[shawn doyle] the manager's pocket guide to motiva(bookfi.org)

THE MANAGER’SPOCKET GUIDE TO

MotivatingEmployees

Shawn Doyle

HRD PRESS, Inc.Amherst, Massachusetts

Copyright © 2005, HRD Press, Inc.

All rights reserved. Any reproduction in any media of thematerials that appear in this book without written permissionfrom HRD Press is a violation of copyright law.

Published by:HRD Press22 Amherst RoadAmherst, MA 01002

1-800-822-2801 (U.S. and Canada)1-413-253-3490 (Fax)

http://www.hrdpress.com

ISBN 0-87425-846-4

Production services by WordstopEditorial services by Sally FarnhamCover design by Eileen Klockars

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff MMoottiivvaattiioonn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2 HHiirriinngg aanndd KKeeeeppiinngg MMoottiivvaatteedd PPeeooppllee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 3 MMoottiivvaattiinngg EEmmppllooyyeeeess ttoo AAcchhiieevveetthhee OOrrggaanniizzaattiioonn’’ss GGooaallss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 4 TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff EEnntthhuussiiaassmm ffoorrMMoottiivvaattiioonn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 5 PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee DDeevveellooppmmeenntt aass aaMMoottiivvaattiinngg TTooooll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 6 CCooaacchhiinngg ttoo MMoottiivvaattee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 7 WWhhaatt RReeaallllyy MMoottiivvaatteess PPeeooppllee?? . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 8 MMoottiivvaattiinngg wwiitthh RReewwaarrddss aannddRReeccooggnniittiioonn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 9 TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff BBaallaannccee iinn aa WWeellll--MMoottiivvaatteedd WWoorrkkffoorrccee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Chapter 10 PPuuttttiinngg IItt AAllll TTooggeetthheerr((AAccttiioonn PPllaannnniinngg)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

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CHAPTER 1The Importance of MotivationThe purpose of this book is to provide managers with helpfultools and techniques for creating and maintaining an environ-ment where employees can perform at their highest level ofmotivation. Motivated employees are significantly more productive than discouraged employees, and productiveemployees are essential to management success. Doesn’teveryone want to work in a place that is fun, energized, andmotivating?

Let’s define motivation for the sake of clarity. In the diction-ary, motivation is a word that seems to defy definition.Webster’s defines motivation as: The act or process of moti-vating; the condition of being motivated. In order to get a bet-ter understanding of the word, we need to define the wordmotivate: To provide an incentive, move to action; impel. Asa manager, one of the most important functions is to provideincentive. It is also essential in our role to move employees toaction. Lastly, it is critical that our teams are impelled to dothe work, and that they want to do the work.

Creating a Motivating Environment

First, let’s clear up one misconception: It is not possible for oneperson to motivate another. It is impossible for me to motivateyou and for you to motivate me. Motivation is an internal mech-anism that is generated from within. For someone to be moti-vated, they have to a make a conscious decision to be motivatedabout a particular situation. Going back to the definition, theyhave to have incentive and be moved or impelled to act.

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Managers can’t motivate people, but they can create a posi-tive environment where people can be motivated. As leg-endary college football coach Lou Holtz once said, “Ability iswhat you are capable of doing. Motivation determines whatyou do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Everyoneagrees that a great manager can have a significant impact ona team. Look at the coaches in the NFL: Many times we seeteams that are doing poorly and have a losing attitude; then anew coach comes in and creates a new environment, and sud-denly the team performs and starts winning games.

Complete the quick assessment below to get a pulse of yourenvironment.

The Manager's Pocket Guide to Motivating Employees

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Assessment—Elements of a Motivating Environment

For each statement, check the appropriate box.

Statement Yes No

1. The work space is comfortable for employees.

2. The work space is visually appealing.

3. Employees know the purpose of their work.

4. Employees know the purpose of the team’swork.

5. The environment is positive and upbeat.

6. Employees are excited about their work.

7. The work place is considered fun.

8. Our team has fun on the job.

9. The company is committed to employeedevelopment.

10. As a manager, I am committed to develop-ment of each team member.

Now that the assessment has been completed, analyze theresults:

• What did the results indicate?• What elements were surprises?• What elements stand out?• Which elements are the most obvious areas for improvement?• Which elements are the most positive?• What could you as a manager do differently?• What could the team do differently?

The Importance of Motivation

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Statement Yes No

11. I know each team member by name.

12. I know the short- and long-term goals ofteam members.

13. Employees are rewarded for goodperformance.

14. I use different kinds of rewards to incitemotivation.

15. Communication takes place frequently.

16. Communication takes place in groups andindividually.

17. Hiring is done to ensure a fit with the group.

18. People who don’t fit are let go quickly.

19. I mirror the behaviors I value all the time.

20. I mirror the attitudes I value all the time.

Now that you have looked at some of your own feedback,let’s talk about your role.

It is a manager’s responsibility to create and continuouslymaintain the right environment. Here are ten tips to creatingan environment that fosters motivation:

1. CCoonnttrrooll tthhee pphhyyssiiccaall eennvviirroonnmmeenntt.. The work spaceitself must be at least well lit and clean. I once workedat a company that was poorly lit, had dirty carpets, and needed painting. Employee morale was low, andthe employees were very unmotivated: They couldhave been mistaken for dead! If I took over that com-pany, I would have hired a painting crew to repaint theplace in one weekend. Imagine the response onMonday from the employees when they came back to anew environment. Take time to attend to the visualaspects of the environment, because people believewhat they see.

2. CCoommmmuunniiccaattee tthhee ppuurrppoossee.. Each employee must under-stand the reasons why he or she does their job and whyit is important. Most people are more motivated whenthey know the reasons behind a procedure, process, orpolicy. The manager must be a master communicatorand continually reinforce the important messages. AsTim Sanders of Yahoo said, “Knowledge sharing is thebasis of everything. Share knowledge with recklessabandon.”

3. CCrreeaattee aa ppoossiittiivvee ppllaaccee.. A positive work environment iscontagious. When employees are excited and passionateabout the job, team, and company, it is apparent to cus-tomers, vendors, and other employees. More importantly,this level of enthusiasm will make people want to workfor that particular department or team. To be the


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department that everyone wants to be part of buildspride for those who are there. This also builds andenhances the reputation of the manager.

4. HHaavvee ffuunn.. In the world of business, the word fun is oftenoverlooked, but rest assured, if the team is having fun atwork, they are more motivated and productive.Companies such as Southwest Airlines have institutional-ized fun, and they have employees who work harder,don’t leave, and provide a better experience for their cus-tomers. The idea of a fun environment is so rare that itactually becomes a factor in hiring and retaining employ-ees. Most people want to work in that kind of environ-ment and will stay longer and work harder.

5. EEmmbbrraaccee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt.. Managers must commit to eachteam member’s development. If team members are grow-ing and developing, they will be more motivated becausethey will feel more valued. Everyone who is a member ofthe human race wants to feel a sense of value. Writer andorator Sidney Madwed said, “It has been estimated about90 to 95 percent of all people work at jobs which areunfulfilling and which they dislike….” The manager’srole is to provide an environment where the employeescan be fulfilled, and development plays a role in feelingfulfilled.

6. KKnnooww tthhee tteeaamm.. A manager has to know what teammembers want in the short and long term in order toprovide an environment where they can be motivated.Some managers don’t know their employees’ names.How can a manager in that situation adapt to theemployees’ needs? In some companies, upper-level man-agers patronize their employees. These upper-levelmanagers don’t even try to get to know their employees.This is an old-school practice that is archaic. By today’s


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standards, managers who know their employees willhave a competitive advantage.

7. PPrroovviiddee rreewwaarrdd.. The purpose of reward is to provideincentive for team members so that they want to workand work harder. I once worked for a manager who said,“I am not going to compliment you for work you are sup-posed to be doing.” That manager did not understand theimpact of reward and the negative impact of lack ofreward. It is truly amazing on a daily basis how man-agers apparently don’t think about the impact of theiractions. The savvy manager realizes the value of rewardand uses it as a tool.

8. EEnnggaaggee iinn ccoonnssttaanntt ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn.. The manager’s job isto constantly communicate: to communicate formally andinformally to groups and individuals. Communicationeliminates doubt, ends rumors, instills confidence(employees feel they are important enough to be toldabout certain information), and builds trust and loyalty. Alarge part of motivation is how people feel about theirwork. When people are “in the loop” and are providedcommunication on a regular basis, they feel validated andacknowledged. Most managers under-communicate.

9. BBee ccaarreeffuull iinn hhiirriinngg.. Hiring the right people with the rightattitude and skills is critical for a motivating environmentto exist. On the other hand, keeping people on who areunproductive and difficult or who have negative attitudescan be very detrimental. Don’t rush the hiring process, butdo act swiftly with documentation to terminate peoplewho aren’t making a contribution.

10. BBee ““tthhee mmiirrrroorr..”” The manager is the mirror of the team;the behaviors and attitudes that the employees see intheir managers are what they emulate. I once visited anoffice where all the employees were grumpy, cold, and


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sullen. When I met the manager, he was grumpy, cold,and sullen. As secretary of state Colin Powell once said,“All employees are boss watchers. The rank and file willalways take clues from their leader.” So the managermust at all times emulate the qualities, attitudes, andbehaviors that they want the team to exhibit.

The Benefits of a Motivating Environment

Many managers are hard driving and very practical. Theywill say, “Give me a business reason to do this motivationstuff.” The reality is that motivation is the absolute key todriving productivity and increasing profit. Just ask compa-nies like Southwest Airlines.

Consider these facts as outlined in a survey of the nonmana-gerial workforce in the United States, conducted in 1983 bythe Public Agenda Forum:

• Less than one in four U.S. workers is working at full potential.

• Half of the workers surveyed said they did not put anyeffort into their job beyond what was required to hold it.

• Seventy-five percent responded that they could be signifi-cantly more effective in their jobs than they are.

• Sixty percent responded that they don’t work as hard asthey used to.

There is every indication to believe that since 1983, thingshave not gotten better—they have gotten worse. The reasonsare very simple: Corporate America has not given employeesa reason to believe in their companies or in their leadership.Employees are promoted into management roles and don’tknow how to lead.


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The blame must then be placed squarely on the shoulders ofleadership. Employees are obviously not being provided awork environment that encourages them to want to work. Inlooking at the results of this survey, a smart manager couldincrease effectiveness 75 percent and get 60 percent of theworkers to work harder. The results could be a staggeringincrease in productivity.

There is clear and compelling evidence that a motivatingenvironment pays huge dividends. In a study on traininginvestment and impact, conducted in September of 2000 bythe American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), itwas proven that investment in training had a significantimpact on financial performance. Two thousand five hundredcompanies were surveyed, and the companies that investedthe most in training had a total shareholder return that was86 percent higher than those companies on the lower half ofthe training investment list, and a 45 percent better returnthan the market average.

There are hundreds of reports and statistics that prove a motivating environment is essential to the success of anorganization. Promoting this kind of environment will havethe following impacts:

• Productivity will increase• Employee turnover will decrease• Absenteeism will decrease• Sales will increase• Customer service will be improved• Employee litigation claims will decrease• The quality of candidates will improve• Cash flow will improve• Efficiency will go up• Profits will be increased


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I have interviewed hundreds of job candidates throughout mycareer, and I am always amazed at what interviewees sayabout their current managers. They tell me their manager hasnever had a conversation with them, they don’t get develop-ment, or they feel unneeded, undervalued, ignored. This is typical and common in the workplaces of America. Howmany negative comments do we hear from friends and familyabout their horrible bosses? It is a sad commentary on thestate of management in today’s work world. However, there isgood news: As managers, we have the ability to be an impetusfor change.

Below and on the next two pages is an assessment you cancomplete to determine the aspects of motivation that currently exist on your team, and to what degree they aredeveloped.


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Motivating Environment Assessment

Using the scale below, circle the number that best describesyour situation with regards to each statement on pages 10and 11. Be honest and don’t think about the answers for toolong.

1—Disagree

2—Happens on occasion

3—Somewhat agree

4—Agree

(continued)


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Statements

1. Employees feel good about thework area because it is clean andcomfortable.

1 2 3 4

2. Each employee has a work areathat is appropriate and suited fortheir work.

1 2 3 4

3. The work environment is clean,well lit, and well maintained. 1 2 3 4

4. Employees know the purpose oftheir work. 1 2 3 4

5. Employees understand the purposeof the company’s work. 1 2 3 4

6. Employees are excited aboutcoming to work every day. 1 2 3 4

7. Employees are excited about theirwork. 1 2 3 4

8. We occasionally have fun activi-ties as a group. 1 2 3 4

9. Employees would describe ourwork place as “fun.” 1 2 3 4

10. We are committed to employeedevelopment. 1 2 3 4

11. The majority of employees aregetting individual development. 1 2 3 4

12. I know every employee. 1 2 3 4

13. I know every employee’s short-and long-term professional goals.

1 2 3 4


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Statements

14. Employees are rewarded withfinancial incentives. 1 2 3 4

15. Employees receive formal andinformal types of recognition. 1 2 3 4

16. Team meetings are held regularlyfor communication with the team. 1 2 3 4

17. Individual meetings occur regu-larly with each employee. 1 2 3 4

18. When needed, communication isquick and efficient. 1 2 3 4

19. Communication is both formal andinformal. 1 2 3 4

20. We are very careful about who wehire.

1 2 3 4

21. Our hiring practices have a goodtrack record of success. 1 2 3 4

22. When we have employees whohave attitude problems, we settleit quickly.

1 2 3 4

23. Employees would say that moraleis high.

1 2 3 4

24. On a daily basis, I emulate thequalities I expect employees toexhibit.

1 2 3 4

25. I am aware of my behavior at alltimes. 1 2 3 4

Grand total of all numbers (add up num-ber from each question) + + + =

Interpreting the Results

Once the assessment is complete, total the numbers from eachcolumn. The total score will then be a number between 1 and100. The perfect score would be 100. Here is an analysis of thescoring:

110000––9900 Excellent score, and it means the motivating envi-ronment is solid.

9900––8800 Good score, and there is some work to be done.8800––7700 OK score, and it is time to get to work on making

it better.BBeellooww 7700 This book will help you get started on the efforts

that are needed.

Now take a look at the statements that had the lowest andhighest scores. The statements are grouped into the ten cate-gories that were mentioned in the beginning of this chapterthat are critical for having a motivated workforce.

TThhee pphhyyssiiccaall eennvviirroonnmmeenntt:: Statements 1–3TThhee ppuurrppoossee ooff tthheeiirr wwoorrkk:: Statements 4–5PPoossiittiivvee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt:: Statements 6–7FFuunn wwoorrkkppllaaccee:: Statements 8–9EEmmppllooyyeeee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt:: Statements 10–11KKnnoowwiinngg tthhee eemmppllooyyeeee:: Statements 12–13RReewwaarrddss:: Statements 14–15CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn:: Statements 16–19HHiirriinngg:: Statements 20–22MMiirrrroorriinngg tthhee mmeessssaaggee:: Statements 23–25

Determine which areas have the lowest scores and this willindicate which areas need attention first. In addition, take alook at the higher scores and make sure these areas continue


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to be addressed in order to maintain the strengths of the envi-ronment.

Knowledge is the first step in growth as a manager. The sec-ond and most important step is applying the knowledge inorder to get results.

A Business Case for Motivation

The business case for a motivating environment is irrefutable.

It is not an easy task to create and manage a motivating workplace; it takes planning, hard work, and persistence. Nowthat you know why it is important and have analyzed thelevel of motivation in your environment through the assess-ment, it is time to talk about how to work toward the envi-ronment that you want.

The Key Principles in Motivation

In this book, we will take you through the various aspects ofmotivating employees. There are ten key areas that if ignoredwill have a negative impact. If they are addressed, they willhave a powerful and lasting impact on the team. A chapterhas been dedicated to each of these areas as follows:

• CChhaapptteerr 11:: TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff MMoottiivvaattiioonn——As a manager,it is essential that you buy into and accept that motivationis not a soft skill and is necessary for the success of anybusiness.

• CChhaapptteerr 22:: HHiirriinngg aanndd KKeeeeppiinngg MMoottiivvaatteedd PPeeooppllee—As amanager, the environment is only as good as the quality ofthe people you hire. Great leaders use care and selectivity inhiring employees, and then when they are hired, make surethe stage is set for their growth.


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• CChhaapptteerr 33:: MMoottiivvaattiinngg EEmmppllooyyeeeess ttoo AAcchhiieevvee tthheeOOrrggaanniizzaattiioonn’’ss GGooaallss—When employees know the goals ofthe organization and how they fit into the big picture, theyare typically motivated to help drive those goals forward.Unfortunately in many organizations, the employees don’tknow the goals of the company or the department.

• CChhaapptteerr 44:: TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff EEnntthhuussiiaassmm ffoorr MMoottiivvaattiioonn—The comic strip Dilbert has certainly had fun with the lackof enthusiasm in the work place and has put the blame jus-tifiably on leadership. It is up to the manager to build anenvironment where enthusiasm is fostered.

• CChhaapptteerr 55:: PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee DDeevveellooppmmeenntt aass aa MMoottiivvaattiinnggTTooooll—One of the ways a manager can create a motivatingenvironment for an employee is to set expectations andprovide opportunities for growth. Many managers don’tthink about or plan for an employee’s development, whichis key to motivation.

• CChhaapptteerr 66:: CCooaacchhiinngg ttoo MMoottiivvaattee—Employees are moti-vated by being directed and knowing where they areheaded both in the short and long term. This is a skill thatis essential for keeping employees fired up and retainingthem as employees.

• CChhaapptteerr 77: WWhhaatt RReeaallllyy MMoottiivvaatteess PPeeooppllee??—This seems tobe a mystery to many managers, but it really isn’t all thatmysterious. Once the knowledge of what motivates peopleis gained and turned into tangible action, the manager willhave a team that is unstoppable.

• CChhaapptteerr 88:: MMoottiivvaattiinngg wwiitthh RReewwaarrddss aanndd RReeccooggnniittiioonn—Most people long for their company and more importantlytheir managers to recognize and reward their efforts. Manymanagers say they are too busy to reward and recognizethe employees.


