Motivating the Individual Within!

"The world belongs to the energetic."

- Emerson

Recognizing performance "well done" is accomplished in many different ways from a managerial-leadership perspective.

Cultivating energies and dedication from an organizations bench is essential and whether done as incentives, bonus systems, perks, recognition initiatives or what-ever, the act of motivating one from their perspective is the equivalent to a new tank of gasoline in an automobile.

One of the traps which management has evolved into over past decades is to believe that all people are motivated in the same manner. In actuality, surveys reveal that what may be a motivator to one individual may in fact be a de-motivator to another. Management and personnel experts invest a tremendous amount of energies to determine what works and what doesn't. Research detailed in YIELD MANAGEMENT: The Leadership Alternative for Performance and Net Profit Improvement (by CRC Press, ISBN# 1-57444-206-6 /
USA $29.95) illustrates that most of what has been done has been a complete waste of everyone's time!

For any motivator to have real impact, there are three guideposts that must be adhered to first:

1. The act or offering must be of meaning to that specific recipient regardless of applicability to others!
2. The act or gesture must be repeatable…what do you do for the next accomplishment which warrants recognition?
3. The act or gesture must be of such nature that there is some degree of lasting impact … not an act or gesture that the next day has lost all meaning and memory! By rewarding the desired behavior and net results from a star player on your bench, the action given having more meaning to the recipient, allows for that player to be psychologically and subconsciously reminded of the reward every time they do a similar future act.

Here is a fast track formula that we have found amazingly always works with our Fortune 100 clients and governmental agency leaders for determining what works and what doesn't work with every employee within an organization. While, occasionally there may be some environments that have become stagnant due to institutional mediocrity which has been allowed to take hold, the following is a great process for determining what works:

1. Have each employee or direct report on your bench complete a self motivator assessment sheet or profile by detailing as many responses as appropriate for/to themselves, under two headers or categories and keep it in your personnel files for future reference.
2. Have each employee list those things that to them would be appreciated acts or gestures welcomed from management that would be 'FREE' on one side of a sheet and on the other side of the page list those items that would have actual 'FINANCIAL' perimeters about them.

The beauty of this sheet is that the "self motivator assessments" allow managerial-leaders the ability to ensure that every time meaning is attained, the actions are easily repeatable and in that the actions are coming from the recipients inventory, lasting impact is more often attainable!

This simple three-step formula is even more powerful in today's work place, as studies have determined that individuals are motivated in professional environments in one of three core ways:

1. By Self Fulfillment acts.
2. By Recognition delivered in many ways.
3. By Intrinsic motives.

Using the above two templates, managerial-leaders in today's high speed, results oriented environments can increase their ability to connect with individuals and motivate each individual from within their own rulebook of what matters!

"No man who continues to add something to the material, intellectual, and moral well-being of the place in which he lives is left long without proper reward."

- Booker T. Washington

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