expenses, etc. Treat your employees right.