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• CChhaapptteerr 99:: TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff BBaallaannccee iinn aa WWeellll-MMoottiivvaatteeddWWoorrkkffoorrccee——The importance of balance is being discussedendlessly in the business press yet seems to be a problemthat is getting worse not better. The leader of a team needsto be aware of the issue and use techniques to help relievepressure.

• CChhaapptteerr 1100: PPuuttttiinngg IItt AAllll TTooggeetthheerr——If managers want tosee a difference in the work place and employees who aremore motivated, then all the concepts have to be put intoaction. This means a commitment to execution of actionplans for each area. There are several tools and worksheetsto assist with that throughout the book. Avoid the tempta-tion to skip over them. They will help identify areas ofstrength and areas for improvement.

Make a decision today that no matter where you are as amanager, you are going to commit to making the work placebetter for you and your team. As Dale Carnegie once said,“There is only one way to get anybody to do anything, andthat is by making the other person want to do it.”


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CHAPTER 2:Hiring and Keeping MotivatedPeopleIn the late 1950s, Frederick Herzberg conducted a landmarkstudy on how human relations relate to motivation in thework place. He concluded that there were two factors relat-ing to motivation in the work place and came up with tworesulting theories: the hygiene theory and the motivationtheory.

The first part of his findings relate to the work environment.The elements of hygiene involve

• The company• Policies and their administration• The supervision people receive on the job• Working conditions• Interpersonal relations• Salary• Status • Security

This theory suggests that the hygiene elements will not moti-vate an employee, but if they are not met, there will be jobdissatisfaction.

The second part of Herzberg’s findings relate to the motivat-ing factors

• Achievement• Recognition

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• Growth/advancement• Interest in the job

The hygiene and motivating factors relate to employees’understanding of the purpose of their jobs. It is the manager’srole to make sure employees are well-informed and clear onthe purpose of their work, the team’s work, and the com-pany’s work. When employees know why they are doing thework, they are much more motivated and satisfied with theirjobs. So how does a manager ensure that this happens?

Begin in the Beginning

To create a work place that is energized and motivated, thecompany must first hire well. Hiring well is the foundationupon which a motivating environment is built. As Lou Holtzonce said, “Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who arenot motivated.” If we consider the opposite of that—it isadding people who are motivated. Hiring can be the mostpositive or the most destructive influence on the team’s moti-vation. Do not underestimate the impact on the rest of theteam when a poor hire is made.

I have met managers from a variety of organizations whowere not skilled in interviewing and hiring. An organizationis only as good as the quality of the candidates and the qual-ity of the hiring process. If an environment is going to be onewhere employees are motivated, then the quality of the peo-ple hired is critical. Here are a few tips for making sure the“right” candidates get hired:

• CCoonndduucctt mmuullttiippllee iinntteerrvviieewwss.. The process of interviewingshould consist of several interviews:

1. A screening interview over the phone 2. An initial interview


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3. A second interview4. A final interview

By conducting multiple interviews, you end up knowingthe candidate better and finding out what they are reallylike as a person. The candidate should also be interviewedby several people in the organization so that the managergets different perspectives about them.

• LLooookk ffoorr aa ccuullttuurraall ffiitt.. There absolutely must be a culturalfit in addition to the competency fit. Research has shownthat lack of cultural fit causes more employees to not lastin a job than their inability to do the job. Managers mustoverlook the temptation to hire on the basis of competencyand ignore the cultural aspects. For example, an IT expertwho is a technical genius, but treats people with disre-spect, is not a good trade-off.

• GGeett HHuummaann RReessoouurrcceess iinnvvoollvveedd.. It is important to haveHuman Resources involvement, but they should not makethe final hiring decision. The final decision should be up tothe hiring manager. I have worked with organizations inthe past where HR did the interviewing and the hiring,and managers were then “stuck” with an employee whodidn’t fit their needs. Managers should insist on having thefinal say in the process.

• AAllwwaayyss rreeccrruuiitt.. Managers should always network andshould always be on the look out for viable candidatesboth inside and outside the organization. The bestapproach is to make a file of viable candidates before theyare needed. Then when the need arises, the manager con-tacts the people in the file who are viable.

• KKnnooww tthheeyy aarree tthhee bbeesstt tthheeyy wwiillll bbee.. When candidates arebeing interviewed, they are at their very best. They are thebest they will ever be dressed, and the best they will ever

Hiring and Keeping Motivated People

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present themselves. A common mistake made by hiring managers is that they think they can change the negativecharacteristics of a candidate after they are hired. This is asabsurd as someone changing their spouse after they get married.

• HHaavvee kknnoocckk--oouutt qquueessttiioonnss.. It is advisable to have knock-out questions—questions that would eliminate the candi-date if they gave a “no” answer to a question. For example,I was the hiring manager for a corporate university, andone of my knock-out questions was about continuouslearning. I felt very strongly that we shouldn’t hire a candi-date as a training manager if they weren’t willing to learnthemselves. I would ask a few questions about reading,training, classes, etc. This gave me the ability to determineif they were a learner or not. Managers must decide on thequalities that are absolutely not negotiable and use thesequalities as the basis of knock-out questions. These ques-tions should be woven into the interview. The candidateshould never know that these are knock-out questions;knowing the nature of the questions could influence theiranswers.

To find candidates who are a good fit in terms of enthusiasm,use open-ended interview questions as listed below:

• So tell me about yourself . . .• What is the best job you have ever had and why?• What is important to you in the work place?• Who has had an influence on your career? Why?• Do you do any reading? What do you read?• What book has had the most influence on you in the last

five years?• Who has been the best boss you have reported to? Why?• The worst boss? Why?


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• What motivates you? Why?• How would you describe yourself?• How would the team of people you work with

describe you?• What do you stand for?• Who are your role models?• What have you learned in the past year?• What professional organizations do you belong to? Why?• What does enthusiasm mean to you? • Describe your personality.• How do you get along with others?

This list of questions should provide managers with a base-line for determining the candidate’s level of enthusiasm.These questions should obviously be mixed with questionsabout experience and job skills. The idea is to look for bothcompetency and culture.

The New Hire

The best way to ensure that employees understand the pur-pose of what they do is to start from the beginning, whenthey are hired. This is an overlooked and underused concept.Many managers I have worked with in the past used the “fry-ing pan into the fire” concept: throw them into the work withno explanation, training, understanding, or concept of whatthey are doing and why. Most people reading this book havehad similar experiences.

We should not overlook the critical first days of a newemployee’s work life when we can lay the foundation of theirbelief and have a huge impact on their perception of us andthe company. Keep this in mind: If we want them to be moti-vated, we have to create an environment from day one that


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does that. The first and most important element once a newemployee starts is orientation.

Orientation

Orientation is when a new employee is first exposed to theorganization’s mission, vision, and values. Orientation shouldbe delivered by a professional who can convey the values ofthe company’s vision. I am sure there are small organizationsthat might say, “Well, we are small, and we don’t conduct ori-entation.” I think small companies become successful by act-ing like big companies. It is crucial for new employees to beproperly oriented, and this is especially important in smallcompanies because each employee can have a meaningfuldirect impact. Orientation sets the stage.

There might be organizations that don’t have mission, value,or vision statements. If that is the case, how does the organi-zation know where it is going? How will it know when it getsthere? Is there a long-term plan that can be shared instead ofmission, vision, and values? Not having a written cohesivestatement of what your company stands for and where it isgoing is dangerous.

At orientation, the employee should learn all about the com-pany, what it stands for, and what kinds of qualities andactions are valued. There is no doubt that oriented employeesare more knowledgeable, and knowledgeable employees aremore motivated.

Orientation also has several advantages. It

• Gets employees motivated• Helps employees feel appreciated early in their first week• Converts belief in favor of the company


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• Builds excitement about the company• Gets everyone on the same page• Instills values and culture

Once the formal general orientation is complete, it is up to themanager to give them a specific overview to help themunderstand the purpose of their individual work. There areseveral factors in making sure that new employees under-stand the purpose of their work:

1. PPrroovviiddee jjoobb ddeessccrriippttiioonnss.. Managers and supervisorsshould make sure there is a job description for every job. Ihave worked with and for many organizations that didn’thave job descriptions or if they did they were nevershared. It is amazing that companies can succeed withoutthe employees knowing the tasks they are expected toperform. If there are no job descriptions, there can be noaccountability, measurement, or sense of knowing if theemployee is doing what they are “supposed to do.” If theorganization doesn’t have job descriptions, then it is themanager’s responsibility to write them for each job underhim/her. The task is onerous and very time consuming,but the results in productivity can be significant and theemployees feel better about their work. If job descriptionsneed to be created, it is always good policy to partnerwith the Human Resources Department, but if the organi-zation is small, a manager can build the job descriptions. Ionce had an employee who met with me on her first day.We reviewed the job description and discussed it atlength. She said, “It is so nice to know exactly what I amsupposed to do from day one.” She went on to explainthat she had worked at several companies and had neverbeen provided with a job description. The motivatingvalue of people knowing what they are supposed to do istremendous.


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2. PPrroovviiddee iitt iinn wwrriittiinngg.. All job descriptions should be inwriting and available to everyone. There are certain legalreasons why this makes sense, but I am not a lawyer.From a clarity perspective, it makes sense to have a writ-ten description because it helps eliminate any ambiguity.There is no question that when details are given verbally,there is too much room for interpretation. People in gen-eral are bad listeners or have perceptions in their mindsthat are so strong that they hear what they want to hear.Written job descriptions will eliminate problems and mis-communication.

3. EExxppllaaiinn tthhee ppuurrppoossee.. Every employee should have theirjob explained to them by their supervisor verbally as partof detailed discussions during the interview, orientation,and periodic reviews. It is tremendously motivating toemployees when they understand the purpose of theirrole. Let’s take the example of a receptionist at a firm.Some would say the role of a receptionist is not thatimportant. It would be possible for a receptionist to startfeeling that their job was not important and to feel lessmotivated. A skilled manager would explain the role ofthe receptionist. They would also make sure that thereceptionist understood that their role was vitally impor-tant to the firm because they were the first contact withthe client—what a truly important role! Many managersdon’t explain the roles to each employee because theydon’t have time, they are busy, and a whole host of other“reasons.” As the old Fram oil filter ad campaign used toproclaim: “You can pay me now or pay me later.” Aninvestment in communication up front will save the manager significant time and trouble later.

4. TTaallkk aabboouutt tthhee iinntteerrrreellaattiioonn.. Each employee shouldunderstand how their job relates to the other jobs on theteam. In many organizations, employees have no idea


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what the other employees in their department actually doon a day-to-day basis. Additionally, employees shouldunderstand how their work interrelates with the otherdepartments in the company. I have attended many meet-ings where Customer Service was blaming Sales, Saleswas blaming Marketing, Marketing was blaming OrderEntry, and the blame went on and on. Clearly this was acase of one department not understanding the purpose ofthe other departments. This results in classic “we versusthem” scenarios in the same organization—which in theory has the same objectives. At times, employees needto be reminded that the same logo is on all their checks. Agood analogy that can work well is that of a wagonwheel: The round part of the wheel is the entire companyand the spokes are each department. Clearly each spokeon that wheel is equally important. What happens if onespoke breaks in a wagon wheel? Probably not much, butif more than one breaks or starts to malfunction, theentire wheel falls apart. Most employees find that analogyuseful.

5. RReevviieeww tthhee mmiissssiioonn//ccrreeddoo//vvaalluueess,, eettcc.. If a company hasa mission statement, credo, or values statement, it shouldbe known by every employee and should be in writingand posted everywhere. A good example of this workingwell is the Ritz Carlton. At Ritz Carlton, every employeeunderstands the mission of Ritz Carlton. I was walking in a downtown area and stopped in a Ritz Carltonbecause it was in a beautifully restored building. Thedoor was opened for me, and as I was looking around,one of the door men greeted me warmly and said, “Hello sir. Have you seen our ballroom?” I told him that I wasn’t even a guest at the hotel. He smiled andsaid, “Well you must see our ballroom because you will come back and someday will be a guest.” He was


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practicing one of the key tenants of Ritz Carlton’s overallphilosophy: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladiesand gentlemen.” Companies like Ritz Carlton, Starbucks,and Jet Blue Airlines inherently understand that thepower of the employees knowing and understanding themission/credo is that they provide better customer serv-ice because they are more motivated: They feel like theyare part of a greater good. It gets back to Herzberg’shygiene factors; one of them is policy administration andthe company. When they are not met, it leads to job dis-satisfaction, but when they are met, it leads to increased satisfaction. There are many companies where they havea mission/credo, but no one knows that it exists. What isthe sense of having a mission/credo if it is under lockand key? It is the manager’s job to make sure that allemployees in their department know the mission/credoof the company and that it is given in writing and postedproudly where all can see it on display. It answers thequestion: why are we doing this work every day?

The company you are working for might be new or small-to mid-sized. It is possible that your company doesn’thave a mission statement. One word of caution: This canbe a very arduous task and requires some expertise. If thetask seems too overwhelming, contact a local professional who can help sort through the development of a missionstatement for the firm.

6. EExxppllaaiinn tthhee tteeaamm mmiissssiioonn.. If the company has amission/credo, then the manager of each departmentshould have a way of translating the mission to the team.Let’s take an example: Starbucks’ mission statement is“Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncom-promising principles while we grow.” They then go on tooutline six guiding principles: (1) Provide a great work


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environment and treat each other with respect and dig-nity, (2) embrace diversity as an essential component inthe way we do business, (3) apply the highest standardsof excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh deliv-ery of our coffee, (4) develop enthusiastically satisfiedcustomers all the time, (5) contribute positively to ourcommunities and our environment, (6) recognize prof-itability is essential to our future success. A savvy mana-ger will lay the six principles out on the table and say tothe team, “How can our team drive these principles?How can we contribute to number one? Number two?”Once all these questions are discussed, a team missionstatement can be crafted. Then the members of the teamwill understand their purpose and more importantly howtheir purpose relates to the larger picture.

7. DDooccuummeenntt tthhee tteeaamm mmiissssiioonn.. Once the team mission iscrafted, it should be in writing and posted proudly. On aregular basis, behaviors that are aligned with the companyand team mission should be recognized and reinforced.

8. CCoommmmuunniiccaattee tthhee mmiissssiioonn.. The mission/credo of thecompany and the team should be part of communicationsverbally, in writing, and in meetings. At meetings, theagenda should include a portion of that meeting to high-light the mission credo. I once worked for a company thathad a credo. At every meeting, the credo was read outloud and with reverence. The repetition of the message isessential to ensure that people understand it, but moreimportantly start applying it to their daily work. Makethe mission/credo so ingrained in the employees’ mindsthat they get excited about it and start articulating themessage.

Taking these steps with each new employee will have an incredible impact on that employee’s motivation. They will


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feel valued, appreciated, informed, and more confident. Themost important aspect is this: because they are more moti-vated, they will be more productive and more enthusiastic,and stay with the organization longer.

Act Early

If the manager has made a hiring mistake, it is important toact early and quickly. If that person who was hired is clearly ahiring error and will never fit with the team’s culture andcompatibility, the manager needs to let that person go as soonas possible. If the new hire error is not let go, the situationwill

• Create tension on the team• De-motivate employees who are doing a good job• Make the team wonder about the manager’s abilities• Make the team wonder about the company’s standards• Contribute to an overall negative environment

Too many organizations make hiring mistakes and hold ontothat person for far too long. This is a double mistake: (1) hiring them and (2) keeping them. When this happens, theimpact on the team’s motivation is devastating. Lastly—let-ting that employee go is doing them a favor because theyalready intuitively know they are not doing well and no onelikes to fail.

Current Employees

Here is a question that every manager should ask themselves:If this is how we are communicating to new hires, do we alsocommunicate to existing employees the same way? Do theyknow the purpose of their work? Do they know the missionof the company? The team? Go back over the key points of


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this chapter and ask yourself if your existing employeesknow this information. If the answer is a resounding “no,”then put a plan together to start communicating all these con-cepts over time.

This is a way of ensuring that you as a manager hire andkeep the best, most-motivated employees.


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CHAPTER 3:Motivating Employees to Achievethe Organization’s GoalsThe world is a very ambiguous place. There are many aspectsof our professional and personal lives that are confusing. Weare often bombarded with many confusing rules, laws, andregulations with no explanations given. This should not hap-pen in the work place. Managers should provide clarity anddirection.

An employee’s understanding the purpose of what they dorelates to the hygiene and the motivating factors mentionedin Chapter 2. It is the manager’s role to make sure thatemployees are well informed and clear on the purpose oftheir work, the team’s work, and the company’s work. Whenemployees know why they are doing the work, they aremuch more motivated and satisfied with their jobs.

I recently overheard a conversation with two employees onan elevator. They were both furious at their supervisor. Theone person said, “What is his problem? He doesn’t ever tellus what is going on and then expects us to do the work!” Theother employee sighed and said, “I don’t know, I guess hethinks we are mind readers—but I don’t understand why wehave to do it that way.” Obviously these employees werefrustrated and angry, and were being managed by someonewho didn’t communicate the employees’ roles and how thoseroles relate to the organization.

In another example, I once heard employees talking in thecompany cafeteria. One employee said to her lunch mate,

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“So, what is the plan this week? I know it is different thanlast week.” The other employee sighed and said, “I have noidea; no one tells me anything around here and the plan, ifthere is one, changes every other day. I’ll tell you what: I amout of here soon.” Keep in mind this conversation was beingheld in the company lunchroom. This was a very disturbingconversation to hear. Obviously the employees were veryfrustrated, and management was not sharing any informa-tion with them.

I once had a manager who answered a question I asked with“I can’t share that with you.” It is on a “need-to-know basis.”I said that I needed to know, because I was constantly beingasked the question by others. I didn’t know the answer, and Ifelt foolish. He said he still could not tell me.

Managers should be sharing as much as possible withemployees within the limits of legality. It is understood thatsome issues are confidential, but if managers want motivatedand excited employees, they must keep them informed. Yetmany managers do not. It is the equivalent of a militaryleader in the old days saying “Charge!” but not saying whyor when or how.

If managers expect employees to follow the charge, theemployees must know where the charge is headed. Theymust know the goals and mission of the company (as out-lined in Chapter 2) and where the company is headed in theshort, mid, and long term. This is not being done at manycompanies across the world. Then they wonder why employ-ees are not motivated.

