Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Monday, November 19, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
9 Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money
By Ilya Pozin INC Magazine
Don't show 'em the money (even if you have it). Here are nine better ways to boost morale.
The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur can possess. Two years ago, I realized I didn’t have this skill. So I hired a CEO who did.
Josh had 12 years in the corporate world, which included running a major department at Comcast. I knew he was seasoned, but I was still skeptical at first. We were going through some tough growing pains, and I thought that a lack of cash would make it extremely difficult to improve the company morale.
I was wrong.
With his help and the help of the great team leaders he put in place, Josh not only rebuilt the culture, but also created a passionate, hard-working team that is as committed to growing and improving the company as I am.
Here are nine things I learned from him:
Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Plus, praise from the CEO goes a lot farther than you might think. Praise every improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others.
Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.
Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”
Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.
Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.
Take an employee to lunch once a week. Surprise them. Don’t make an announcement that you’re establishing a new policy. Literally walk up to one of your employees, and invite them to lunch with you. It’s an easy way to remind them that you notice and appreciate their work.
Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms: Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished. Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.
Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don’t just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you’re all in it together.
Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.
Don't show 'em the money (even if you have it). Here are nine better ways to boost morale.
The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur can possess. Two years ago, I realized I didn’t have this skill. So I hired a CEO who did.
Josh had 12 years in the corporate world, which included running a major department at Comcast. I knew he was seasoned, but I was still skeptical at first. We were going through some tough growing pains, and I thought that a lack of cash would make it extremely difficult to improve the company morale.
I was wrong.
With his help and the help of the great team leaders he put in place, Josh not only rebuilt the culture, but also created a passionate, hard-working team that is as committed to growing and improving the company as I am.
Here are nine things I learned from him:
Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Plus, praise from the CEO goes a lot farther than you might think. Praise every improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others.
Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.
Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”
Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.
Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.
Take an employee to lunch once a week. Surprise them. Don’t make an announcement that you’re establishing a new policy. Literally walk up to one of your employees, and invite them to lunch with you. It’s an easy way to remind them that you notice and appreciate their work.
Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms: Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished. Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.
Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don’t just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you’re all in it together.
Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.
Monday, July 25, 2011
What Motivates An Entrepreneur?
In his TED talk, “The Surprising Science of Motivation“, Dan Pink makes a case for businesses to consider what science has established for years: money only works as a contingent motivator (i.e. if you do this, you get that) in which there are a clear set of rules and one solution. But when a task requires creativity and problem solving, a contingent motivator is a negative force because it focuses the mind when it needs to be open. The human psychology, more importantly, just doesn’t seem to get motivated by a bigger carrot as much as it is by three simple to understand factors: Autonomy (having choice and freedom), Mastery (getting good at something valuable) and Purpose.
Why do we do what we do?
Pink’s 3 pillars completed a process inspired by author Simon Sinek last year, when he challenged me to consider why I do what I do. Sinek is a “why” advocate – he believes that if we start by understanding our why, we’re more likely to do things that we want to do which correlates strongly to our happiness and not surprisingly, our ability to excel.
Until I was able to connect Sinek’s case with Pink’s, my response to the question “why I decided to start a company” was that it made me happy. Now, I understand that happiness is the outcome but not the why. Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose are my whys and by understanding that, I’m more aware than ever of my motivation for being an entrepreneur and thus, given Sinek’s case, in a better position to succeed.
So what motivates an entrepreneur?
Autonomy and the Entrepreneur
I really don’t believe that the prolonged motivation of an entrepreneur is being “their own boss”. The allure of being your own boss is short lived because the reality is that being your own boss is arguably one of the most difficult things to do. Self accountability is the antithesis to a walk in the park.
It’s not that I begrudge “being my own boss” – it does have its perks after all – but I just never really think about it nor find myself passionate about it. I am passionate, however, about the possibilities that autonomy provides me. Entrepreneurs are dreamers at their core. Every product or service was at the some point some person’s “crazy idea”, which they turned to reality only because the systems or status quo didn’t allow for it. The autonomy factor for entrepreneurs relates to a deep need to actualize their dreams.
Mastery and the Entrepreneur
No one starts as the best but what distinguishes successful entrepreneurs is a never ending quest to get better. I’ve often understood Mastery through the lens of competition. You don’t have to be a sore loser to agree that losing sucks. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to “lose” many times but I’ve noticed the critical difference with those who are successful is that they take personal accountability for not being the best. By doing so, they fuel their inner passion to get there. Simply put, entrepreneurs are motivated by an inner desire to be the best at what they do, period.
Purpose and the Entrepreneur
I’m a purpose junkie. I’m constantly fascinated not only by my own purpose but what other people identify as theirs. Part of the reason for this is that you’ll never find identical answers and you can learn a lot about a person and yourself if you understand the purpose that drives them be it personal, social, a trigger event or even another person.
Startup romance dictates that if you build it then they will come. Startup reality, however, is that building it is just one part of the puzzle. The reality is that starting a company is a constant fight against competitors, against naysayers, against barriers and even against yourself (I’ve seen a lot of friends self select themselves out of being an entrepreneur and have nearly done it to myself). If you don’t have a reason to fight when the going gets inevitably tough, you’ll likely find yourself on the wrong end of the startup failure rate.
Why is understanding what motivates you important?
Given the high failure rates in entrepreneurship, you’re going to have to bring everything to the table and to do that consistently is challenging especially if you don’t know why you’re doing it in the first place.
Adil Dhalla is the Chief Dish Washer at My City Lives. He can be reached on Twitter (@mycitylives) or via email (adil@mycitylives.com).
Friday, October 15, 2010
What truly Motivates People?
This is a fascinating study on motivation and what truly moves people to achievement.
Every entrepreneur should watch this. This is the future
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=channel
If you like this video, RSAnimates.org has many topics such as Freakanomics, How the Past Present and Future shape actions, Left Brain/Right Brain etc.
Time well spent.
All the best,
Susan Corcoran
Every entrepreneur should watch this. This is the future
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=channel
If you like this video, RSAnimates.org has many topics such as Freakanomics, How the Past Present and Future shape actions, Left Brain/Right Brain etc.
Time well spent.
All the best,
Susan Corcoran
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Motivation
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well,neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."- Zig Ziglar (www.ziglar.com)
AMEN!
AMEN!
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