Posts Tagged ‘chance’

The Worst Employee Motivator

November 20th, 2011

I have asked thousands of people what the most powerful motivator is for employees. Most of them say, “Money.” Those people are correct; kind of. A pay-check is the foundation of the employee-employer relationship. Compensation gets the employee to show up. Does that mean the key to motivating or engaging employees is money? Unfortunately, the answer is not that easy. There could be many factors that motivate each employee; including money.

There are roughly 13 motivating factors in the workplace. These factors include money, interesting work, opportunity for advancement, a team environment, job security, making a difference, personal growth, responsibility, a flexible work environment, positive relationships and praise. What surprises many is that studies show us that, of those motivating factors, money is typically the least motivating factor.

You may have heard someone say, “They don’t pay me enough to deal with this!” There is a good chance that money isn’t actually the problem. It is most likely that one of the employees other needs are not being met. However, because of that foundational agreement of the paycheck, money is often times the default complaint for most employees. In other words the employee is saying, “If you pay me more I will put up with this abuse.” The problem with this logic is that money doesn’t cause the source of the frustration to change.

One of my favorite illustrations of this is in professional sports. It is amazing to me to hear professional athletes complain about their travel schedule. Most of them only play one game a day for a few hours at a time and they get paid millions of dollars to do so. They are complaining because the travel is an environmental issue and not a financial issue. The money doesn’t make the grueling travel go away.

In all fairness money can serve as a temporary motivator. Studies show that pay increases motivate employees for about 15 days. Just enough time to be excited about the first bigger paycheck, get the check, spend the money and start complaining again. Just like the professional athletes, money does not change an employee’s environment at work. Money changes the environment outside of work.

Consider a construction foreman complaining about being asked to take on more responsibility. He would not say, “I’m frustrated because I feel like the work I am already doing is not being recognized and now they are asking me to do even more work which I am sure will go unnoticed as well!” He is much more likely to say, “They don’t pay me enough to deal with this!” So what are you to do as a leader to determine if money is the issue or not?

Motivational Super-Secret Tip #1: Ask the employee what motivates them. Have a sincere conversation in which you ask them to consider the motivating factors presented here. Ask them what their top three motivating factors are. Don’t expect an immediate answer because they will need time to think about it. Once you have an understanding of what motivates the employee make sure you use the information. If they want to feel part of a team then focus on how they can be a great team player. If they want opportunities for advancement then walk them through a development plan to help them get there. To motivate the employee change the conversation from financial incentives to incentives that really matter to them. You might be wondering if money can be one of the primary motivators. Of course it can be but, after clarifying their motivating factors you and the employee will know money really is the issue rather than one of the 12 other motivators.

Posted in Career Advice

The Importance of Personal Development for Career Building and Promotion

October 30th, 2011

How does personal development affect you when it comes to promotions or climbing the career ladder in your working environment? Have you ever had thoughts when you have seen someone else favored over yourself or another who you thought better suited to the position, why them? What reasons have you claimed has stopped you climbing that path of promotion and building a career? What has been the difference between you getting that position? Have you missed the opportunity and looked to blame outside influences and think that people favor others over ourselves. Ever been guilty of using the sentence,’ I am not a suck up and that is why someone else gets the job and not me ‘. Ring any bells? What about the one, ‘ my boss just doesn’t like me ‘. How about ‘ they promote their friends so no one else ever gets a chance ‘. STOP right now. Blaming others will not change the situation or help you get what you want and feel you deserve. If you do feel that way, then truthfully you are actually working in the wrong environment and job for who you are and what your personality is.

Let us take a step back and look at the situation logically and rationally. Firstly to gain any kind of promotion we need to have improved ourselves in our current role. We need to have learned the role from front to back, side to side and inside and out. We must be an expert at what we do in what ever position that may be. Have you done that? Be honest, as you must learn to be honest with yourself in order for you to grow, develop and begin building your career and long-term future.

Secondly, knowing your job from all aspects isn’t enough, you also need to have grown as a human being also. What does that mean? Think of it like this. As you progress up any kind of working ladder, you are going to be given more and more responsibility, whether that be extra work load, being given more freedom to make bigger decisions. You are going to be in charge of people, you will have to lead them, encourage them, support them, guide them and become a mentor to them. You will be given direction from people above which you must then delegate to others in a manner that best moves everyone in that direction. You are going to become more accountable for your actions.

Third, you have to learn about others. It is important to know that as you progress everyone is a different person with unique character traits and temperaments, as such all will react in a different way. Some will need a firm kick up the derrière, others a quite word with a gentle arm round the shoulder.

Taking all of these into account, you must honestly and realistically know and understand just how important it is for you to be involved in your own personal development. Not just developing your skills in the job, but also in how you interact with others, how you react to situations and environments. Understanding the importance of personal growth in expanding your comfort zones and becoming more confident in who you are. Learning your strengths but also knowing your weaknesses. Improving your character and how you handle pressure and certain situation. Understanding that you may not always be liked by others and that sometimes you must make tough but ultimately fair decisions. All of these factors are important elements in personal development. Be honest with yourself, be realistic as well and your career will only ever move in one direction and that will not be backwards or down.

Posted in Career Management