Managers should share with their teams the short-, mid-, andlong-term goals of the organization. More importantly, theyshould also share the short-, mid-, and long-term goals of the


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department, and how they relate to the employees. The ideal is to paint a picture for the team members of the futurethat is clear and understandable. The pictures that manymanagers paint are abstract art! Make your picture clear andunambiguous.

A manager can do this in several areas:

• Orientation • Meetings • Annual reviews • Communication • Repetition • One-on-one reinforcement • Actions

We have already discussed orientation in Chapter 2, and theother concepts will be covered in this and subsequent chapters.

Once the employee has conceptualized the mission andvision, they should learn about the short-, mid-, and long-term plans for the company and for the team. This helpsanswer the questions What? How? and Why? for theemployee. People are much more likely to follow when theyknow why they are doing what they are doing.

Next they should learn about the long-term plans for thedepartment. This is where managers struggle, because theydon’t have a clear picture themselves of where they wanttheir department to be in the short, mid, and long term. Thatmight sound shocking, but in many cases and many clients Ihave worked with, the managers didn’t know what theirshort-, mid-, and long-term plans were and wouldn’t admitthis fact. If a manager does not have a long-term vision, theycan’t articulate it. If the manager can’t articulate it, there will

Motivating Employees to Achieve the Organization’s Goals

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be employees who are confused and frustrated and ulti-mately employees who lack motivation.

Below and on the next few page is a worksheet for develop-ing and clarifying the short-, mid-, and long-term goals of thedepartment. It is important to take time to complete theworksheet in order to help crystallize and articulate the plans.


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What does your department/team do?

What is the purpose of your department/team?

How does your department contribute to the company’sobjectives?

Long-Term Planning Worksheet


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Short-Term Goals (for this year)

Revenue/Productivity Growth New Projects/Initiatives

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.

Mid-Term Goals (3 years)


1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.

Long-Term Goals (5 years)


1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.

(continued)

Can all the goals be measured?

If these goals are achieved, how will it benefit the team?

How can you as the leader paint a picture of the long-termfuture?


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Long-Term Planning Worksheet (continued)

Complete the following statements:

In one year, our department will be:

In three years, our department will be:

In five years, our department will be:

(continued)


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Other notes:


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Motivating Employees to Achieve the Goals

I was out driving one day, and by the road, I saw a largepiece of plywood, cut in the shape of a thermometer andpainted in bright colors. At the top it said, “HELP us Raise$100,000 for the Fire Department.” It had a mark for eachlevel of donation received. There it was: the goal, the visualrepresentation of the goal, and the measurement. Managersneed to do the same. I am not saying have a plywood sign inthe lobby (although it wouldn’t be bad!). Teams need a visualmap of the goal and how they are performing against thegoal. It is the manager’s responsibility to keep the team “inthe loop” as to how the objectives for the year are going. Ifthey can check it themselves visually, all the better. Nothingmotivates a team more than everyone pulling toward a clearand tangible goal. I was recently in Wal-Mart and noticed

they had all the store performance goals and metrics postedon the wall in large letters. That’s tangible!

Managers should constantly communicate to the team wherethey are, where they are going, and how far they have to go.Some managers assume that repeating the goals and objec-tives too often is detrimental, but the opposite is actually true.The team must be reminded constantly about the goals,because they will get distracted and lose site of them over afull-year period. This can be done using several methods:

• Staff meetings• E-mails• Voice mails• Memos• Newsletters• Handwritten cards or notes• Conference calls

Once the manager has painted a picture for the team, it is timeto develop specific strategies behind the long-term plans. Thosestrategies should be shared with the entire team and then bebroken down into specific action items or tasks. This should bedone on a regular basis at department and team meetings.

For example, at a team meeting, a manager says, “In the nextthree years, we want to increase sales 150 percent.” Thegroup will say they understand, then they will want to knowhow. The manager can brainstorm with the team to developstrategies for getting the 150 percent increase. Then thosestrategies can be turned into actions-to-implement to meet thegoals. The advantage of this approach is that there won’t beany employees in the lunchroom saying they don’t knowwhat the plan is or the reason for the plan. The team—even inthe absence of the manager—will move forward to the short-,


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mid-, and long-term goals that everyone understands. Theneach time the team meets, the manager should give an updateas to how they are doing based on the goals that have beenset. This is the motivating fuel.

The manager should then meet with each person and explainto them how the plan will benefit them professionally andpersonally. As strange as it sounds, this is a very importantaspect because there are often employees who:

• Don’t understand the plan.• Don’t like or support the plan, but wouldn’t say so at a

meeting.• Don’t understand how the plan applies to them.• Have certain negative thoughts or feelings about the plan.• Have questions they won’t ask in front of a group.

The opportunity to have one-on-one dialogue can give themanager a chance to answer all these questions. When thedoubts and questions are answered, and the employee knowshow the plan relates to them, the effect is like lighting amatch under a bottle rocket—the employee is motivated toimplement the plan.

This approach takes a great deal of thought, planning, andstrategizing on the manager’s part. Unfortunately, manymanagers don’t take the time and have results that reflectthat. When they do take the time, the motivation level on theteam’s part is obvious and tangible.

Twice a year, it is a good idea for the manager to give a “stateof the union” presentation. This presentation should bedetailed and get into the specifics of the performance of theteam versus the goals. This will help team members to get inthe loop, and they will feel acknowledged and respected.


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CHAPTER 4The Importance of Enthusiasm for MotivationTo establish and maintain an environment where employeescan be motivated, it is essential to use enthusiasm as a tool.Companies with a noticeable feeling of enthusiasm are typi-cally most successful in achieving a motivating environment.Og Mandino, author of several books said, “Every memo-rable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusi-asm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because itgives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how fright-ening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm youare doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accom-plish miracles.”

A positive impact on the business will result when the man-ager and the team are enthusiastic:

• Employees will be more productive.• They will be more creative.• They will be willing to work harder and stay longer.• They will want to come to work.• Other employees in the company will want to work in that

department.• Absenteeism will decrease.

So how does a manager ensure that the work place is one thatwould be described as enthusiastic? First, hire, keep, develop,and grow people who are enthusiastic. Second, be a model ofenthusiasm yourself.

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Process of Building an Enthusiastic Team

People want to be part of something special and exciting. At apicnic, I met a man and asked him what he did for a living. Heshrugged and said, “I pick up change from vendingmachines.” I smiled and said, “Well, that sounds like an honestday’s work.” He responded by saying it was just a job. If thatgentleman had worked at a company that had a positive,upbeat environment, a great enthusiastic leader, and otheremployees who were enthusiastic, then he would have had adifferent story to tell. Note that it is not the kind of work anemployee is doing, it is the environment of the work thatcounts. This is the element that the manager can greatly influ-ence.

The first step in the process is to do an analysis of eachemployee in the department. This applies to all managers,whether they are taking over a new team or have an existingteam. This is important because the people are the environ-ment. If there are negative, unmotivated employees, then thatis what the environment will be: negative and unmotivated.A department is not made up of desks and chairs and com-puters; it’s made up of people, and the savvy manager real-izes that results come from people.

I have worked in many organizations and have seen theincredible negative impact one person can have on a depart-ment. This should not be tolerated under any circumstancesand action should be taken.

The manager needs to fully evaluate each employee in thedepartment or team to determine their level of enthusiasmand make some important decisions. This can be difficultbecause enthusiasm is not easy to define. The only way todefine enthusiasm is in behaviors that the employee exhibits.


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The Importance of Enthusiasm for Motivation

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Enthusiasm Rating Sheet

Fill out one sheet for each employee by rating the fol-lowing statements on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 being theMOST and 1 being the LEAST. Completed worksheetsshould be kept completely confidential.

Employee Name

The employee:

is visibly enthusiasticmost of the time. 1 2 3 4 5

speaks positivelyabout his/her work. 1 2 3 4 5

speaks positivelyabout the team. 1 2 3 4 5

seems excited basedon body languageand voice.

1 2 3 4 5

speaks positivelyabout the company. 1 2 3 4 5

gets along well withthe other team members.

1 2 3 4 5

reacts positivelyunder pressure. 1 2 3 4 5

is responsive to suggestions andtakes action.

1 2 3 4 5

(continued)

Complete the worksheet below and on the next page to helpsort through the thought process.


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Enthusiasm Rating Sheet (continued)

The employee:

is consistent in termsof attendance. 1 2 3 4 5

seems to have a“good attitude.” 1 2 3 4 5

Total Overall Score (addtotal from each line) + + + + =


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Rating Interpretation

4400––5500 PPooiinnttss:: The individual is very enthusiastic and is anasset to the team.

3300––4499 PPooiinnttss:: This is a solid employee who can be positivemost of the time.

2200––2299 PPooiinnttss:: The level of enthusiasm might be a problem.00––2200 PPooiinnttss:: Red alert! There are and will be problems.

Once the analysis has been done for each employee, the man-ager must ask him- or herself several questions:

1. HHooww ddooeess tthhiiss eemmppllooyyeeee ssccoorree oonn eenntthhuussiiaassmm?? It isimportant for a manager to think through how enthusias-tic an employee is on a daily basis.

2. IIff tthhee ssccoorree iiss llooww,, ddooeess tthhiiss hhaavvee aa nneeggaattiivvee iimmppaacctt oonntthheeiirr aabbiilliittyy ttoo ddoo tthhee jjoobb?? There are people who are veryskilled at the technical aspects of their work, but lack thesocial and diplomatic skills in order to get along withother team members. The manager must determine ineach circumstance the level of importance in weighingtechnical skills versus attitude issues.

3. IIff tthhee ssccoorree iiss llooww,, hhooww ddooeess tthhiiss aaffffeecctt tthhee rreesstt ooff tthheetteeaamm?? If the employee has a low level of enthusiasm, isthat having a negative impact on the rest of the team?Have problems occurred as a result?

4. IIff tthhee ssccoorree iiss llooww,, hhooww ddooeess tthhiiss aaffffeecctt tthhee ccoommppaannyy?? Ifthe employee has contact with the public as part ofhis/her job responsibilities, is that a situation that couldnegatively impact the company’s perception with thepublic at large? Could it result in complaints or problemswith customer satisfaction?


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Once the questions have been answered and considered, thenthere are two actions that are possible regarding an employeewho is ranked low on the enthusiasm ranking: (1) coach theemployee on behaviors that are appropriate and/or (2) takesteps to start the process of terminating that employee. As aword of caution, an employee can’t be let go without proba-ble cause, and the issue of enthusiasm and attitude can be dif-ficult to use as a reason for termination, because it could beconstrued as not being performance related. Make sure to getthe Human Resources Department involved if you decide tosever employment ties with an employee for this reason.

Setting Expectations

The positive or negative influence one employee can have onthe entire team is greater than most managers realize. Themanager must decide which employees will stay and whichones will go. Once the team is assembled of the remainingemployees, it is time to set or reset expectations. The managershould have a meeting with the team and talk about theexpectations for the “new” team from that day forward. It isessential that the expectations be clear and specific. It is also important to eliminate any ambiguity. For example, amanager could say, “I expect everyone to have a good atti-tude.” This is a poorly articulated expectation because every-one’s idea of a good attitude is different. The expectationshould be put into behavioral terms that can be measuredand be documented in writing. The team will then under-stand exactly what is expected.

Expectations need to be reinforced by ongoing coaching. If anemployee is exhibiting positive behaviors, then that behaviorneeds to be reinforced. A manager might say, “Cindy, I knowthat you were under tons of pressure on the Acme account,but you did a nice job of staying calm, cool, and collected—


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good work!” The positive reinforcement will motivate theemployee to want to continue the behavior because it wasnoticed.

If negative behaviors are noticed, then the manager needs toinform the employee that the behavior is not acceptable andcoach them for improvement.

I once worked in an organization where there was anemployee on the team who was rude, vicious, and just plainmean. “Rita” (not her real name) was rude to employees,customers, and management. She had been there for threeyears and was tolerated by everyone. The main topic atlunch was almost always Rita and why managementallowed her behavior to go on for years. This had a very bad impact on employee motivation and morale. An organization must not allow one person who a managerdoesn’t have the guts to fire to be a disruption to creating amotivating environment.

Once the team has been culled of negative-thinking peoplewho lack enthusiasm, then it is essential for managers to master the next phase: modeling enthusiasm.

Modeling Enthusiasm

A lack of enthusiasm in the world today makes meetingsomeone who is enthusiastic a pleasant surprise. As man-agers, we must role model the enthusiasm that we want ourteam to project. American clergyman and writer NormanVincent Peale once said, “Your enthusiasm will be infec-tiously stimulating and attractive to others. They will loveyou for it. They will go with you and for you.”

Managers set the tone at all times in the organization.


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Ten Tips for Modeling Enthusiasm

1. BBee eenntthhuussiiaassttiicc. Maintain a level of enthusiasm that iscontagious. This has to be an authentic enthusiasm; mostpeople can tell when you are being insincere.

2. BBee hhoonneesstt.. Be honest at all times. Preach it, talk about it,coach it, do it! This is where it gets tough—sometimes itis not easy to be honest. It is difficult to tell someone, forexample, that the project they worked on is not accept-able, after they put a great deal of effort into the project.You must, however, be willing to be honest, because thatis what you want your team to do. You want them tocome to you when they have made a mistake, are con-fused, or don’t agree. At some companies I have workedwith, I have seen employees agree in public, but disagreeprivately with their team members. This happens becausethey don’t feel comfortable being honest. They found thathonesty didn’t get them anywhere and, in fact, was apunishable offense. That can have a huge impact onemployee motivation.

3. WWoorrkk hhaarrdd.. When Michael Eisner took over Disney manyyears ago, he decided that Disney was in a crisis mode.He came in early and left the office very, very late. Heparked his car right up front where every employee couldsee it. As employees came in every day, they saw thatEisner’s car was already in its spot. As a result, employ-ees started coming in earlier. This is a great illustration ofmodeling the behavior. If you come in late and leaveearly, that is what the team will do. As Cardinal J. Gibbons said, “There are no office hours for leaders.”

4. BBee eetthhiiccaall.. As a manager, it is critical to be ethical at alltimes. There are courses that mention the term situationalethics. I am very much against that thought. Are people


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ethical only in certain situations? Managers must modelthe highest level of ethics at all times, particularly intoday’s time of corporate scandal.

5. BBee rreessppeeccttffuull.. Every employee should be treated withrespect at all times. The pride and feeling of motivationthis builds is phenomenal. I had an employee once whodid a fine job on a project, and when I gave her a compli-ment, she turned about five shades of red. I asked herwhat was wrong, and she proceeded to tell me that shehad never been given a compliment at work. In 15 yearsin the work place, not one supervisor had given her acompliment. Respect includes not yelling, demeaning, orcriticizing employees in public. I have known and heardof executives who treat employees like they are invisible.Respect pays huge dividends and builds loyalty, espe-cially if employees have never been treated respectfully.Lastly, it is just the right thing to do.

6. HHaavvee ffuunn.. If you want the team to have fun at work, youhave to have fun. Use good-natured humor and tell funnystories. Be willing to laugh at yourself. As a caution: Thehumor should never obviously be at someone else’sexpense and should not be offensive. A good rule ofthumb is that if you would say it in front of your grand-mother, it is probably safe humor.

7. BBee wwiilllliinngg ttoo bbee wwrroonngg.. Sometimes managers get a littletoo egocentric and too arrogant. Sincere humility is avaluable quality that employees will admire and respect.When you are wrong, just simply say “I was wrong. I wasthinking at the time that (fill in the reason why), but nowI realize I made an error. Let’s move forward and talkabout what we can do to fix this.” I have seen managerswho absolutely refuse to ever admit they were wrong


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under any circumstances, even when it was blatantlyobvious.

8. SSttaayy ccaallmm.. In the middle of havoc, you must always staycalm. You must be the calm captain of the ship who staysfocused in times of crisis. During the horrible time ofSeptember 11th, Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York City,stayed calm in the middle of all heck breaking loose. Theresult of his actions was that New Yorkers were calmer.As a manager, if you want your team members to staycalm, cool, and collected, then you need to model thatbehavior. They will be watching your every move, espe-cially during those times. If you want to be upset and“vent,” wait until you leave the office and call a friend totell them about it.

9. CCoommmmuunniiccaattee ffrreeqquueennttllyy.. Most managers think they arecommunicating frequently, but the reality is most employ-ees feel that managers don’t communicate enough andthey feel under-informed. The result? Employees feel “outof the loop.” If you want employees to communicate fre-quently, do so yourself, both formally and informally.

10. SSuuppppoorrtt tthhee ccoommppaannyy.. Managers should always supportthe company. As officers of the company, that is whatthey are paid to do. A manager in very real terms is thecompany. Managers must support company proceduresand policies, even when they disagree with them person-ally. Why? Because not supporting company policy sendsmixed messages, which is very confusing to employees.Under no circumstance should a manager express anynegative comments about the company to employeessuch as the following: I am telling you to do this, but Idisagree with it. Or I work for the company and I supportthe company, but don’t agree with its policies. Makingnegative comments about other departments is ill


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advised, as well. I have heard managers say, “Well youknow how those knuckleheads are in Marketing.” Thissends a message to the entire team that it is okay to criti-cize and talk negatively about other departments. Afterall, those departments are part of the company. Savvymanagers should set a “no whining policy.” Employeesare not allowed to whine or complain, but they areallowed to point out issues and solutions. This sets anentirely different tone.

Model the behaviors that the team is expected to emulate.

Team Meetings

One other method for building and maintaining enthusiasm ishaving regular team meetings. The word meeting in corporateAmerica seems to be a word that almost always has a negativeconnotation. Why? Meetings are typically not properly organ-ized and managed by the manager. Meetings that are properlyorganized, well planned, and efficient are appreciated byemployees and can help reinforce a motivating environment.

Assuming that you already know how to organize and run ateam meeting, there is no point in covering those details. Thequestion is a much bigger one: How can you jazz up meet-ings to make them more exciting and more motivating?

