Is Your Idea of Motivation a Strong "Drop & Give Me 20!?"

I have to admit I have a tendency to see the best in others.  I like to believe that everyone is doing the best they can with what they know and believe.  That being said, "I've heard some very strange arguments regarding how to motivate employees."  Beyond the heading of "Drop and Give Me 20," here are just a few:

• "Why should I have to motivate them.  Nobody has to motivate me."
• "I'll show them motivation.  Does "Your fired" motivate you enough?"
• "I told them how much I appreciated them during their performance review.  How many times do I have to tell them anyway?"
• "Money is the only way to motivate my people and since my company won't let me give them more money, my hands are tied."
• "Motivate the team?  Are you kidding?  I'm too busy for that."
• "I don't have a budget for that.  Not happening."

If you gave me one of these responses and I were your HR person, it would take all my self control to not look at you quizzically and ask how you made it to a leadership role.  Being the professional I am however, and wanting to see the best in people I would come to the conclusion that you didn't know these were lame excuses.


Let me give you a bit of a news flash.  Here are a few things that are NOT motivating.

• Trying to control people who are grown ups (paying their own bills, making their own decisions). Unless you work for the US Military, this is not the way we generally treat free Americans.
• Micro-managing those that don't deserve it (it's okay to micro-manage low performers for a defined amount of time.
• Threats
• Belittling and Condescending tones (i.e. acting like you know it all).
• An unhappy and boring workplace.
• A workplace filled with gossip and political games.
• Telling your employees "good job" once a year.
• A boss that is too busy or uninterested in his/her employees to know or care about them.  
• Working for someone who obviously doesn't like their job or employer.
• Throwing money at all the aforementioned problems.

Motivating your team is not about time or money.  There are so many ways to motivate people. A kind word.  A project they are inspired by.  Having the opportunity to work with someone they respect.  Flexible schedules.  Showing that you care.  Asking about the family.  Creating a development plan.  Telling them the vision you have for them.  Tapping into a hidden talent.  Telecommuting.  Noticing when they seem to be having a bad day.  Encouragement.  Confidence in their success.  None of these cost money.  

And the bottom line . . . . if you are a leader, it's your responsibility.  

Great Leaders Ask Great Questions

You probably thought what makes great leaders so great is their amazing public speaking skills, decisiveness, the right look, and a perfectly tailored suit.  Well, I have to admit I do love to see a leader that resembles George Clooney in a tailored suit.  Although I may love looking at someone like George, looks don't make the leader.  

Great leaders are known for their ability to make tough decisions, especially when nobody else is willing to do it.  How do you think they are able to make those tough decisions?  They don't just go around making decisions all day without the information they need.  First, they ask great questions! They ask great questions of themselves as well as others.  


Watch them in meetings.  I mean the truly great leaders.  They are listening and watching.  They know what to look and listen for regarding impact to the business, the people, and the board of directors.  They know they have to trust  their people but they also have to ask tough questions to determine how to handle the issue at hand.  They are masters at asking the best questions.  

We could all learn from asking more questions instead of talking so much.  I walked into a hotel recently after the end of a long day of meetings and the desk clerk enthusiastically said, "Welcome back!"  Then she looked at me very seriously and asked "Did you get everything accomplished that you wanted to get accomplished today?"  I was baffled by the question because I am virtually never asked this question.  It was a perfect example of a great question.  Let me quickly define a great question.


What Great Questions Do

• Make us think (How do you think we compare to "competitor"?  Did you get everything accomplished you wanted to today?)
• Cause us to learn without even thinking.  We are much more capable of learning when asked relevant questions so we can formulate our own conclusions than being told what to think or worse yet, what you think (What would do you think could have been better about that presentation?  What could you  have done differently?  How do you think Joe might respond to that approach?)
• Inspire a change (How could we meet this challenge?  What could we have done differently?  What will we do to meet this deadline?)

How have you noticed questions impacting others?  What questions do you find useful?  I'd love to hear your ideas.  

Mari