ARE YOU DRIVEN
TO CONSTANTLY IMPROVE?

Scenario #1: The new owner of the business walks into your office and says, “Based on my review of your performance we’re going to increase your annual salary by $25,000.”

Scenario #2: The new owner walks into your office and says, “Based on my review of your performance we’re going to decrease your annual salary by $25,000.”

Which scenario causes a deeper emotional reaction?

Exactly. As applied psychological research has shown, the pain of a negative is more intense than the pleasure of an equivalent positive. Not only is it more intense, one negative experience can override multiple positive experiences. Making a disrespectful comment, for example, can outweigh all the positive recognition you’ve given to an employee.

Law #3: First, eliminate the negatives

If you want to create an environment that helps your people perform at their best, focus on eliminating the negatives before you introduce the positives. Otherwise those positives may have little effect.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Last week I wrote that you as a leader don’t cause motivation. You hire people who are motivated, then you create the right environment to help channel and unleash that motivation.

So what’s the right environment? You’re not going to like the answer.

Law #2: Motivation is not one-size-fits-all

It depends. Sure, there are some universals: people want to feel respected, they thrive when they have a sense of purpose, and they feel good when they accomplish things. Beyond that almost anything goes. Some want you to point them in the right direction and then get out of the way. Some need your approval after taking each step. Some like to try different approaches, some like to conform. Some like to interact with others, some want to be left alone. Some want to lead, some want to be led. Some want to be recognized on the big stage, some want to be recognized in private.

The bottom line: know your people. Different people respond to different environments for different reasons. That’s human nature and that’s OK.

Your thoughts?

Michael

You’re excited about the opportunities on the horizon. Time to focus and mobilize your people, then let them loose!

So best not to screw things up. Which is why for the rest of the month I’ll cover the three laws of motivation.

Law #1: You don’t cause motivation

Your people aren’t machines who wait passively for someone to push the right buttons and – voilà! – now they’re motivated. They have their own motives, their own wants and needs. Motivation isn’t something done to employees. It’s something you help unleash and channel.

Motivation is what results when you have the right people in the right environment. If you don’t have the right people you can be the best manager in the world and they won’t be motivated. And if you don’t create the right environment then even the best people will feel frustrated.

Don’t focus on motivating people. Focus on creating the right environment so the right people will be motivated. Convey a sense of purpose that is meaningful to them. Make sure they’re equipped to succeed. Provide coaching and support. Ensure they feel valued.

Poor managers are quick to attribute failure to having the wrong people. Strong managers take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask, “What can I do to create a better environment?”

Your thoughts?

Michael

Why are people resistant to change? Short answer: because it makes sense.

Change means uncertainty. Will I like it? Will I not like it? Will I be good at it? Will I not be good at it? Will I be more secure? Will I be less secure? Will I have more status? Will I have less status? People want to know how the change will affect them. Uncertainty means there is a range of outcomes, some positive and some negative. They are understandably apprehensive, even fearful, about the negative outcomes.

So what can you as a leader do to soften the reaction to change? Communicate. A lot. Explain the what, why and how of change. Paint a picture of what similar change has meant for other organizations and individuals.

Reducing uncertainty reduces fear. You won’t eliminate it. But you can mitigate its effects.

Your thoughts?

Michael 

Want your people to feel better about themselves and their work? Then take them through some gratitude exercises.

I see you cringing. Now before you become cynical ‚Äì no, your workplace will not devolve into a cult of incessant hugging and crying ‚Äì consider this: recent research in the field of positive psychology shows that when people express gratitude they feel happier, interact more positively and stay healthier than those who don‚Äôt.

So suspend your preconceptions, summon up your courage, and try at least one of the following:

1)    Start your next meeting by having each person write a list of all the things about work for which they are grateful.

2)    At the end of a meeting, take 10 minutes to have people ‚Äúmingle and move on‚Äù, expressing one thing they appreciate about each person they connect with.

3)    Ask each of your people to meet with / write to another employee for no other reason than to express thanks for something they hadn‚Äôt been thanked for.

4)    Invite a supplier into your office. Have each employee who interacts with that supplier (or their products) express a specific gratitude.

5)    Invite a customer into your office. Have each employee who interacts with that customer express a specific gratitude.

There, doesn’t seem so bad after all, does it?

You’re welcome.

Your thoughts?

Michael

At the front end of any major implementation – new CRM system, lean initiative, an acquisition – ask your people one key question: Why will this fail?

They know your organization’s history; they know your culture. Make it permissible for them to tell you why they think the implementation will fail. If you don’t ask, they will nod their heads up-and-down during your kickoff announcement then go back to the break-room and grumble, “That’ll never work.” Isn’t it better to know they feel that way before you start? And why?

Planning for success is not the same as planning to avoid failure. You have to play both offense and defense. Training people on the new CRM system is playing offense. Not punishing them when they make mistakes is playing defense. Communicating the reasons for a new CRM system is playing offense. Communicating to overcome insecurity and uncertainty about the new system is playing defense.

Plan to succeed and plan not to fail.

Your thoughts?

Michael

“I don’t like to micromanage,” says the executive. “I like to give my people the freedom they need to be successful.”

We all know that to get the most from our people we need to empower them. Right?

Some employees are discovering there’s a dark side to so-called empowerment. It’s when their managers fail to provide sufficient direction. When they don’t identify boundaries. When they don’t supply the needed tools. And when they come down hard for results that were never defined to begin with.

These employees don’t feel empowered. They feel abandoned. Set up to fail by managers who lack focus and discipline. Managers who have fooled themselves into thinking that management no longer involves managing.

How can you ensure that you’re empowering and not abandoning? First, make certain your people clearly understand the goals, what’s expected of them and why. Next, ask yourself if they have the knowledge and skills to be successful. Then determine if they have sufficient resources. 

Empowering your people when any of these elements is missing could be disastrous. The right results happen when you create an environment in which everything aligns with winning.

Yes, empowerment can be effective. But it’s not enough.

Your thoughts?

Michael