15 Tips for Making Meetings More Exciting andMotivating

1. PPrroovviiddee ffoooodd.. It is a good idea to have meetings aroundbreakfast or lunch.. Food helps people bond and feel moreconnected. If it is not breakfast or lunch, snacks can stillbe provided. Food is a form of appreciation. I onceworked for a company that was so cheap, they wouldhave a team meeting at lunch from 12:00 to 1:00, but


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everyone would have to bring their own food. Theemployees were giving up their lunch hour, and they hadto bring their own food. This had a very negative impact.There were ten people at the meeting; sixty dollars worthof pizzas and drinks once a month could have made apositive impact. So build some enthusiasm by havinggood food for meetings. Here is another important point:Explain why you are providing food. The manager mightsay, “Well everyone, we have all been working real hardand we are right now ahead of our goal for the year. Thislunch is a special token of my appreciation for your hardwork.”

2. PPllaayy mmuussiicc.. Have high-energy music playing when par-ticipants enter the meeting room. Now some peoplewould say, “Well that is silly.” But remember the goal is tomake the meeting more exciting and motivating, andmusic can play a big part in that. When you go to aBroadway show or any venue where there is entertain-ment, they have music and it is there for a reason: tobuild excitement and anticipation!

3. SShhooww vviiddeeooss.. Use videos on occasion to open or close ameeting. They can be on various inspirational and moti-vating topics. This is a way to get people thinking aboutmotivation and a positive attitude on a regular basis,which can have an amazing impact on the team. A videothat is well produced can really have an impact on theteam.

4. CCoonndduucctt ttrraaiinniinngg.. Have a fun, interactive training sessionduring each meeting. It can be on communication, prod-uct knowledge, operational knowledge, motivating, etc.There are many great training programs on the market,which can be purchased with a video, learners’ guide,and facilitator’s guide. The other option is to take advan-


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tage of the corporate Training Department if your com-pany has one. In addition, you can assign team membersto do training on their various areas of expertise.

5. PPllaayy ggaammeess.. There are all sorts of games on the marketdesigned for training that can be used during team meet-ings. They can help a team learn more about each other,learn how to communicate better, and many other topics.They can be found in the various books that are pub-lished that have games for training. If people feel betterabout the team they work with, it can be very motivating.

6. BBrriinngg iinn aa gguueesstt.. Have a guest speaker at your meetingwho is an executive in the company. To give it an extra“kick,” make it a surprise. Have the guest talk about thecompany as a whole and the contributions that your teamis making to the efforts of the company. You can also havea vendor, supplier, or large account come in and speak tothe group. This can be a way of bringing some energyand impact to a meeting.

7. CChhaannggee tthhee llooccaattiioonn.. Have the meeting off site at a funlocation and have a group activity afterward. I onceworked for a manager who had a meeting off site: Wehad lunch and then went bowling that afternoon as ateam-building activity. Everyone felt appreciated and hadfun. Talk about motivating!

8. GGiivvee ffuunn aawwaarrddss.. On occasion, give out fun awards toteam members for small accomplishments. This might befor achieving smaller goals or going above and beyondthe call of duty that month. The awards can be movietickets, gift certificates, or a simple paper certificate. Theidea is just to recognize a team member’s achievementpublicly in front of their peers.


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9. CCoonndduucctt aa bbrraaiinnssttoorrmmiinngg sseessssiioonn.. It is very motivating toemployees when you ask for their ideas, and asking thegroup to brainstorm is just that. Brainstorming can be funand stimulating, and great ideas can come from theprocess.

10. HHaavvee aa tthheemmee.. At certain times, such as holidays or sea-sons, it is fun to use a theme for a meeting and have thattheme woven into the agenda, topics, etc.

11. RReeaadd aa bbooookk.. Have all team members read a book or anarticle and have a facilitated discussion around the topic.The manager should pick a topic that is particularly rele-vant to the current situations going on in the departmentor team.

12. UUssee aa pprroopp.. As part of the meeting, give each person ahandout item such as a rock, a box of sparklers, or anyother item. Then have a discussion as to why you gaveeach one of them that item. Let’s say the manager has seta sales goal of increasing sales 150 percent. The managercan say, “I want you to rock our sales goal and I wanteveryone to leave this rock on their desk to remind themof the goal.” This technique can be used with any item.It’s different and it gets them thinking.

13. DDeelleeggaattee aa sseeggmmeenntt ooff tthhee mmeeeettiinngg.. Have a team memberwork on research about a particular topic and have thempresent it to their team at a staff meeting. It could be atopic about the industry, competitors, or any topic that isrelevant to the group. By tapping into people’s expertise, they will be flattered and motivated.

14. HHaavvee aa ccoonntteesstt.. Break the group into smaller teams andhave a contest in between the meetings. The rules shouldbe outlined and in writing. The prizes can be small. The


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team will be excited and fired up about winning the com-petition.

15. HHiigghhlliigghhtt aa tteeaamm mmeemmbbeerr.. Have a team member give apresentation about themselves and what they do. Theywill be flattered that they were asked and will be moti-vated that other people know the contribution they maketo the team.

There are many ways to make meetings more fun and moti-vating, and the 15 above are just a few. The payoff is that amanager can make a meeting interesting and motivatinginstead of mundane.

The environment doesn’t just exist in the work place. It is created by the manager—or just allowed to happen by acci-dent. As Ken Gilbert once said, “The mechanics of industry is easy. The real engine is people—their motivation and direction.”


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CHAPTER 5Performance Development as aMotivating Tool I was talking to an employee of a company, which shallremain nameless, about her developmental needs. She saidshe wanted to go to a specific one-day seminar. I asked herif she was going, and she rolled her eyes and said, “Theywon’t pay for me to get better.” I was shocked and I saidthat it was job related, and she said it would have to be onher “own time and own dime.” Needless to say, her level ofmotivation was very low.

As a manager, a commitment to continuous learning for yourteam will help create an environment where employees willfeel valued and motivated.

Setting the Stage Up Front for Growth

Set the stage up front for growth for both existing and newemployees. One of the best leaders I ever worked for had asaying and it was “growth is not optional.” This sent a veryclear message of expectations for the entire team.

Each team member has to understand that the expectationeach year is to grow. The manager has to back up that philos-ophy with money, time, and energy in order to constantlyreinforce the message. It is also up to the manager to definewhat growth is in terms of expectations, which will be cov-ered later in this chapter.

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When interviewing candidates for positions in the depart-ment, the manager needs to first determine how they feelabout learning by asking questions: (1) What have theylearned in the past? (2) What are they currently learning? (3) What would they like to learn in the future? (4) How dothey feel about learning in general? Careful attention shouldbe given to the candidate’s responses to the questions. Arethey enthusiastic about learning? Do they want to develop?Do they ask additional questions?

In addition, the manager should explain the expectationsaround development. The list could be similar to the one below:

• Each year, you and each member of the team are expectedto grow.

• This is not an optional activity.• The development has been budgeted and it is a priority.• Each team member will have an individual development

plan.• The plan will be developed by the team member and their

manager.• There will be periodic developmental meetings.• Every employee will have a review every six months.

The manager should then try to get a handle on how theemployee feels about the expectations. How do they feelabout the expectations? How do they feel about developingevery year? How do they feel about an individual develop-ment plan? What do they think of having a review every sixmonths? If the response to the questions is less than enthusi-astic or is lukewarm, then the manager needs to find outmore about the employee.

During orientation, the manager should make sure that a new employee is reminded about the expectation and thecommitment to learning. Keep in mind that learning doesn’t


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necessarily have to be in a class. There are many different learn-ing methodologies and a list of them is provided in this chapter.

It is interesting to note what noted business guru and authorPeter F. Drucker had to say about development of employees:“Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as wellbe a glib tongue. It is not making friends and influencing peo-ple—that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person’s vision tohigher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to ahigher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”

The Growth and Development Meeting

For all employees on the team, the growth and developmentmeeting should be the cornerstone of commitment to theirdevelopment. The meeting is a minimum of one hour everyyear in order to discuss the employee’s areas of strengths andareas for improvement. This is not to be confused with theannual review. The annual review is a meeting with a reportstating how the employee performed; the growth and devel-opment meeting is a dialogue where four areas are discussedat length: (1) strengths from the employee’s and the manager’s views, (2) areas to improve from the employee’s and the manager’sview, (3) career goals short, mid, and long term, (4) how theycan get there using the tool called the growth and develop-ment plan created by the employee and manager. There areseveral advantages to holding such a discussion:

• It is very motivating because the employee gets to talkabout their favorite subject—themself!

• If the manager handles it well, it can result in verymeaningful dialogue.

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• It encourages the employee to step back and think abouthis/her career.

• It builds a track for the manager and the employee to runon for the year.

The manager and the employee will each need to prepare forthe meeting. The manager should ask the employee to do aself-assessment that will help the employee and the managerstructure the discussion and focus on the employee’s future


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contributions to the company. A sample self-assessmentform is below and on the next few pages.Name________________________ Date ______________

Department _____________________________

Strengths

What do you consider your top five skills?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What are your top five personal attributes (e.g., enthusiasm)?

1.

2.

3.

Growth and Development Meeting Self-AssessmentPreparation Form

4.

5.


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How would you describe your overall attitude toward the joband company right now? Why?

Areas for ImprovementWhat are three areas you would like to work on improving?Why?

1.

2.

3.

What are your career goals?1. The position I aspire to next is _________________.

2. The work I want to do is ______________________.

Short-term career goals (the next one to two years):

Mid-term career goals (the next two to three years):

(continued)


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What skills need to be developed?

How can the skills be developed?


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Long-term career goals (the next three to five years):

Individual Growth/Development Plan:

What do you need to know to reach the short-term goal?

How can you gain this knowledge?

Action Plan:

The growth and development meeting is the most importantmeeting of the year relating to employee development. Themanager should give the meeting his/her full and undividedattention. That means the meeting should be private and unin-terrupted, and the manager should not be multi-tasking out ofrespect for the employee. If the work environment makes thatimpossible, then the manager should set up the meeting offsite. If the meeting is a commitment to the employee’s devel-opment, then the logistics should indicate the importance ofthe commitment. The manager should set the stage for themeeting by properly positioning it for the employee and help-ing him/her to understand the purpose of the meeting.

Here is an example:

“Well, Jim, I am glad we could meet today and this is themost important meeting we will have because it is aboutyour development. The purpose of today’s meeting is to


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talk about your strengths, areas for improvement, andthen your short-, mid-, and long-term goals. Then we willdiscuss what we can do to help get you there. I want tomake sure that we have plenty of open and honest dia-logue, so please feel free to tell me your thoughts.”

The manager will then go through all the elements of themeeting:

• DDiissccuussss tthhee eemmppllooyyeeee’’ss ssttrreennggtthhss.. Ask the employee toreview their strengths first. This sets the stage psychologi-cally, because the information is coming from theemployee first. It also gives the manager a chance to getthe employee’s views on strengths first. The managershould then review what they think the strengths are forthat employee. The idea is to have a valuable dialogue andto provide plenty of specific examples. Once both partiesreach mutual agreement, the next topic can be covered.

• DDiissccuussss aarreeaass ffoorr iimmpprroovveemmeenntt.. The discussion then turns toareas for improvement. Just as on the strengths section, themanager should have the employee review his/her areas forimprovement. This should be a constructive discussion, andthe manager should avoid being critical. The tone set willallow for increased understanding and dialogue.

• RReevviieeww ccaarreeeerr ggooaallss.. The employee should next reviewhis/her career goals. In the ideal world, the employee willalways know what he/she wants. However, there aremany employees who don’t know what they want. In thatcase, the manager should try to have dialogue to get theemployee to start to think about what they want. The man-ager should not under any circumstances try to steer theemployee toward any conclusion. Let’s say a managerthinks that an employee would be great for management.In the opening discussion of the career goals section, the


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Checklist of Development Resources andOpportunities

Review the list and indicate with a check mark possibleoptions.

Internal TrainingDepartment

Work in other departments

Human ResourcesDepartment

Design/Teach training classon topic

External training company Meet with companyexecutive

Off-site seminar Identify company subject-matter expert

E-learning course Vendor and suppliersTraining Department

Reading a book and discussion

Community college class

Internal mentor University course

Internal coach Joining organization (e.g.,Toastmasters)

External coach Community service activity

Assessment tools Becoming a mentor

Working at anotherlocation

Internet resources

Job shadowing Brainstorming with group

Research articles on theInternet

Coaching from manager

Special project assignment Webinars

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employee indicates an intense desire not to be in manage-ment. It would be counterproductive then for a manager totry to influence that employee in that direction. Next themanager will get the employee to talk about mid- andlong-term goals. The key in this area is for the manager toreally listen and take notes. This indicates to the employeethat what they say is important. Managers must alwaysback up what they say by what they do, otherwise there isa mixed message. It is then time to move to the all-impor-tant individual growth and development plan.

• CCrreeaattee aann iinnddiivviidduuaall ggrroowwtthh aanndd ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ppllaann((IIGGDDPP)).. This is the most important part of the meeting,because this is when the specific action is determined anddecided upon between the manager and the employee. Themanager should ask the employee their specific ideas firstas to what they can do to develop their knowledge andskills. Managers get better buy-in from the employee whenthey are involved in developing the plan. The plan shouldbe specific and measurable, and have a timeline in mind.


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Checklist of Development Resources andOpportunities (continued)

Case study Conference calls

Team project assignment Magazines and journals

Other internal resources Training videos

New job function Training audio/CDs

Coaching from a vendor DVDs

Write a report Industry trade organizations

The manager will then follow up later to discuss progress.At times, the IGDP can be too complex to develop at themeeting, and a subsequent meeting might be required.There are times when managers know what the employeesneed, but are at a loss for resources. It is a good idea formanagers to talk to the training function in their companyand the Human Resources Department, as well. There isalso a tendency for managers to think of only formal train-ing for someone to gain a skill. Many approaches are avail-able that might not be the standard classroom training. Achecklist of possible resources is provided on the next pagein order for the manager and employees to refer to forideas. Development doesn’t have to be expensive; there aremany low- or no-cost methods on the checklist.


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People we meet often talk about “dead end jobs.” The dis-tinct advantage of doing a growth and development meet-ing and an individual growth and development plan witheach team member is that they are then taken out of thedead end job mindset because they can grow and have apossibility for advancement. The fact that the manager tookthe time and energy to meet with him/her is motivating,and the meeting gives him/her an idea that there is a futureto work toward.

Following Up

Once the course has been set, it is absolutely essential for themanager to schedule update meetings to follow up on theprogress. As the saying goes, they only respect what youinspect. If the manager is truly committed to the employee’sgrowth and development, then there has to be consistent fol-low up. The manager also needs to hold the employeeaccountable for the development.

I have worked for managers who have said they were “toobusy” and “couldn’t make the time.” If the manager can’tmake the time to develop employees, then they are creating adifficult situation for themselves in the future. The employeeswill not be loyal, motivated, or productive, and ultimatelythat will reflect on the manager. If the manager can’t make acommitment, then they shouldn’t expect the employee tomake the commitment.

The frequency of the follow-up meetings is at the discretionof the manager. It is dependent on the preferences of theemployee, the personality of the employee, and what works.Some employees have a need to meet more frequently andsome less. The manager must determine what works witheach employee. The main point is that the meetings need to


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happen, they need to be scheduled, and they need to be for-mal. A casual chance meeting and discussion in the lunch-room is not a follow-up meeting.

At the meetings, the manager should find out three keypieces of information:

1. What is being done? 2. What have they learned? 3. What can you do to help?

If progress is being made, then the manager should compli-ment their progress. If progress isn’t being made, then thereneeds to be some discussion as to why it isn’t happening.There are several reasons why this happens:

• The employee hasn’t made the commitment to their plan.• The employee doesn’t believe it will work.• The employee hasn’t made it a priority.• The employee hasn’t made it part of his/her schedule.• The employee doesn’t understand what to do.• Lack of self-esteem/confidence• Poor time management• Lack of commitment from the manager• History of managers who did not help him/her• Low level of trust

If progress isn’t being made, the manager needs to resolve itand get the employee back on track through coaching andencouragement.

The Annual Review

The annual review is the second most important tool foremployee motivation. The idea of an annual review has out-


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lived its usefulness. A year is too long, and in today’s fast-paced world, an eternity. It is more effective to have a quickreview each quarter, a six-month review, and a final year-endreview. This gives the manager and employee more time fordialogue and course correction. I once had an annual review,and when the manager brought up something I had done, Icouldn’t even remember having done it! The annual reviewshould follow the same guidelines as the growth and devel-opment meeting. The key aspect of the annual review is itshould be a formality summarizing what an employee andthe manager already know. There should never be any sur-prises during an annual review. Every item on the review—both positive and negative—should have already beendiscussed during the year.

The review should be accompanied by information about theemployee’s annual increase, which can be tremendouslymotivating. The manager should very carefully plan thewording of the increase in order to maximize the impact ofthe raise. Here is an example:

Let’s say an employee gets a 5 percent increase. Manager #1 says, “You have a 5 percent raise this year.” How moti-vating is that statement? Manager #2 says, “You know, Jill,you did a great job this year and you know the economyright now is tight. Most companies are giving increases inthe 1 to 2 percent range. I hope you will be pleased withyour increase, which is an outstanding 5 percent.” See thedifference?

The challenge that many managers have is when the com-pany they work for is giving out low raises to all employees.This is when the art of management comes into play. Whenraises are low, communicate clearly and honestly—don’tsugar coat it. Make sure they know that everyone had low


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raises. Ironically, there have been many, many studies thathave shown that raises don’t motivate people, that conditionsmotivate people. The raise can get them excited, but theexcitement wears off quickly.

The manager should also make sure that the team is involvedin development opportunities as a team. This can be done inmany ways:

• TTeeaamm mmeeeettiinnggss.. Training can be done at a team or staffmeeting by an internal or external resource.

• SSeemmiinnaarrss.. Take the entire team to a one-day seminar.• CCoonnffeerreenncceess.. Take the team to an industry conference.• BBooookk ggrroouupp.. Get a book for everyone to read and meet to

discuss it.• FFiieelldd ttrriippss.. Have the team visit something that is applica-

ble to your business.

Employee motivation can be greatly shaped by a commitmentto development. The ways in which a manager can developtheir team is limited only by their imagination. Finally, thereare many creative approaches to development that don’t have to cost a lot of money. The key point is that the man-agers make a commitment to the employees’ development,which is paramount for establishing an environment that ismotivating.

