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Letter from the Editor
First, an apology. It’s been about six weeks since the last issue of
The Key. It’s been a busy summer's end…. Sorry!
I rarely get into arguments with clients, but I did recently. One of the students in a coaching class we created for a global organization said that managers can’t motivate employees, motivation is an internal thing.
I agreed with him that motivation is an internal force. However, while motivation may be internal, a manager can certainly create the circumstances that will enable that motivation to exhibit itself. The student disagreed.
I asked him if he believed if managers could DEmotivate people – create circumstances in which morale and productivity plummeted. He quickly affirmed that managers can DEmotivate by not providing clear instructions, clarifying vision, or recognizing good performance. I suggested that good managers – motivational managers – provide clear instructions, clarify vision, and recognize good performance. More importantly, motivational managers know what MY motivations are – what turns me on. Being part of a winning team, contributing in meaningful ways, being recognized for my contributions, …. These are the things that motivate me.
I’m not sure I convinced him of his effect – positive or negative – on the morale and productivity of his employees, but I emerged from the conversation more convinced than ever that – while motivation is an internal force and you “can’t motivate” another person, we as managers certainly can understand what motivates (and
demotivates) employees and create the circumstances that will motivate our employees.
What do YOU think? Write me and I’ll publish your responses in the next issue of
The Key.
Terry
Some Theories of Motivation
It’s so difficult when I have to and so easy when I want to.
– Sondra Anice Barnes, writer
Motivation has been a topic of discussion since earliest times. In the past fifty years, theorists have attempted to describe motivation. Among the most notable theorists and theories:
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Theorist
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Theory
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Application to Today
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Abraham H. Maslow, 1954
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Hierarchy of Needs: A person is driven to satisfy needs
in an ascending order beginning with physiological needs (i.e., food,
warmth), security and safety needs, and social needs. Only after
each level is fulfilled will the motivational effects of higher order
needs come into play: Self-esteem and self-actualization.
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Few people are motivated at the lower levels since
society provides for these needs. People can be and are motivated by
the higher level needs of self-esteem and self-actualization.
Things that may satisfy lower level needs (i.e.,
food, shelter) such as salary or promotion are in most cases symbolic and
actually address higher level needs of self-esteem and self-actualization.
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Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton, 1960
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The Managerial Grid: Their grid accounts for the
conventional thinking that managers are concerned both about production
(the task) and people, and that to increase performance, you need to focus
on the task or on the worker. At one extreme is the manager who is
concerned about neither task nor people; at the other is the manager who
is entirely committed to both. Some managers (“Country Club
Management”) are concerned more with people than the task, while others
(“Authority-Obedience”) are more concerned about task than
people. The Grid is useful for identifying a management style with
its inherent strengths and weaknesses.
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While it is useful to identify one’s managerial style, it is
increasingly more important to be able to adopt a number of different
styles since different situations require different styles.
Other researchers — most notably Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard —
have suggested that Situational Leadership is the most effective
managerial behavior.
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Frederick Herzberg, 1966
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Two-Factor Theory: Herzberg identifies aspects of the job,
which prevent or promote dissatisfaction as “hygiene factors.”
Things such as company policy, pay, job security, and working conditions
may cause dissatisfaction if not adequate, but will not increase
satisfaction or motivation if present. Factors that do produce
motivation include achievement, recognition, advancement, responsibility,
and interesting work.
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The motivators that Herzberg identifies are in the hands of managers
and supervisors. Dissatisfiers (“hygiene factors”) are often
outside the direct control of the manager or supervisor but they can help
influence company policy on behalf of the employees.
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Victor H. Vroom, 1964
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Expectancy Theory: Vroom’s is a contingency theory that
states that performance on the job is a means by which the person can
achieve a personal goal or satisfy an intrinsic need. The stronger
the person believes that achieving a certain goal will result in certain
rewards, the more motivated the person will be.
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First, most people believe that performance is a
means to satisfaction rather than satisfaction being a means to
performance.
Second, if performance can be linked to the personal payoff —
whatever it may be for the individual — the more likely the person will
be motivated to perform.
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Certain things motivate certain individuals at certain times. While some motivators may be clear and direct (“I want to win the $500 prize so we can afford the vacation.”), others are subtler:
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Prestige: The feeling of having achieved a certain level of status or class or position. This position — it is believed — has perquisites and importance associated with it. This motivator is associated with self-esteem.
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Power: The feeling of having achieved a certain position with which the person can exert greater control over others or the environment. This motivator is associated with self-esteem.
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 Competence: The feeling of having mastered a task or skill. This motivator is associated with self-actualization.
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Achievement: The feeling of having faced and overcome a reasonable challenge. This motivator (associated with researcher David C. McClelland) is associated with self-actualization.
The above comes from Motivating for Sales
Performance, a 12-unit program designed to be delivered by regional or senior managers to their front-line managers or supervisors. For more information, contact Entelechy at
info@unlockit.com.
Motivation is a Personal Thing
Much has been written about motivation over the years and follows the line of reasoning that goes something like this:
Manager: Boy, I wish the team would try harder to meet the numbers. They just don’t seem motivated. Maybe if I gave them a pep talk about the importance of their role in the company…
Later: That didn’t seem to do anything. I think we should set up a recognition program and recognize the top producer at a free pizza lunch every Friday.
Later: The pizza lunch is nice, but it doesn’t seem to be having any impact on the numbers. And the three people who got the certificate for top producer weren’t thrilled about the award. Maybe I should make a contest with awards — movie tickets!
Later: The contest seemed to backfire. Maybe movie tickets weren’t such a great idea. Maybe a massage, or a clock radio, or a toaster…
Later: None of those prizes worked either; maybe I just have a group with a bad attitude! I know what’ll motivate them! I’m going to give them an ultimatum — make the numbers or ELSE!
