Investor's Business Daily, August 6th, 2007
Managers often fail when they forget that people are motivated internally. It's a matter of reaching their pride level.
Fear and pressure don't work as well as appealing to employees' needs, experts say. Between a manager's input and an employee's output, drivers of behavior must line up.
Tips on behavioral triggers:
Connect with people. Managers can help by creating a supportive office.
Douglas Walker, author of "A-ha! Performance: Building and Managing a Self-Motivated Workforce," told IBD: "The No. 1 reason people leave their jobs is because of a bad relationship with the boss. If they join the company and don't connect with anybody in the first three months, statistically you won't stay."
Be clear. Walker says when a work force isn't focused, it's often because managers haven't been clear about what they want. Certainty can trigger motivation.
Shoot for attainability. People must believe what they're asked to do is reachable.
"Once you lock in a wish or a want, the brain goes to work trying to get it," Walker said.
Underscore cost vs. reward. If the cost is greater than the payoff, people aren't going to perform, Walker says. Whether the payoff is self-satisfaction, bonus money or promotion, managers need to take this variable into account.
Be flexible. Self-motivation works when you let someone decide how to reach a goal. "If I lock in just one way or my way, it may not be viable for that person. Tap into things they're comfortable doing," Walker told IBD.
"Getting to the next level is not a one-size-fits-all proposition," said Chuck Mache, founder of Chuck Mache Communications and author of "The Four Kinds of Sales People: How and Why They Excel -- and How You Can Too."
Understand who your people are. Once you take the time to understand those who work for you, triggering their self-motivation becomes a lot easier, Mache says.
The four kinds of salespeople Mache identifies are performers, professionals, caretakers and searchers. Each has different characteristics that managers must understand if they are to help each person reach his pride level and be self-motivated enough to perform to the highest potential.
What works well for the performer might not work for the caretaker. "So identifying which type a person most resembles is essential to developing a strategy that turns a routine sales job into a path to personal and professional breakthrough achievement," Mache said.
Tell the truth. Be honest in your assessment of those you manage regarding their productivity, work ethic and what they're trying to accomplish.
Result: Employees take a real look at themselves. Once that happens, Mache says, self-motivated people implement a personalized strategy for success.
"You can't motivate people; you can only create an environment that motivates," Mache said. "People have to motivate themselves."