CHAPTER 6Coaching to MotivateCoaching is the backbone of creating a motivating environ-ment. Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said thisabout coaching: “Coaches who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside theirplayer and motivate.” Lombardi was talking about football,but the lesson applies to the business world as well. Amanager can certainly lay out policies and procedures andmanage projects and budgets. However, the objective ofcoaching is to get inside the employees’ minds and get themto feel that they can do anything. Managers who can do thatsee amazing results.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines coaching as to train intensively (as by instruction and demonstra-tion).I think that is a clear, yet incomplete definition. I woulddefine coaching as a process used by a manager in order totrain, teach, and advise in order to reinforce positive behav-ior and modify unproductive behavior. One of the ways toestablish an environment where employees can bemotivated is to show that you care about them personallyand professionally. Coaching, simply put, shows that youcare.

Coaching is a tool for development, not for disciplinaryaction. Reprimanding an employee is not coaching, it is coun-seling and is a step toward serious future disciplinary action.It is important that a manager understand the distinction

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between the coaching and counseling and keep them separateand distinct.

Why Is Coaching Important?

As Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said, “Instruction doesmuch, but encouragement does everything.” Coaching is aform of encouragement. Coaching is important for severalreasons:

• NNeeww ggeenneerraattiioonnss iinn tthhee wwoorrkk ppllaaccee.. Generations X and Yare members of today’s work place. These generations arenot going to stay with the company to retire and collect agold watch. The basic mind-set of Generations X and Y isthat they will stay at a company as long as they are grow-ing and learning—as long as they are being coached. Oncethe opportunity for growth and learning ceases to exist,they have maximized the experience and will take theirexpertise onto the next job. But if the manager is coachingoften and well, then the employees won’t leave as quicklybecause they feel there is more to learn. They will also bemore motivated.

• TThheerree iiss ccoonnssttaanntt cchhaannggee.. The business world is in a rapidstate of change, and we must change with it. As NelsonJackson said, “I do not believe you can do today’s job withyesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.” Theadvantage of coaching is the ability to coach peoplethrough change on a one-to-one basis in an immediatefashion. Because the world of business is changing con-stantly, the employees have to grow every year. The skilland abilities that an employee has this year will not beenough to be successful next year. To use a computer anal-


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ogy, each year an employee has to be a new version ofhim/herself (i.e., version 2.0, 2.2, etc.).

• AAnn iinnccrreeaassee iinn pprroodduuccttiivviittyy.. A coached employee is typi-cally more productive because they are getting coaching ona regular basis. If the manager’s responsibility is to getresults for the business, then coaching is critical. Anyonewho thinks that is not the case should imagine a profes-sional football team without a coach. A new coach canhave a tremendous impact on a previously poor-perform-ing team. An employee who is coached will feel moreappreciated and will be more productive.

• TToo sseett ssuucccceessssiioonn ppllaannss.. Smart managers develop employ-ees for the next level of promotion before they are needed..Succession planning is an excellent idea; however, a missingpiece in many succession plans is the manager’s ability tocoach the employees to the next level. The manager shouldalways be working on developing the employees on theteam so that if the need arises, there is someone ready to fillthat position. That is the role that coaching can play.

As a manager, it is assumed that you already know how tocoach. The critical issue is being a more motivating coach.Some of us have been privileged to work for managers whoare talented motivators. To be a more motivating coach, apply thefollowing eight key concepts:

1. CCooaacchhiinngg ttoo tthheeiirr nneeeeddss.. The magic of tapping into thepower of motivating coaching is first and foremost toremember it is about the employees.. When a manager has amind-set that is employee centric, the employee can tell. Inmy career, I have often been shocked at employees’ reac-tions when they realized that I actually cared about them

Coaching to Motivate

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both professionally and personally. This made a huge differ-ence in their level of motivation and in the relationship.Motivating coaching is not only about the head, it is aboutthe heart. The goal is to talk about employees’ thoughts andfeelings and about the most important topic in the world—their careers. I have had managers who didn’t care aboutme personally or professionally, and it was very clear intheir approach to coaching, which was impersonal, cold,and infrequent. I could tell that they didn’t care, and atsome point, it started to impact my level of motivation. Tocoach to the employee’s needs, the manager must find outand fully understand what the employee wants for theircareer in the short, mid, and long term. (This was discussedas part of the growth and development meeting mentionedin the last chapter.) Your goal as a manager is to do every-thing in your power to help them get there. If they see theeffort you are putting into their development, they will bemore motivated.

2. CCooaacchhiinngg wwiitthh hhoonneessttyy.. The worst coach in the world is thecoach who is dishonest with their employees. I have workedwith managers who would misrepresent the truth to theirteam members for one of several reasons: (1) They wanted toavoid conflict, (2) they didn’t want to address the real issueat hand for a multitude of reasons, or (3) they were con-cerned about how the employee would react. It is the man-ager’s obligation to be honest with employees because nogrowth happens without honesty and that leads to poormotivation. I don’t think there is an employee in the worldwho wants to be misled. This is a concept that Jack Welch ofGE calls “false kindness.” He says that managers who arereluctant to tell an employee that they are underperformingare doing the employee a disservice in the long term.Managers have to be honest and that takes some guts, but itis easier when they know it is the right thing to do. The man-


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ager should explain to the employee up front that part of theagreement of coaching will be that both parties will be hon-est. This creates a setting for trust and motivation. The man-ager should also explain why the honesty is so important fortheir growth and make sure that they understand that some-times it will not be easy, but the intent is for them to grow.

3. EExxppllaaiinn tthhee rreeaassoonn ffoorr tthhee ccooaacchhiinngg.. The manager shouldexplain to each employee the reasons behind the coaching,which should be explained and set up when they arehired. Coaching is part of the responsibility of each teammember, and they are going to get coaching on a regularbasis. The coaching will be done for several reasons: (1) sothat they can continue to grow, (2) so that there can be acontinuous dialogue between them and their manager, (3)so that issues can be addressed sooner before they becomeproblems, and (4) so that they feel appreciated andacknowledged. When the reasons for the coaching areexplained up front, then employees know why the coach-ing is happening. The manager can then lead off a coach-ing discussion with “I know that you and I have talkedabout the concept that you will get continuous coaching,and if you recall, the goal is to help you improve and grow.I want to talk to you about what happened in the meetingtoday. . . . ” This provides the employee with a motivebehind why the coaching is happening. It is not becausethe manager is being mean or spiteful or picking onthem—they are coaching them because they care abouttheir future. That can be a very motivating message. I oncehad a coaching discussion with an employee that lastedfrom 5:00 until 7:00 in the evening. When we left the officethat night, the employee was upset. They came back thenext day and said, “I thought about it last night and it isvery clear to me that you brought this up for one reasonand one reason only—because you care.”


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4. SSeett tthhee rriigghhtt ccooaacchhiinngg eennvviirroonnmmeenntt.. It is very important inmotivating coaching to set the stage properly. Thisincludes the physical space, lack of distractions, privacy,and verbal and nonverbal signals. Simply put, motivatingcoaching is about making a connection. The key to makinga connection is to make sure that the environment is set upcorrectly. The first aspect is the physical space. The physi-cal space should be free of distractions, comfortable, andsuited for coaching. As opposed to talking with a deskbetween the two parties, you should be sitting side byside. This makes for a more comfortable and less adversar-ial seating arrangement. The coaching can also be done offsite, but care must be taken to ensure that the locationaffords some privacy and isn’t too loud. The managershould set aside time when there will be uninterruptedtime for coaching. The coaching should be private and for-mal: Speaking to someone in the hallway for two minutesis not coaching. All computers, cell phones, Blackberries,and other communication devices should be off. It is verydisrespectful to allow interruptions during coaching, andanswering e-mail and the phone is absolutely off limits forone reason: You can’t make a connection if you are multi-tasking! The manager should focus all their efforts andattention on the employee. Eye contact, body language,and listening skills all play into setting the right tone. Mostemployees have never really been listened to and insteadhave been given lip service throughout their careers. Thefact that a manager finally pays attention is motivating. Agreat way for the manager to set up the session is to say, “Ihave set aside some time for us to talk today. I have askedmy calls to be held, and I just want to talk for the next 30minutes about ____. How does that sound? Good. I willpromise you my undivided attention and I will not beinterrupted unless it is an emergency.” Setting the right


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environment will lead to great dialogue and more moti-vated employees.

5. MMaakkee iitt ffaaiirr aanndd bbaallaanncceedd.. All managers in an organizationshould be required to take coaching training. Unskilledmanagers who are coaching are a dangerous liability totheir companies. I say that because I have known man-agers who weren’t fair or balanced in the way theycoached. Their coaching was more of a diatribe than a dia-logue—a tongue lashing instead of a talk. All of us want tobe respected and, at the very least, be treated fairly. Wewould actually prefer special treatment, but we are satis-fied with being treated fairly. The key in motivating coach-ing is being fair. Fairness consists of two components: (1) abalance of positive and constructive criticism and (2) achance to be heard and treated with respect. The manageras a coach should always talk about what went well andthen what should be improved. There is a very importantreason to take this approach: It makes the coaching moreeffective because employees are more likely to accept thecriticism if it also comes with some compliments. It is aprinciple of psychology that works well. If our manager is“beating up on us” all the time, then at some point we willjust shut down and stop listening. However, if our man-ager talks about what we do well and areas for improve-ment, then we are more likely to accept it. For coaching tobe fair, it also has to be about the performance and notabout the person. If a manager is coaching and says, “Ithink you did a poor job on the Jones project,” then theperson will feel like they are being attacked. If the managersays, “I was disappointed with the results on the Jonesproject,” then it is about performance, not the person. Thiswill at least lead the employee to think the constructivecriticism is fair. The key point in all of this is to keep inmind the true objective of coaching: to motivate employees


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and to help them grow and develop. If the coaching does-n’t achieve both of these goals, then it has failed.

6. CCooaacchhiinngg sshhoouulldd bbee ffrreeee ooff eemmoottiioonn.. During coaching ses-sions, managers need to maintain a professional and calmdemeanor at all times. The manager must display leader-ship in a calm manner. A manager should never yell, curse,or “lose it.” There are multiple reasons for this that areobvious. If a manager gets upset or emotional, it can shortcircuit their ability to think. The loss of control, however,has an even more damaging effect on the employee: If themanager gets upset, then the employee gets upset as well.Coaching when upset will not work for the manager or theemployee. If the manager is calm and professional, thenthe impact can be quite different—it can have a calmingeffect on an employee who is upset. In addition, it showsrespect for the employee, and that is motivating. It is okayto be concerned, puzzled, confused, shocked, or disap-pointed, but never angry or mad.

7. CCooaacchhiinngg sshhoouulldd bbee ppoossiittiioonneedd.. Managers should be men-tally prepared for coaching by reviewing needed informationand thinking through how to position the coaching. The artof motivating coaching is to properly position the issue in away that leads the employee to want to be motivated toresolve the issue. It has been said that “a diplomat can tell aman to go to hell and make him look forward to the trip.”The same applies with coaching; a manager can tell anemployee anything as long as it is positioned properly. Theway to position any constructive coaching is to again put itback to the employee’s growth. You are bringing up thisissue because you care about them, want them to succeed,and want them to do well—otherwise you wouldn’t bebringing it up. You are doing them a favor. I once coached anemployee on a problem in the way her work was being per-


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ceived by others. It was very tricky because I knew she wasdoing the work, she just was being perceived by others as aslacker. I called her in and told her that there was a problemand I wanted to discuss it. She was very upset and was beingvery defensive and angry that people would accuse her ofnot working hard. I told her that I believed she worked hard,but this was about perception, which is as important in thecorporate world as reality. She was still upset and resistant tothe discussion. I then said, “Look, I am only bringing this upbecause I care about you, and I think you should be aware ofthe perception so that we can change it. I want you to dowell.” That statement changed the complexion of the conver-sation. We then talked about how to go about changing theperception.

8. CCooaacchhiinngg sshhoouulldd bbee aabboouutt ddiiaalloogguuee.. The key to effectivemotivating coaching is the dialogue between thecoach/manager and the employee. Too often I haveobserved coaching sessions in which the manager talkedon and on, and the employee couldn’t get a word in edge-wise. The goal of effective coaching is to get the employeeto talk about their performance, their perception of the per-formance, and how they feel about their progress.Managers should be equipped with lots of open-endedopinion-finding questions in order to have healthy dia-logue. One of the most effective techniques for gettingfeedback and creating dialogue is to ask the employeeabout how they think they did in terms of performance.The manager might say to the employee, “Jim, I want totalk about the Jones project. How did it go overall andwhat do you think went well? Secondly, what do you thinkcould be improved?” This leads to the employee talkingabout how they thought it went and gives the manager achance to ask other questions. This impacts the coaching intwo ways: (1) The dialogue begins to flow and the


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employee feels that their opinion is important enough todiscuss and (2) the manager might learn details and infor-mation that they were not aware of at the time. The worstmistake a manager can make is not listening to theemployee when they are talking about their opinions. Asmanagers, we can be arrogant—”Why listen, because wealready know the answer!” Manager arrogance can have avery negative impact on an employee. Managers need tolisten carefully and not assume that they have all theanswers.

The mark of a manager is to manage materials and processes.The mark of a true leader is to coach and motivate people.The only asset a company has is its people. The trucks andfactories and stores might seem like assets, but without theright people to run them, they have no value. As basketballcoach Rick Pitino once said, “The only way to get people tolike working hard is to motivate them. Today, people mustunderstand why they are working hard. Every individual inan organization is motivated by something different.”


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CHAPTER 7What Really Motivates People?There is no question that what motivates each person is dif-ferent. Some people are motivated by wealth and status.Some people are motivated by recognition. Some people aremotivated by helping others and knowing that they are mak-ing a difference. Some people get fired up if they can earn theright to be left alone. I once worked in an organization thathad an employee who had been there for 19 years. I was talk-ing to her about her goals professionally and she said, “Mygoal is to come in to work and get my work done 100 percentand to be left alone.” At first I thought she was joking, butshe was quite serious.

What Gets Your People Excited?

Some managers don’t understand that everyone’s motiva-tions are different. It’s the equivalent of buying one key andexpecting it to unlock any lock. The idea of course is that eachlock is different and takes a different key. The same is truewith people: The motivating approach must be different foreach person. When managers meet with employees to discusstheir goals and growth, they should ask many questions totry to uncover their real needs. It is only by meeting theseneeds that a motivating environment can be created. Here aresome questions that managers should ask employees in orderto uncover their needs:

• What are your career goals for the future? In one year? Infive years?

• What kind of work really “spins your wheels”?

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• What kind of work do you love doing?• What kind of work do you dislike?• How can I help you?• As your manager, what would you prefer in the relation-

ship between us?• What is important to you? Why? • What do you consider a reward?• What do you want?• What was your favorite job? Why?

These questions help uncover the needs of the employee andwhat motivates them. It is important for the manager not tosteer the answers. Listening and taking notes is a great wayto approach the meeting. Managers should make the meetingabout the employee.

Finding out what motivates employees can also be learnedthrough observation. Managers can observe how employeesrespond to various assignments and projects. Over time, themanager can learn what they like and dislike. It is obviouslynot always possible for managers to give someone work thatthey enjoy; however, whenever possible, managers should tryto assign work that an employee is excited about accomplish-ing. The result is tremendous—an employee who is excitedabout their work.

One time when I was in a drugstore, I was chatting with thecashier as I went through the line. I asked her how she wasdoing. She frowned and said, “Okay.” I responded, “Notgreat, not fantastic?” She looked up and said, “Hey mister, Iwork in a drugstore.” I would argue that the manager is atfault in this case. If the manager had sat down and found outwhat that cashier wanted, then maybe the cashier would bemore motivated because she knew where she was headed.Maybe that cashier wants to be a manager and has never


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talked to her manager because she has never had time. Themanager probably assumes that being a cashier is all shewants. It is the obligation of the manager to develop allemployees to their full potential.

Distribution of Work

One of the tools a manager can use to create a motivatingenvironment for employees is the strategic distribution ofwork. Most managers give out work assignments and proj-ects as they come in to whomever is available or whomeverhas the least amount of work. This is a counterproductiveapproach and is not as effective as strategically assigning theworkload. Managers should consider the following factorswhen deciding to whom the work should be assigned:

• Who would be best suited for the work?• Who has indicated an interest in this type of work?• Who would be the most excited about this assignment?

Why?• Who would grow most from this assignment?

Distribution of work can be a great motivating tool and caninclude several kinds of tasks:

• Being assigned a project• Being assigned to a work team• Being given increased responsibility• Heading up a work team• Doing research• Managing a vendor or a supplier• Running a meeting• Coaching an employee• Teaching an employee• Representing the company at a function

What Really Motivates People?

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• Giving a presentation• Starting a new project

The list can be limitless as to items that can be assigned ordelegated. Employees cannot be promoted every year, butwhat a manager can do is provide new responsibility withinthe position. If that increase in responsibility is also tied towhat the employees want to do, then the assignment will getthem excited.

It is essential for the manager to properly position the project when the assignment is first discussed with theemployee. This will in large part affect the level ofexcitement they have. During that meeting, the managershould be honest, authentic, and straightforward, andshould to an extent sell the work. A manager should saysomething to positively promote the project and theemployee. Here is an example of what the manager could say:

“Well Mary, I appreciate your taking the time to meet withme today. I want to talk to you about a project I amexcited about. In the past we have talked about yourinterest in . Well I have a project I wouldlike you to lead and it is . I really thinkthat you are the best person for this project and I alsowanted to make sure that you get the development wehave discussed by working on this project. What is yourinitial reaction?”

The conversation has accomplished several objectives:The manager has (1) indicated that he/she has thought aboutthe assignment, (2) demonstrated that he/she was listening during development meetings, (3) boosted theemployee’s esteem by saying she is the best person for the job.


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Acknowledging Effort

For a motivating environment to exist, employees have to beacknowledged for their efforts. We all want to be acknowl-edged. I have worked with managers who never gave a com-pliment to me or any other employees. I actually worked fora manager one time who screamed at me and then came backan hour later and said, “I know I screamed, but I don’t apolo-gize to anyone.”