Later: That worked for a couple of days. Now, half of the team is gone — and those who left seemed to be all the star producers.
In the above scenario, who’s motivated? That’s right, the manager! Why aren’t the employees motivated?
Motives are a personal thing. What motivates one person may not motivate another person.
And what motivates someone this week may not be motivating next week.
Successful managers and supervisors know that the key to motivation is understanding and tapping into people’s individual motives — finding out what motivates them and giving it to them. Successful managers know how to form that bridge between employees’ motives and their work.
The above comes from Motivating for Sales Performance, a 12-unit program designed to be delivered by regional or senior managers to their front-line managers or supervisors. For more information, contact Entelechy at
info@unlockit.com.
Motivation – A Lesson Plan
 The following lesson plan comes from
Motivating for Sales Performance. It is written to be delivered by a director or senior manager to a staff of front-line managers or supervisors. However, you will find that the lesson can be delivered by anyone to a group of managers or supervisors or team leads – anyone who manages the performance of others.
Discuss and Define Motivation
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Record the following quotes on a flip chart or read aloud:
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“It’s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.” (Sondra Anice Barnes, writer)
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“Those who win are those who think they can.” (Richard Bach, writer)
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Ask, “How do these quotes apply to motivation?” Discuss. Cover the following points:
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Motivation is an intrinsic (internal) drive to achieve. It’s a personal choice based on the belief that the payoff is worth the effort. (Note that the payoff is often intangible: Recognition, self-satisfaction, etc.)
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People are either motivated to do something — such as striving to reach sales goals and be recognized for superior achievement — or to avoid something — such as refraining from making phone calls for fear of rejection.
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Motivation is a combination of desire and belief. Motivated people WANT to achieve and BELIEVE that they can achieve.
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Motivation can be triggered or influenced by external factors.
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Motives compete with each other. For example, a person may be motivated to meet aggressive sales numbers and simultaneously motivated to avoid rejection.
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Ask participants to define motivation. Record the important points on a flip chart and end up with a definition of motivation that is similar to the dictionary definition: “To provide with some inner drive, impulse, intention, etc. that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way; incentive; goal.”
 Identify Motives
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State, "We agreed that motivation is an internal combination of desire and belief. As an individual, when were you motivated?"
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Record common themes on a flip chart, which may include:
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Ask participants if they were always motivated in the same way as their peers. (The answer should be no.) Discuss.
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Ask participants if the same thing always motivated them time after time. (The answer should be no.) Discuss.
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As appropriate, discuss motivational theories such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory or Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (see the chart in the previous article).
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Ask participants to consider that several motives are operating simultaneously and that desired performance is more likely to occur when the motive to perform is increased and the motive not to perform is decreased.
Identify Motivation Techniques
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Tell participants that we agreed that while motivation is an internal drive, it can be externally generated or influenced.
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Ask participants to describe motivational techniques they have tried with their individuals or teams, and their success. Record responses on a flip chart. Encourage participants to take notes in the
Motivation Idea Bank (a notebook in which participants list motivation tips, techniques, and ideas).
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Identify common traits of successful motivation techniques and record them on a flip chart. Summarize using the following acronym and have participants write this down in their
Motivation Idea Bank:
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Meaningful (personally desirable, rewarding)
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Objective (focused, specific enough to be accurately measured)
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Tough (challenging, requires effort above normal)
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Important (targets relevant, business-impacting behavior)
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Viable (while challenging, the goal is always achievable)
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Ethical, tasteful, fun (doesn’t turn me off)
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Distribute Motivation Is a Personal Thing
(see the article elsewhere in this issue of The
Key).
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Discuss the importance of this excerpt in reframing our concept of motivation. Motivation is not something we “do” to others. It’s finding out what excites them — what drives them. And then we tap into that energy source!
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State that we will be examining each of these characteristics over the remaining units of this topic on motivation beginning with performance.
Summarize 
Motivation is an internal combination of desire and belief. If someone wants something and believes he has the ability to achieve it, that person is motivated. Motivation can be externally triggered or influenced.
A lot has been written about motivation and we’ll be examining more of the concepts throughout this topic as they apply to helping us increase the performance of our team and
individuals.
Continuous Learning
Ask participants to do the following before the next meeting:
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Use one of the techniques we discussed (refer the group to the flip chart created in Item #11 and #12 in the Identify Motivation Techniques section) to motivate your team towards a specific behavior. Identify who engages and who doesn’t. Through conversation or observation, determine why some engaged and others didn’t. Record your findings in your
Motivation Idea Bank. Also, please note that throughout this series of meetings we will be trying new ideas and revisiting some successful ideas from the past.
Make sure to check with me before embarking on a motivational program that will have budgetary considerations. For obvious reasons, I’ll advise you of any guidelines you must follow.
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Identify the specific performance you were trying to impact with the above technique. Record the information in your
Motivation Idea Bank.
The above comes from Motivating for Sales
Performance, a 12-unit program designed to be delivered by regional or senior managers to their front-line managers or supervisors. For more information, contact Entelechy at
info@unlockit.com.
Meet Entelechy’s Newest Addition – Sharon Fernandez
Entelechy is pleased to announce the addition of Sharon Fernandez. Sharon is joining us as
a Performance Consultant, responsible for designing and developing training and performance solutions for clients.
Sharon has 13 years experience as designer, developer, and training manager; her business acumen – focusing on the financial services industry – adds to her ability to provide solutions to address business problems and opportunities.
Sharon lives in Belmont, NH – near Donna Iacopucci. In fact, the two of them met at their children’s soccer match and struck up a conversation. What a fortuitous meeting for Entelechy!
And Now for Something Completely Different
Christian the Lion
I don’t usually pass on YouTube stuff, but this one really got to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U
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