There are many ways of acknowledging efforts of employees:

• GGiivviinngg aa vveerrbbaall ccoommpplliimmeenntt.. A simple comment to anemployee for the fine work they have done can have a pro-ductive effect.

• SSeennddiinngg aa hhaannddwwrriitttteenn nnoottee.. A simple handwritten notehas a great deal of value. In this high-tech world we livein, a handwritten note can have significant impact and ahigh perceived value. I have written short notes ofacknowledgment to employees, and many of them havekept the notes and have proudly displayed them in theircubicles.

• SSeennddiinngg aann ee--mmaaiill.. The advantage of e-mail is its im-mediacy. If it is sent from the road while the manager istraveling at 12:00 midnight, all the better.

• GGiivviinngg aa ssmmaallll ggiifftt.. When an employee does somethingreally incredible, a small gift can have an impact. It doesn’thave to be a large gift, because it really is the “thought thatcounts.”

• PPuubblliiccllyy aacckknnoowwlleeddggiinngg.. Thanking an employee publiclyduring a meeting can have a positive impact.

• GGiivviinngg bboonnuuss ttiimmee.. Giving an employee unexpected timeoff for an afternoon as a reward can leave them feelingappreciated and motivated.


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• PPrroovviiddiinngg ccaasshh bboonnuusseess.. A small cash bonus or a gift cer-tificate can have a very motivating impact.

• AAwwaarrddiinngg aa ppllaaqquuee oorr cceerrttiiffiiccaattee.. A small plaque or certifi-cate can be motivating. I belong to Toastmasters, and ateach meeting, they give out ribbons for best speech, bestevaluation, etc. The ribbons are highly valued.

• LLeeaavviinngg aa vvooiiccee mmaaiill.. Managers can call an employee’svoice mail late at night and leave an “I appreciate you”message. It is an unexpected surprise and gets theemployee’s day off to a nice start the next day.

Managers must be very careful to make sure that acknowl-edging efforts don’t backfire and end up making the feelingof appreciation worse, not better. Here are some tips on mak-ing sure the acknowledgment doesn’t have this effect:

• MMaakkee iitt eevveenn.. Make sure that the acknowledgments havethe appearance of being even throughout the team. That isnot to say that all acknowledgment should be givenequally—that if a manager gives employee #1 an acknowl-edgment then they have to give employee #2 one as well.Managers need to be cognizant of the distribution ofacknowledgment and make sure that it is not too uneven.Every team has superstars, and they deserve acknowledg-ment. The team gets discouraged though when the super-stars get all the acknowledgment and the rest get none atall. The impact of an acknowledgment for non-superstarsmight have more motivating impact, because they are notaccustomed to receiving compliments.

• GGiivvee oouutt aawwaarrddss.. Awards can be a very powerful incentivetool. There are times, however, when an award can createresentment. They can create resentment in the followingcircumstances: (1) The award given is not perceived asdeserved, (2) the same person gets the award all the time,


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and (3) other people who work hard are not acknowl-edged. To avoid any resentment, make sure all employeesfeel appreciated. If this happens, then awards will be wellreceived and will have a positive impact.

• AAvvooiidd oovveerr aacckknnoowwlleeddggmmeenntt.. Managers can get overlyenthusiastic and can over compliment and acknowledge.The acknowledgment loses its impact when it is overdone.A manager who constantly gives compliments andacknowledges efforts daily can be just as detrimental asone who never gives a compliment.

• PPrraaccttiiccee hhoonneessttyy.. A manager should ensure that in all cir-cumstances, the feedback and acknowledgment are honest.For example, let’s say that June, an employee of the com-pany, has worked night and day on a special project and isextremely proud of her work and effort. When the projectdocument is reviewed, the content is excellent, but theappearance of the document is a disaster, with typos,grammatical errors, and sloppy formatting. Some of thepages are even printed crooked and bound out of order.Should the manager compliment June for her hard work?Yes. Should the manager compliment June for the entireproject? No. It is important for managers to separate thepositive and negative aspects of the performance andcoach accordingly. I have seen managers who were effu-sive with their praise on a project that was weakly exe-cuted. There are two problems with this scenario: (1) Themanager loses credibility with the rest of the team and (2) the employee is getting positive reinforcement that theydon’t rightfully deserve.

There are some managers who are afraid to give honest feed-back, want to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or don’t wantconflict. These managers should get training on how to haveopen and honest communication with their team or should


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stop being managers. Giving an employee feedback that isnot completely honest is doing an employee a grave injustice.It means they are not getting the feedback they deserve andthey are getting a false impression that they are doing well.

I once ran a leadership development program for a company,and the candidates for the program had to submit an applica-tion to be accepted into the program. The rules stated that theapplication had to be signed by the employee and their man-ager. One morning I received a call from someone in theHuman Resources Department. She said she wanted to knowif I had an application from a particular employee. I looked atthe file and said that I had the application. She then saidsomething that shocked me: “Well, I need you to reject thatapplication. That person can’t be in the program.” I asked herwhy. She said, “The manager had the employee bring him theapplication and he signed it, but he didn’t want to sign it.” Iwas very confused as to why a manager would sign an appli-cation that indicates approval if he didn’t want to sign it. Theperson from HR continued, “The manager signed it to avoidconflict with the employee. He didn’t think the employee wasready for the program, but signed the form as the path of leastresistance. Now the manager wants the application denied.” Ifmanagers can’t handle conflict and don’t have the guts to giveconstructive feedback, they shouldn’t be managers.

Team Outings

Team outings can be a great way to acknowledge everyone’sefforts on the team. A team outing can be as fancy as an off-sitemultiple-day meeting in some exotic location, or as simple as abackyard cookout. Team outings can have several benefits:

• Employees feel appreciated, and if the families are invited,they feel appreciated as well.


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• The employees get to know the manager and otheremployees on a different level.

• It’s nice to have fun with the team members outside thework place.

• A sense of family, or connection, can be made.

In planning a team outing, there are aspects a manager needsto consider carefully:

• What are the objectives of the outing?• Should it be employees only or their families as well?• What are some possible dates?• What should we do?• What have I budgeted for?• Who should be assigned to work on the details?• What would the impact be on the team?• What kind of activities can we have?• What do we want them to walk away with after the meet-

ing is over?

Team outings can be a tremendous boost to morale and moti-vation. There are some caveats though that can ruin a teamouting if not considered:

• AAllwwaayyss cchheecckk.. If a manager is taking the group to see ashow, the manager or someone the manager trusts shouldgo see the show ahead of time. This way the team won’t besubjected to any surprises such as nudity, foul language, orembarrassing situations. A manager should always checkin advance on all aspects to ensure that nothing negativehappens.

• WWaattcchh tthhee aallccoohhooll.. Nothing can ruin a team outing morethan the abuse of alcohol. The team’s superstar getting plas-tered is not the memory that most managers want for a team


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outing. Professional managers have ways to control the serv-ing and drinking of alcoholic drinks at a team outing.

• DDoonn’’tt ffoorrccee tthheemm ttoo aatttteenndd.. Managers should not maketeam members come to a team outing, especially if it is onthe weekend. In some companies, managers make teamoutings mandatory and the outings become drudgery. Theidea is to make the outing so much fun the team memberswant to come. I once worked for a manager who had ateam outing every quarter on his boat and he insisted thateveryone go every quarter. What was once fun became achore.

• KKeeeepp iitt ““bbuussiinneessss lliigghhtt..”” At team outings, there can besome business, but most of the outing should be just hav-ing fun and setting the stage where people can make con-nections.

• RReessppeecctt ootthheerr bbeelliieeff ssyysstteemmss.. If managers have a Christmasparty, they might unknowingly exclude people of otherfaiths. Managers are best served by avoiding all religiousaspects entirely, and that way no one will be offended. Mywife, for example, is a Jehovah’s Witness. I have been tomany company Christmas parties where I was badgeredfor not bringing my wife. I thought this was disrespectfulof her beliefs.

Managers should use the various types of acknowledgmentto ensure that employees feel appreciated. The feeling andimpact of being acknowledged will vary with each employee,so it is up to the manager to determine how and how muchto acknowledge that particular employee. The art of manag-ing is like figuring out how to open a combination lock. Thedifference is that each employee has their own unique combi-nation. The manager’s function is to find the magic combina-tion for that employee. On the following pages is a list ofways a manager can acknowledge employees.


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Checklist of Ways to Acknowledge Employees

Handwritten note or card Spa gift certificate

A private e-mail Team outing

A voice mail Cake and ice cream social

Public recognition at ameeting

Super Bowl party

Lunch with manager Send to motivating seminar

Breakfast with manager Box seats to an event

Gift for their office Decorate office on birthday

A promotion A day at the office in theirhonor

Send to a businessseminar

Wear your favorite jerseyday

Gift certificate Jeans day

Concert tickets Bring in a famous speakerfor group

Sporting event tickets Books as gifts

Extra day off Reading club

Take golfing on a work day Toastmaster chapter at office

Heading up special project Lunchtime aerobics

Increased responsibility Office Olympics day

(continued)


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Checklist of Ways to Acknowledge Employees (cont.)

Manning a trade showout of town

Surprise movie matinee

Lunch with the CEO Recognition ad in localpaper

Cash bonus Framed team photo

Pizza party Bowling tournament

Early dismissal on Friday Day at amusement park

Special dinner Employee of the day

Plaque or award Breakfast at the office

Magazine subscription Instant cash bonus

Employee of the month Miniature golf tournament

Contests Outdoor ropes course

Special parking space Free groceries

Letter from manager tohome

Gym in the office

Long weekend trip withspouse

New office

Gourmet gift basket tohome

Compliments

Communication

Managers lead very busy lives and never seem to haveenough time to get everything done. A 70- or 80-hour workweek is not uncommon. We have a plethora of communica-tion tools with computers, regular phones, cell phones,PDAs, e-mail, messages, meetings, etc. If we have moreplatforms for communicating now than ever, then why dowe have communication problems? It is very simple: (1) Wedon’t make the time, (2) we don’t have a plan for communi-cation, and (3) we think electronic communication is com-municating.

Smart managers make the time for communicating in personon a regular basis. Because they are busy, they put frequentmeetings and updates into their schedule with team membersindividually as well as in groups. Charles Dickens once said,“Electric communication will never be a substitute for theface of someone who with their soul encourages another per-son to be brave and true.” It is fascinating to consider thatDickens lived from 1810 to 1870! Even in the mid 1800s, herealized the importance of face-to-face communication. I haveworked with managers in companies that have remoteemployees and only met with them twice a year in person.The rest of the time was by phone. How would those employ-ees feel? Valued? Motivated? For direct reports, regularupdate meetings should take place between the manager andtheir team member individually. These should be scheduledand occur on a regular basis. There are compelling reasonswhy this should be face-to-face:

• The communication will be more effective, because themanager can read body language and expression, andcapture the gist of what an employee is trying to say.


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• The trust level will be increased.• The employee will feel more valued.• Problems can be uncovered sooner rather than later.• Employees will feel more motivated.

I once reported to a very fine leader. During a period of abouta few weeks, I felt the manager was giving me the “coldshoulder.” I finally decided that I had to address it. I met withhim, told him that I felt something was wrong, and askedhim if he was mad at me. He said that he thought the samething and he was acting that way because he thought I wasmad at him! We then were able to sort things out. That kindof communication could never have happened via e-mail orphone.

I have worked with managers who have thought that com-munication occurred because they sent an e-mail. An e-mail isa communication tool that is good for its expediency. Thesender can send e-mail to several people all over the countryin the blink of an eye. There are some significant limitationsto e-mail that managers should consider as part of the chal-lenge in communicating effectively:

• E-mail is very open to interpretation.• Most people I know get too many e-mails each day, so the

message gets lost in all the clutter of the mailbox.• When people are traveling, it is sometimes difficult to get

e-mail.• Sometimes it gets deleted and not read.

The best approach is to use e-mail to convey information andto confirm and reinforce messages. If a staff meeting is held,then e-mailing the minutes of the meeting is a great exampleof effective e-mail. Reminders and setting up appointments isalso effective in e-mail. E-mail should not be used for long


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complex memos or issues. Most importantly, e-mail can be agreat tool for acknowledgment and reinforcement. A congratulatory e-mail to the employee with a copy to themanager’s boss is very effective. An “I am proud of theprogress you are making” e-mail can be very motivating.

Managers should look at all forms of communication and usethem effectively at the right time for the right reason.

Overall, the goal of communication with the team should beas follows:

• To communicate effectively so that employees feelacknowledged.

• To keep employees informed on key decisions.• To reinforce positive behaviors.• To correct and modify negative behaviors.• To have employees feel valued.• To build loyalty and trust.• To increase productivity and decrease confusion.

Most managers think they are great communicators, but thereality is most managers are not. Most managers think theycommunicate too frequently; the reality is employees wantmore detailed and frequent communication. For managers tobe better communicators, they must decide that the commu-nication will drive increased productivity and profits.

Great leaders are always great communicators.


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CHAPTER 8 Motivating with Rewards andRecognitionReward is defined in the dictionary as something given orreceived in recompense for worthy behavior or in retributionfor evil acts. I think it is useful for managers to understandthat reward is given for worthy behavior. When managersreward behavior, the employee wants to repeat that behavior.

It is very important for managers to understand that rewardis a key tool in establishing a motivating environment. AsMark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a goodcompliment.” Compliments have an amazing impact onemployees. If we consider rewards, almost all rewards are anexpression of a compliment. Rewards say to an employee“You did a good job” or “I appreciate your contributions.”Almost all human beings respond positively to rewards andrecognition. I once worked really hard on a meeting at workand it was very successful. One evening when I got home,my wife said a box had arrived from my manager. He hadsent a box of steaks with a nice note, and this reward mademe feel like my efforts had been appreciated.

As managers, we need to think strategically and plan forshort-, mid-, and long-term rewards. Rewards need to bebudgeted for and planned out for the year to ensure thatthey happen. If managers don’t plan for rewards, they getbusy and the year slips by quickly. There are several differ-ent categories of rewards a manager should think through and plan:

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• MMBBOO rreewwaarrdd.. The manager and employee agree on a spe-cific objective for the year, and if the objective is met, theemployee gets a reward for the accomplishment.

• AAccccoommpplliisshhmmeenntt rreewwaarrdd.. The manager identifies an out-standing achievement and decides to reward that achieve-ment.

• TTeennuurree aawwaarrdd.. Awarding someone for being in the com-pany, department, or team for a certain time frame.

• EEmmppllooyyeeee ooff tthhee mmoonntthh.. This is a common award and isgiven to the best-performing employee of that month.

• CCoonntteessttss.. A contest can be held for a particular skill set ortopic. It can be any topic that the manager designates. Thekey is to lay out all the rules in advance in writing and tohave a great prize for the winner.

• PPrroommoottiioonnss.. Employees are promoted and receive anincrease in their pay and benefits.

The manager must decide what is going to be rewarded, how it is going to be rewarded, and when it is going to begiven.

When rewards are given, they should be given in a way tomaximize the impact of the reward. This can be done publiclyat a team meeting or privately in the office. Sometimes, abreakfast or lunch can be a good forum for giving out areward.

Some managers think they can’t afford reward because it istoo expensive. First, there needs to be a commitment fromupper management to pay for reward and recognition.Second, in today’s environment, organizations can’t affordnot to provide rewards and recognition, because if they don’t,


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employees will leave. The cost of locating and training a newemployee is very expensive.

There is an old school of management that says, “Why shouldI reward my employees for work that they should be doinganyway?” There is some logic to that statement, or I shouldsay, was logic to that statement many years ago. Today thereis a tremendous influx of new workers into the work placewith a different generational mind-set. The “carrot and stick”versus “the club” argument is over! The “club” is the philoso-phy that workers work better and are more productive whenthey are in fear. “The carrot and stick” philosophy says that ifyou give people a motivating environment and reward them,they will be more productive. Most managers who are suc-cessful understand the value of a motivating environment.

Team Rewards

There are two ways a manager can reward employees: teamrewards and individual rewards. There are some significantadvantages and disadvantages to giving team rewards.

The advantages of team rewards are:

• The team bonds because they are working toward a com-mon goal.

• Productivity usually rises because the more productiveemployees inspire the less productive employees.

• There is less absenteeism due to peer pressure.• Communication is enhanced because it is more frequent.

The team setting for rewards can also have disadvantages:

• Some high producers don’t like working with low producers.

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• There is much greater possibility of conflict.• If the team doesn’t make the goal, there can be infighting.• Pressure can be higher when team members are not

pulling their weight.

The manager needs to decide when to reward teams andwhen not to, from a strategic position. The car companySaturn has had tremendous success with the team unit andreward process; other manufacturers have found less favor-able results. The decision really varies with the organizationand the team.

The manager must set up the goals. The goals must be veryspecific and measurable, in writing, and communicatedclearly and often. The manager must also monitor the team’sprogress. This eliminates any ambiguity.

If a team attains a goal that has been set for it, getting thereward can be very motivating and exciting. The excitementthat results from reaching a team goal is contagious.

I once attended a team-building session that was held on a“ropes” course outside. The teams were competing and par-ticipating in activities such as “high wire climbs” and “polejumping,” which took great nerve. The spirit of 100 people allpassionately competing was electrifying! If a manager cancapture that kind of spirit with team rewards, then it is allworth it. Managers can also give a team reward when onewas not expected, which is even more powerful.

As a side note, managers should not have teams competingagainst one another where one team wins and the otherteam loses and is humiliated. I once saw a sales contestcalled “steak and beans.” There were two sales teams, andthey were competing in a contest to see who could sell the


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most in a certain time period. The winners were treated to avery fine steak dinner at an excellent restaurant. The loserswere treated to a dinner of beans; that is all they wereallowed. The catch was that they ate the beans sitting in thesame restaurant across the table from the team eating thesteaks. During the entire meal, they were teased as losers bythe winners. One team was very motivated that night. Theother wasn’t in too good of a mood. I don’t think negativereinforcement is motivating.

Keep in mind the rewards don’t have to be monetary orexpensive. I have observed managers get a team completelypumped about a pizza party or everyone getting off twohours early on a Friday. It is not the prize that matters withregards to a reward; it is the motivating impact the rewardhas on the team. I have seen teams compete savagely to winT-shirts. The impact is all that matters.

Individual Rewards

Managers need to understand each of their employees thor-oughly so that they know what rewards will motivate andprovide incentive for that particular employee. The processesoutlined in earlier chapters including the growth and devel-opment meeting (GDM) help a manager determine whatkinds of acknowledgment excite an employee. In many com-panies I have worked in, the employees on the team were allvery different. In one company I worked for, I rememberbeing very excited about attending the company’s nationalmeeting. Once at the meeting, however, I met several employ-ees who were grumbling about being there. I found it oddthey weren’t excited, but with motivation, there is no right orwrong, it is whatever works—and the national meeting didnot “work” for these employees. Here are some helpful tipsfor individual rewards:


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• RReewwaarrdd iinn pprriivvaattee.. Managers should present individualrewards in private. The reward should be between themanager and the specific employee. Individual rewardscan cause problems and small jealousies. The only excep-tions are contests and promotions: These should be wellpublicized.

• GGiivvee tthhee rreewwaarrdd iinn ppeerrssoonn.. All individual rewards shouldbe presented by the manager in person. The only exceptionis if the manager wants to send something to someone’shome.

• PPoossiittiioonn tthhee rreewwaarrdd.. All individual rewards should beproperly “built up” and positioned by the manager. Ifmanagers are going to spend the time, effort, and moneyon a reward, they should let the employee know how spe-cial the reward is and how proud they are of the work.

• MMaakkee iitt ppeerrssoonnaalliizzeedd.. If the reward can be personalized, ithas more recognition power.. If the reward has theemployee’s name on it or is specifically relevant to thatperson, the perceived value is higher. If an employee, forexample, is a huge fan of a certain baseball team, and themanager buys an autographed baseball by their starpitcher, the value is greater. It is not only the reward, butthe thought that goes into the reward.

• AAdddd aa nnoottee.. A reward should always be accompanied by anice note or card to highlight the accomplishment. Intoday’s era of high technology, handwritten notes seem tobe more appreciated. As mentioned earlier in the book, ahandwritten note is often saved and proudly displayed bythe employee.

In a 2003 study published by the Conference BoardDeveloping Business Leaders for 2010, managers at 150 lead-ing-edge companies were interviewed about developing lead-


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ership strength. This report states that “successfully managingyounger workers will require a new set of leadership capabili-ties.” It goes on to state that leaders will “need to becomeexperts in identifying, attracting, developing and retaining thetop talent required in the marketplace.” That is why individ-ual reward is so important. This all ties in to the ideas out-lined in this book of developing and rewarding employees.

Ten Tips on Rewarding Employees

1. BBee ccrreeaattiivvee.. Managers should be as creative as possible incoming up with ideas for rewards. I have seen managerswho have been incredibly creative, and have evenbartered their services to another company in order to getrewards for their employees.

2. UUssee tthhee eelleemmeenntt ooff ssuurrpprriissee.. Sometimes the element ofsurprise can add a great deal of impact to a reward. Ionce went into an employee’s office on a Friday afternoonat 2:00 and told her she had worked really hard and totake the rest of the day off. It had the desired effect: Shefelt appreciated!

3. SSmmaallll rreewwaarrddss ccaann bbee bbiigg.. Many times, small rewards canbe very big in terms of impact. As I stated earlier, I belongto Toastmasters, and at every meeting, there is an awardfor the best speaker, best evaluator, and best table topic.The award is a small blue ribbon. Let me tell you that rib-bon has great value even though it probably costs lessthan a quarter.

4. SSttaanndd oonn cceerreemmoonnyy.. When rewards are given, the waythey are presented is as important as the reward itself.Managers should maximize the impact of the award bythinking through how it should be presented.. At theToastmasters meetings, the ribbons are given out withgreat ceremony at the end of the meeting.


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5. GGiivvee aann aawwaarrdd tthhaatt kkeeeeppss ggiivviinngg.. Managers can giverewards that keep giving. Examples of this include magazine subscriptions or a flower of the month club.Every month, the employee gets reminded of theirreward and accomplishment.

6. GGiivvee ppllaaqquueess aanndd ttrroopphhiieess.. People love plaques, trophies,and certificates. We know this is true because mostemployees proudly display them in their office. Theyserve as a tangible representation of their efforts.

7. RReemmeemmbbeerr,, mmoonneeyy iiss sshhoorrtt lliivveedd.. Many managers thinkthat money is the best reward, and it can be effective.However, I have found that other rewards such as tripsand gift certificates actually have a higher perceivedvalue because people can then buy things they normallywouldn’t buy for themselves. If an employee is givenmoney, they typically use it to pay bills. If they are givena gift certificate to a travel agency, they will treat them-selves by taking a trip. The memory of that reward lastsmuch longer, so management gets more mileage out ofthe reward.

8. GGiivvee rreewwaarrddss ttoo eevveerryyoonnee.. I have worked in organiza-tions where only salespeople are rewarded. I understandthat is because they are the employees who bring in therevenue. However, I think getting everyone involved andrewarded generates more excitement overall.

9. GGiivvee eedduuccaattiioonn aass aa rreewwaarrdd.. A great way for managers toreward employees is to give education as a reward,because it develops and motivates the employee. Oneway managers can build a learning organization is valu-ing training and development. One way to increase thevalue is to make it a reward.


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10. MMaakkee ssuurree eemmppllooyyeeeess kknnooww.. Managers should be so overtabout giving an award that employees know it is anaward and it is something special. The old adage says ifyou do someone a favor, let them know it. If managersgive an award, they should make sure the employeeknows the award is special.


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CHAPTER 9The Importance of Balance in aWell-Motivated WorkforceWe live in an age of the 24/7 work place. People carryBlackberries and cell phones, and are getting connected to thecompany e-mail at home on the weekends. Some people havean easier time counting the hours they don’t work instead ofthe hours they do. I have observed people answering e-mailon their Blackberries on the beach, having business conversa-tions on their cell phones at Disney World, and interruptingvacations to take conference calls. According to studies,nearly half of all American workers say their jobs are very orextremely stressful. The same study also found that 50 per-cent of employees said that job stress reduces their productiv-ity, and those who report high stress are three times morelikely to suffer from frequent illness.

The work world is becoming crazier and faster paced witheach day. Pundits predict that it’s not going to get easier, it’sgoing to get harder. Mother Teresa said, “I think the worldtoday is upside down. It is suffering so much because there isso little love in the home and the family life. We have no timefor our children. We have no time for each other. There is notime to enjoy each other, and the lack of love causes so muchsuffering and unhappiness in the world.”

It is the manager’s responsibility to try to help employeesthrough the quagmire of life-balance issues as they relate towork. These are very difficult issues and must be handledcarefully.

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So what causes burnout? Dr. Christina Maslach and Dr. MichaelLeiter, who are experts on burnout, give six reasons for burnout:

1. Work overload

2. Lacking a sense of control

3. Insufficient rewards relative to the demand

4. Breakdown or lack of a sense of community in the workplace

5. Conflict of values or seeing the work as meaningless

6. Absence of fairness

Why is it important to prevent burnout? Because employeeswho are out of balance and overwhelmed will not be verymotivated and will be less productive.

The challenge is for managers to get the work done withshort time lines, tight budgets, and lean payroll, and yetavoid employees getting burned out from lack of life balance.There are several problems inherent in this situation: culturesthat might clash with the idea of life balance, and the veryreal pressure for managers to produce more with less.

The Concept of Life Balance

The idea behind life balance in the ideal definition is that anemployee has a sense of balance between all the aspects oftheir life, which can include the following:

• Work• Family• Social• Physical/health• Financial• Spiritual


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A person who has a strong life balance would be healthy andhappy and have a sense of satisfaction because the elementslisted above would be “in balance” and none of the areaswould be neglected. The person would plan time each day todo the activities that needed to be done to stay in balance.Obviously, they would feel motivated because they would bemaking progress and not be neglecting any aspect of their lifepersonally or professionally. This is the ideal, which in somepeople’s lives is the furthest from the reality of day-to-daylife.

The reality of life balance is that it is very difficult and is amoving target. It is a constant process because change is hap-pening so rapidly. There will be times at work, for example,when circumstances require a heavy amount of travel, whichinterferes with family and social aspects.

I once worked with a Fortune 100 company to help start acorporate university. I worked 70 to 80 hours a week for twoyears. When people asked me what hours I worked, I wouldsay, “I don’t work on Friday nights or Saturdays.” Theywould laugh because they thought I was joking, but I wasserious. Working those hours is what it took to get thatdepartment launched. I did not have balance those twoyears from a family or social perspective, but I knew it wastemporary.

There will be times when employees are sick, when they havea family member who is sick, or when there are family situa-tions that need the employee’s attention. They might not beable to spend as much time or attention on work as normal.This is where managers need to display empathy. It is alsothe opportunity to build trust, loyalty, and commitment. Ifemployees know that managers are committed to them, theywill over time become more committed to the manager.

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Several years ago, my grandfather passed away. I knew I needed to go to West Virginia, but I didn’t know the detailsof the viewing or the funeral at that time. I called my man-ager from the road and left him a voice mail. (My managerwas also traveling then.) I received a voice mail back thatsaid, “I got your message and I am very sorry. Go do whatyou need to do; work will be here when you get back. Justtake care of yourself and your family.” This made me feelvery relieved. I didn’t have to worry what was going onthere. It also built a loyalty with that manager. Trust is notbuilt through words but through actions.

For managers to help employees with life balance, they mustfirst understand when employees are out of balance. Thereare several signs of lack of balance:

• A change in personality/mood• Higher level of conflict with other employees• Missing deadlines at work• Being late more often• Grouchiness or moodiness• More errors in work product than normal

Managers must first diagnose that there is a problem throughobservation and discussion with the employee. One word ofcaution: The manager should address only work issues withthe employee. Family or financial issues are inappropriate fordiscussion, except in the most general of terms. The reasonfor caution is that the manager can easily slip over the lineinto personal counseling, which is a dangerous line for amanager to cross. I once heard a story about a manager whowas giving her employee marriage advice and I was deeplyconcerned at the myriad of problems that could produce.That kind of counseling should be done by a professional.


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Therefore, discussions between managers and employeesmust remain professional at all times.

Complete the life balance self-assessment below and on thefollowing page. The worksheet should be used in two ways:

• For the manager to complete themself to see if their analy-sis indicates a solid work/life balance

• For the manager to have employees complete to see howthey rank, and for purposes of discussion


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Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment

Rank the following on a scale of 1–10 with 10 meaningstrongly agree, and 1 meaning strongly disagree.

Statement Rating Reason for number

1. My work and lifeare balanced.

2. My work is interest-ing and energizing.

3. I rarely take workhome.

4. I rarely work at night.

5. I rarely work onweekends.

6. I rarely work over60 hours a week.

7. My work doesn’tinterfere with the restof my life very often.

(continued)

Interpretation/Discussion

The total number of points:

Perfect score is 1009900––110000 Excellent score and fairly balanced8800––8899 Okay, but needs some work7700––8800 Needs lots of workBBeellooww 7700 Help!

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##11.. If the score is low, why was it so low? Is there aproject going on now that is requiring more effort than nor-mal? If not, what is the problem? How can it be solved?


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Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment (continued)

Statement Rating Reason for number

8. My work doesnot prevent mefrom beinghealthy (exer-cise, etc.).

9. I participate inhobbies outsideof work.

10. I participate insocial eventsoutside of work.

Total Points________(Statements1–10)

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##22.. If the score is low, why is it not interesting?Why is it not energizing? Was it energizing at one point?When did it change? Why?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##33.. If the score is low, do you take work homeoften? How often? Why? Can any of that be delegated? Is thistemporary or continuous? Why?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##44.. If the score is low, do you work at night often?What makes that necessary? Is this a new development?Why? What can you do to change it?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##55.. If the score is low, how many weekends amonth do you work? Why? Is this a new development? Howdo you feel about it? Could you do that work during theweek?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##66.. If the score is low, how many hours a week do you work? Why? Are the hours you work each weekputting a strain on your personal life? How can you resolveit?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##77.. If the score is low, how does work interferewith your personal life? Why? Does it have to be this way ordo you allow it? What could you change?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##88.. If the score is low, why does work prevent youfrom being healthy? Do you put exercise aside because ofwork? Is your schedule too busy? Do you eat healthy? If not,why?

SSttaatteemmeenntt ##99.. If the score is low, have you set your hobbiesaside for work? Are you just too busy? Why? Do you missyour hobby?


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SSttaatteemmeenntt ##1100.. If the score is low, are you just too stretchedfor social events? Why? Is the job interfering with those socialaspects? What can you do to change that?

Symptoms and Suggestions

I have worked with managers in certain organizations whoseem to take a masochistic pride in the number of hours theywork and the fact that they never take vacation days. Wehave all read about the software companies where peoplespend the night at the office working 100-hour work weeks. Idon’t think this is the message we want to send to employees.

Breaks

There is every indication that when people take breaks(vacation, days off, holidays), they come back to workrefreshed, motivated, and much more productive. Yet I havebeen in many work environments where people never tookbreaks.

In many organizations, people are in early, leave late, andeat lunch at their desk. This might be okay if a company hasan urgent project in the short term, but as a regular practice,it is a good way to burn employees out. For employees tomaintain motivation and energy, they must have breaks.Managers must foster and encourage employees to takebreaks and to get out of the office and away from theirdesks. This accomplishes two objectives: It gives employeesa break and shows the employee that the manager cares andis paying attention.

I have seen many companies where employees take their lap-tops on vacation so that they can check e-mail every night.They also call in and check their voice mail each day. I think


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it is a disgrace to ask employees to do that. Managers whocannot have their team members take off an uninterruptedweek are poor managers. There should always be someonewho has been trained to fill in for the vacationing employee.

I have managed employees on my teams, and when they wenton vacation, there were two rules: (1) They were not allowedto take their laptops and (2) they were not allowed to call infor messages. I would tell them that calling in and checking e-mail defeated the purpose of vacation, which was to vacate.When I went on vacation later that year, they held me to myown rule! I came back with “batteries recharged” and ready togo. Here is what economist John Kenneth Galbraith had to sayabout vacations: “Total physical and mental inertia are highlyagreeable, much more so than we allow ourselves to imagine.A beach not only permits such inertia but enforces it, thusneatly eliminating all problems of guilt. It is now the onlyplace in our overly active world that does.”

One method that managers can employ is the technique ofunexpected time off, which can be very effective. The man-ager would simply go into the employee’s office or workspace, and tell them that they have done a great job and haveworked very hard. Next tell them to take the next day offwith pay and without it counting toward vacation days. It isin essence a free day. This is even more effective if the freeday is a Friday or a Monday because it creates a three-dayweekend. It works well as a motivating tool because of theelement of surprise, and it works because it forces theemployee to take some time off.

Modeling Balance

Creating an environment where employees can be motivatedmeans that balance must exist. Managers need to be aware of


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a key concept; employees aren’t influenced as much by whata manager says as by what a manager does. So managersneed to model the behaviors of balance. Here are some tipson modeling the concept of balance:

• WWoorrkk hhaarrdd,, bbuutt hhaavvee ffuunn.. It is okay to work hard, but it isnot okay to not have fun. Fun is the great balancer in theworld of work, and can do a great deal to relieve stress.Managers should be willing to have fun at meetings andwhile completing the daily tasks in the work place.

• TTaakkee ttiimmee ooffff.. Managers should be willing to take time off.If managers take time off, they will be better managers andwill send a message to the team that it is okay.

• GGoo hhoommee eeaarrllyy eevveerryy nnooww aanndd tthheenn.. It sends a good mes-sage to the team for the leader to go home early every nowand then.

• GGoo oonn vvaaccaattiioonn.. It is crucial for managers to take vacationand to truly go on vacation. That means no voice mail, e-mail, or conference calls.

• BBee bbaallaanncceedd.. Managers should strive to represent andmodel the concept of balance. They should be taking careof themselves physically and emotionally.

I once had a very good friend named Jim. Jim and I spent alot of time together socially, and we had a real good time. Iwas always worried about Jim, and I told him so; he had theworst lifestyle I had ever seen. He worked two jobs (between80 and 90 hours a week) and never exercised, never ate right,and carried a high level of stress. We always warned Jim thathe needed to get his life in balance, but he didn’t listen. Atsome point, he moved to a different part of the country, andwe lost touch. Ten years later, I decided to call him. When Iasked how he was, the lack of balance had finally caught up


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with him. He had suffered a major heart attack and had toquit working for good. He had to go on disability and wasdivorced. He barely spoke to his children, who were nowgrown. He couldn’t afford to have his own place, so he wasliving with another family. This is a sad but true story ofwhat happens as a result of lack of balance.

Managers must take care not to fall in to that trap and mustmake sure that they coach their teams not to fall in to thattrap as well. Leaders don’t just affect the professional life ofan employee; they also have the remarkable ability andresponsibility to have a life-long personal impact.


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CHAPTER 10Putting It All Together (Action Planning)There is a fairly popular saying in our society and that is“Knowledge is power.” Many people when asked will shaketheir heads up and down and agree with that statement. I dis-agree completely! Knowledge is not power, because there aremany people who have Masters and even PhDs who work inlow-paying jobs and don’t live up to their potential. There is ahuge population of the United States who are overweight. Theyknow what to do—they have the knowledge. There are millionsof people who smoke cigarettes who know the overall risk fac-tors, but choose to ignore them. Knowledge itself is not power;it is the application of knowledge that creates power. It is theabsolute imperative of managers to apply the knowledge thatthey have in order to maximize organizational effectiveness.

An Action Plan

As Ben Franklin once said, “I have always thought that oneman of tolerable abilities may work great changes, andaccomplish great affairs among mankind, if he first forms agood plan, and, cutting off all amusements or other employ-ments that would divert his attention, make the execution ofthat same plan his sole study and business.”

It is up to a manager, upon reading this book, to form a planof action. Just hoping that some of the concepts will workwill not be effective. There must be deliberate action andplanning in order to create a motivating environment. The

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best approach is to have a very specific, detailed plan. Theplan would answer the following questions:

• What do we need to do?• Why is it important?• Where will we do it first?• Will it be in phases?• When will it start?• When will it need to be done?• What are the components of the plan?• How will the effectiveness be measured?

One word of caution: Managers should implement the planover time. Trying to do the implementation all at once willensure that the plan will fail. The implementation should be aphased approach over time. This will ensure that the planwill be as effective as possible. The plan should include thefollowing main elements:

• Creating a motivating environment• Crafting or reinforcing team purpose and mission• Having passion in the work place• Making a commitment to learning• Coaching all employees for development• Knowing what gets them motivated• Designing rewards/incentives• Creating a long-term plan for the team/department• Understanding the importance of balance in each team

member’s life

Once the plan has been formulated, it would be a good ideato review it with a colleague or a friend to double check thatit makes sense. Then before execution, managers should runthe plan by their manager. Once the plan is defined and inwriting, it is time to implement the plan.


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There should be a definite and obvious distinction between aplan for a new team and a plan for an existing team. If a man-ager is executing the plan with a new team, it is a different setof circumstances, and the ability to implement the plan mightbe a little easier because the team often expects changes tooccur under new leadership. The manager has to work onestablishing and setting a new climate and culture.

Implementing a plan for an existing team that has alreadybeen with that manager is more difficult because the stagehas already been set. In this case, there are several challenges:

• Team members might have already made up their mindsabout the manager.

• The manager might have already taken some negativeactions to create a non-motivating environment.

• If done too quickly, team members will wonder what inthe world has “gotten into” their manager.

• The manager’s manager might already be comfortablewith the existing style of the manager.

The key is a gradual, strategic approach to making changesover time. On the next page is an assessment to create anaction plan for implementing changes, based on this book, inorder to create an environment that is motivating.

Putting It All Together (Action Planning)

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Statement Yes No

1. The work space is comfortable for employees.

2. The work space is visually appealing.

3. Employees know the purpose of their work.

4. Employees know the purpose of the team’swork.

5. The environment is positive and upbeat.

6. Employees are excited about their work.

7. The work place is considered fun.

8. Our team has fun on the job.

9. The company is committed to employeedevelopment.

10. As a manager, I am committed to develop-ment of each team member.

11. I know each team member by name.

12. I know the short- and long-term goals ofteam members.

13. Employees are rewarded for goodperformance.

14. I use different kinds of rewards to incitemotivation.

15. Communication takes place frequently.

16. Communication takes place in groups andindividually.

This is an assessment that was completed earlier in the bookon pages 2 through 3. In re-reviewing the answers, whichones stand out the most?


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Step #1. Select the three most important statements in theassessment that would have the most impact if implemented.

Looking at those three, what specific actions could betaken to get them in place?

(continued)



Statement Yes No

17. Hiring is done to ensure a fit with the group.

18. People who don’t fit are let go quickly.

19. I mirror the behaviors I value all the time.

20. I mirror the attitudes I value all the time.

How long would it take to get them implemented?

Step #2. Write these items on your calendar for implemen-tation.

Step #3. Create a communication plan for communicatingwith the team the changes that are going to happen.

Implement!

Step #4. Now select the next three most important state-ments that need work.

Looking at those three, what specific actions could betaken to get them in place?


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Follow the steps until the top ten statements have beenreviewed and a strategy and time line have been created foreach.

Once the planning is in place, it is a matter of scheduling theimplementation of the plan and executing the plan. However,this does not by any means mean that it is done. The plan-ning is good, but the process of employee motivation is con-tinuous and constant. The team might be in good spirits andevery thing might be “hunky dory.” Then there is a change incompany policy, or nine million other factors that the man-ager can’t control, and several folks on the team are up inarms about it. It is time to manage again.

Management is a constant and ongoing process that happensdaily, weekly, monthly, and throughout the year. There isabsolutely no doubt that the manager is the largest contributorto employee motivation or lack of motivation. That applies toa factory, an office, or for that matter, even a hair salon.

Let’s take a look at Aldus Jackson, the owner of AldusJackson Salon and Spa in Parksburg, Pennsylvania, out in thesuburbs of Philadelphia. When you walk into Aldus JacksonSalon and Spa, two things strike you immediately: the enthusiasm of the employees and the upscale, classy, warm,and visual impact of the salon.


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How long would it take to get them implemented?

Aldus has managed to create an environment that is posi-tive and energized, and the employees swear by their boss.As it turns out, Aldus applies the very principles outlinedin this book. Here are some of the concepts that Aldusapplies and that we talked about when I interviewed himfor this book:

• Thhee wwoorrkk ppllaaccee.. Aldus designed a work place that has aspace for each stylist to work and not be cramped. In hiswords, “This is their business, too. They are sharing in this,and my success depends on their success.”

• PPuurrppoossee.. The employees understand the purpose of theirwork and come to the table with a “servant attitude”(including Aldus), and seeing customers transformed andfeeling good about themselves has “a certain magic aboutit that is contagious.”

• PPoossiittiivvee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt.. Aldus tries daily to maintain a posi-tive environment. If employees get stressed, he gentlyreminds them to “Relax. It will get done, and the end ofthe day will come.”

• DDeevveellooppmmeenntt.. The employees have development classeswhere they have experts come and teach them new tech-niques and styles. He has also sent stylists to New YorkCity for training.

• CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn.. Once a month, a staff meeting is held forall team members to keep them “in the loop.”

• HHiirriinngg.. Hiring of stylists is done with an eye toward theirskill, but also to see if they are a fit with the organization.Aldus interviews each candidate several times and getsfeedback from the employees about the candidate. “The fitwith the group is everything. Their feedback is my safetynet for not making the wrong choice.”


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• MMiirrrroorriinngg.. Aldus is very aware that he has to mirror thevalues and qualities that he expects from his team. Hemakes sure (1) to be considerate to others, (2) to work ashard as they work, and (3) that everyone works together.He feels the most important value is integrity. “Integrity isall you have and if you approach each encounter withintegrity, if you have that, then you can get up every morn-ing feeling good about what you do.” He encouragesemployees to live those values. He had a stylist who did acoloring that was just slightly off. The guest was happy,Aldus was happy, but the stylist felt bad and wanted to doit over. “I was blown away by that—by her commitment toquality. I was very proud.”

• RReewwaarrdd.. Employees are rewarded with compliments, andgiven unexpected extras when they perform beyond expec-tation. “I wish I could do more and strive to do more inthat area.”

“As leaders, my hope for all of us is that we can create some-thing to help make a great quality of life for our employees,their families, and our team.”

So no matter the business—a salon, a factory, a charitableorganization, an office, a sport team—the concepts whenapplied work and are effective for motivating employees.

The concept of motivation seems foreign to some corporateenvironments, but is absolutely vital to corporate long-termsuccess.

As the market for employees tightens in the next fewdecades, employees will have a choice as to where they wantto work, and they will make this choice loud and clear. Thekey deciding factor for wanting to work and stay with an


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organization will be the motivating environment. Managershave to understand that they are a large contributing factor tothat environment. In fact, they are the environment.


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IndexAbility, 2Absenteeism, motivating environment and, 8Accomplishment reward, 98Action plan, 119–128

case study, 125–127phased implementation of, 120

Aldus Jackson Salon and Spa, 125–127American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), 8Annual reviews

communicating organizational goals via, 33employee development and, 57, 67–69

Areas for improvement, development and, 57, 62Assessments

enthusiasm, 43–44growth and development, 58–61motivating environment, 2–3, 9–13, 122–125work/life balance, 111–114See also Checklists; Worksheets

Attitude, 2Awards, 53, 86–87. See also Rewards

Balance, in coaching, 76–77. See also Work/life balanceBenefits, of motivating environment, 7–13Body language, coaching and, 76Bonuses

cash, 86time, 85, 115

Book group, 53, 68Brainstorming sessions, 53Breaks, work/life balance and, 114–115, 116Burnout, 108Business case, for motivation, 13

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Calm mannercoaching and, 77–78modeling enthusiasm and, 49

Career goals, development and, 57, 62–63Carnegie, Dale, 15Ceremony, rewards and, 103Certificates, acknowledging effort, 86Change, coaching and, 72Checklists

development resources/opportunities, 64–65ways to acknowledge employees, 91–92

Coaching, 14, 71–80versus counseling, 71defined, 71as dialogue, 79–80emotion and, 77–78environment for, 75–76explaining reason for, 75fairness and, 77importance of, 72–80key concepts of, 73–80positioning, 78–79reinforcing expectations and, 46

Communicationachieving organizational goals and, 31–34face-to-face, 33, 40, 93–94of job purpose, 4, 10, 12modeling enthusiasm and, 49motivation and, 6, 11, 12, 92–95, 126with teams, 95

Compliments, 85, 97Conference Board, 102Conference calls, communicating organizational goals via, 39Conferences, motivation and, 68Contests, 54, 98


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Counseling, versus coaching, 71Creativity, rewards and, 103Cultural fit, hiring and, 19

Developing Business Leaders for 2010, 102–103Development

annual review and, 67–69checklist of resources/opportunities, 64–65coaching and, 71education as reward and, 104expectations regarding, 56financial performance and employee, 8follow-up on, 65–67growth and development meeting, 57–65motivation and, 5, 10, 12, 14, 126self-assessment, 58–61setting stage for, 55–57

Dialogue, coaching and, 79–80Dickens, Charles, 93Dilbert, 14Diversity, team outings and, 90Drucker, Peter F., 57

Education, as reward, 104Efficiency, motivating environment and, 8Eisner, Michael, 47–48E-mail

acknowledging effort via, 85communicating organizational goals via, 39limitations of, 94

Emotion, coaching and, 77–78Employee litigation, motivating environment and, 8Employee needs, 5–6, 10, 12

coaching to, 73–74Employee of the month, 98

Index

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Employeesacknowledging effort of, 85–88communication with, 28–29determining enthusiasm level of, 42–45determining what excites, 81–83distribution of work and, 83–84motivating to achieve organizational goals, 31–40new hires, 21–22setting enthusiasm expectations for, 45–46

Enthusiasmbuilding enthusiastic team, 42–45modeling, 47–50motivation and, 14, 41setting expectations, 45–46team meetings and, 50–54

Environmentcreating positive work, 4–5, 10, 12motivating

assessment of, 2–3, 9–13, 122–125benefits of, 7–13creating, 1–7

Ethics, modeling enthusiasm and, 48

Face-to-face communication, 33, 40, 93–94Fairness

acknowledging effort and, 86awards and, 104coaching and, 77

False kindness, 74Feedback, 87–88Field trips, 68Food, providing at meetings, 51Franklin, Benjamin, 119Fun

modeling enthusiasm and, 48–49


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work environment and, 5, 10, 12work/life balance and, 116

Galbraith, John Kenneth, 115Games, use in meetings, 52Generation X, coaching, 72Generation Y, coaching, 72Gibbons, J., 48Gifts, acknowledging effort and, 85Gilbert, Ken, 54Giuliani, Rudy, 49Goals

career, 57, 62–63organizational. See Organizational goals

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 72Growth and development meeting, 57–65Growth and development plan, 57, 60–61, 63Guest speakers, 52

Herzberg, Frederick, 17, 26Hiring

conducting multiple interviews, 18–19creating motivating workplace and, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18–21, 126cultural fit and, 19enthusiasm and, 41new hires, 21–22orientation and, 22–28recruitment and, 19rectifying mistake in, 28role of Human Resources in, 19

Holtz, Lou, 2, 18Honesty

acknowledging effort and, 87coaching with, 74modeling enthusiasm and, 47

Index

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Human Resources, role in hiring, 19Humility, modeling enthusiasm and, 49Hygiene theory, 17, 26, 31

Individual growth and development plan (IGDP), 57, 60–61, 63Individual rewards, 99, 101–103Interrelation, job, 24–25Interviews, hiring

conducting multiple, 18–19development questions, 56knock-out questions, 20open-ended questions, 20–21

Jackson, Aldus, 125–127Jackson, Nelson, 72Jet Blue Airlines, 26Job descriptions, 23–24Job purpose

communicating, 4, 10, 12, 126orientation and, 24

Knowledge, power and, 119Knowledge sharing, 4

Leadership, motivating environment and, 8Leiter, Michael, 108Listening skills, coaching and, 76Locations, meeting, 52Lombardi, Vince, 71Long-term goals, 32–33

planning worksheet, 34–38

Madwed, Sidney, 5Managers

determining what excites employees, 81–83


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discussion of life balance, 110knowing team needs, 5–6, 10, 12as mirror of team, 6–7, 11, 12modeling enthusiasm, 47–50motivating employees to achieve goals, 38–40sharing goals with employees, 31–34state of the union presentation, 40

Mandino, Og, 41Maslach, Christina, 108MBO reward, 98Meetings

communicating mission during, 27communicating organizational goals during, 33, 39enthusiasm and, 50–54growth and development, 57–65team, 50–54, 68

delegating segment of, 53–54highlighting team member during, 54making motivating, 51–54

Memos, communicating organizational goals via, 39Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 71Mid-term goals, 32–33

planning worksheet, 35Mission

communicating, 27to new hires, 22

reviewing during orientation, 25–26team, 26–27

Mission statement, 25–26Modeling

enthusiasm, 47–50work/life balance, 115–117

Money, as reward, 104Mother Teresa, 107Motivate, defined, 1

Index

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Motivating environmentbenefits of, 7–13creating, 1–7

assessment of, 2–3, 9–13, 122–125Motivation

acknowledging effort and, 85–88annual review and, 67–69business case for, 13checklist of ways to acknowledge employees, 91–92coaching and, 71–80communication and, 92–95defined, 1, 2determining what excites employees, 81–83distribution of work and, 83–84enthusiasm and, 41key principles of, 13–15team outings and, 88–90

Motivation theory, 17–18Music, playing at meetings, 51

Newsletters, communicating organizational goals via, 39

Observation, determining what excites employees via, 81–83One-on-one communication, 33, 40, 93–94Open-ended questions, 20–21Organizational goals

long-term, 32–38mid-term, 32–33, 35motivating employees to achieve, 31–40short-term, 32–33, 35state of the union presentation, 40

Organizational policies, supporting, 49–50Orientation, 22–28

advantages of, 22–23communicating expectations regarding development, 56–57


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communicating organizational goals, 33explaining job interrelation, 24–25explaining job purpose, 24providing job descriptions, 23–24reviewing mission/credo/values, 25–26

Peale, Norman Vincent, 47Pitino, Rick, 80Plaques, 104Positive work environment, creating, 4–5, 10, 12Powell, Colin, 7Power, knowledge and, 119Productivity

coaching and, 72–73enthusiasm and, 41motivating environment and, 1, 7–8

Profits, motivating environment and, 8Promotions, 98Prop, meeting, 53Public Agenda Forum, 7

Questionsdevelopment, 56knock-out, 20open-ended, 20–21

Raises, motivation and, 67–68Recruitment, 19Respect, modeling, 48Rewards

defined, 97individual, 99, 101–103motivation and, 6, 11, 12, 14, 97–105, 127positioning, 102team, 99–101

Index

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tips on, 103–105types of, 98

Ritz Carlton, 25–26

Sales, motivating environment and, 8Sanders, Tim, 4Saturn Company, 100Seminars, motivation and, 68Short-term goals, 32–33

planning worksheet, 35Situational ethics, 48Southwest Airlines, 5, 7Starbucks, 26–27State of the union presentation, 40Strengths, development and employee, 57, 62Succession plans, 73

Team meetingsenthusiasm and, 50–54motivation and, 68

Teamsachieving organizational goals in, 38–39action planning for, 121building enthusiastic, 42–45goals of communication with, 95knowing needs of, 5–6, 10, 12managers as mirrors of, 6–7, 11, 12mission

documenting, 27explaining during orientation, 26–27

outings, 88–90rewards for, 6, 11, 12, 99–101

advantages of, 99disadvantages of, 99–100

Tenure award, 98


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Theme, meeting, 53Time off, unexpected, 115Toastmasters, 86, 103Training, during meetings, 52. See also DevelopmentTrophies, 104Turnover, motivating environment and, 8Twain, Mark, 97

Values, organizationalcommunicating to new hires, 22reviewing during orientation, 25–26

Videos, use in meetings, 51–52Voice mail

acknowledging effort via, 86communicating organizational goals via, 39

Wal-Mart, 38–39Welch, Jack, 74Work, strategic distribution of, 83–84Work hours, modeling enthusiasm and, 47–48Work/life balance

breaks and, 114–115, 116concept of, 15, 107–111modeling, 115–117self-assessment of, 111–114signs of lack of, 110symptoms and suggestions, 114

Worksheets, long-term planning, 34–38. See also AssessmentsWork space

coaching and, 76motivation and, 2, 4, 10, 12, 126

Yahoo, 4

Index

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About the AuthorShawn Doyle, RCC, CTM

Shawn Doyle is a learning and development professionalwho has a passion for human development and believes inthe concept of life-long learning. For the past 17 years, Shawnhas spent his time developing and implementing trainingprograms on sales, communication, and leadership in orderto help people become more effective in the work place andin their lives. Shawn is the founder and president of NewLight Learning and Development, Inc., a leadership develop-ment, motivation, and sales training company.

From 2000 to 2003, Shawn co-founded a highly successfulcorporate university for a Fortune 100 company. In the role ofVice President of Learning and Development, he developedcomprehensive leadership programs for the supervisory,managerial, and executive levels. He also oversaw the devel-opment of a broad-based curriculum nationwide on varioustopics.

From 1998 to 2000, he started the training function for a largeadvertising sales division of a major corporation. He devel-oped highly successful sales training, leadership, and mentor-ing programs. For his efforts in that role, he won the covetedPinnacle Award for outstanding leadership.

Shawn is certified by DDI, The Winninger Institute, Miller-Hieman, and is a Registered Corporate Coach (RCC). He has

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also earned the distinction of CTM (Competent Toastmaster)from Toastmasters.

Shawn is a member of the World Association of BusinessCoaches (WABC), The American Society of Training andDevelopment (ASTD), and Toastmasters International.

He has had articles published in Training and Developmentmagazine, Creative Training Techniques, and Miller-Hieman’s Best Few. He is the author of The Ten Foundationsof Motivation (iUniverse, 2003) and The Manager’s PocketGuide to Motivating Employees, and Sales Science (CafePress) written with David Newman.

To contact Shawn for training, keynotes, and consulting:

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[shawn doyle] the manager's pocket guide to motiva(bookfi.org)

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