RandomCrates

If you believe what Dan Pink is selling, as managers and process creators we have a lot of work to do. Motivation, it seems, has little to do with carrots and sticks and more to do with autonomy.

We can’t forget that we are leading people. We must keep in mind that business process management is more than flow charts. We aren’t leading monkeys or robots, but people who want to enjoy what they’re doing.  I’ve talked before about creating business processes and consistently re-evaluating business processes.  When defining the work instructions It’s important to focus on the non-negotiable tasks of the process. Does everyone need to do everything the exact same way? Probably not.

As Dan points out, the carrot rewards do work for simple tasks. If a task or process is repetitive it probably makes sense to use a carrot reward. Things along the lines of, “If you sew X number of bags, you’ll get Y bonus”. These simple tasks that have prescriptive instructions can be “carrotized”. However, these carrot rewards do not work for complex tasks that most of us do everyday. Telling your staff, “Figure out this problem that we’ve never seen before by X day and you’ll get Y reward”, produces poor results. Dan relays that this scenario has the potential of causing a tunnel vision. The focus is on the reward, not the result. Imagine the implications this has in Sales organizations.

So what can we do for our processes?

• Build in autonomy where appropriate. Are all tasks time or location dependent? Probably not. Look into a Results Only Work Environment.
• Focus on the results not the specific actions that everyone takes to get there.
• Ensure the inputs and outputs are solid, and the hand-offs defined. For the most part, your people should be smart enough to figure out the tactical execution.
• Set Expectations. Make sure everyone throughout the process understands their responsibilities and time lines. Nothing will break sabotage a process more than unclear expectations.

Treat people as people and you’ll be surprised how they respond.

Check out Dan’s TED talk below.

How do we define success? Success is money. Success is power. Success is the big house in the fancy neighborhood and expensive vacations. Or is it?

I define success as doing what you love. If you aren’t evangelizing you aren’t successful.

If you’re a teacher and want to spread the word, want to inspire kids, and want everyone to understand the importance and the benefit, you’re successful.

If you work for a book publisher and love talking about the art and science of creating a book and want to change the world through books, you’re successful.

When I say Evangelist, I’m not talking the religious zealots on late night television that come off more as swindlers than true believers. I’m talking the definition made famous by Guy Kawasaki . Loving what you do and spreading the word because of your passion.

If you aren’t doing something you care to evangelize you aren’t going to be happy. Having a sports car and a trophy wife/husband isn’t going to make you happy. Material success is a numbing agent and only dulls your feeling of dissatisfaction. Like any drug it’s going to take an increased dosage to get the same high. Focus on doing something you love. Want to be a fireman? Put out fires. Want to create video games? Learn art, or programming. Want to start a business? Start a business, any business. Want to work on an assembly line creating M&Ms? Great. But, for the love of all things Holy, do not do something you hate. Focus on determining what will make you happy, and do something about it.

As long as you’re passionate and love what you do, you are successful and most importantly satisfied.

How often do  you hear someone say, “It’s not my problem.” Well, that line of thinking is the problem. A problem for one part of the organization always impacts you.

If you are in sales, do you not think problems in customer service impact you? Try selling for an organization that has poor service levels.

Are you in supply chain? Do you ignore accounts payable issues? Try getting credit from a supplier that always gets paid 60 days late.

Too much focus is on the task at hand. Everyone in the organization needs a basic understanding behind the theory of your business. By having a clearer view of the interdependencies we can all see that one group’s problem is everyone’s problem.  As managers we must enforce accountability, flatten the organization and properly apply empowerment.

Give your folks some latitude and you’ll see an increase in ownership and pride in the outcome.

Am I full of it? Let me know in the comments.

What do you do when you have a toothache? You grab the Anbesol.
Have a headache? Take some Advil.
Have a stressful day? Watch some TV. Eat that bowl of mac & cheese. Escape.

Numbing agents are good. It’s OK to numb the pain, as long as you’re not numbing symptoms of a larger problem. If you’re numbing a headache that turns out to be a brain tumor, you’ve got serious problems.

If your coming home drained from work every day and just want to plop down on the couch and watch TV, you’ve got a brain tumor! There is a big difference between being a satisfied tired, and a miserable tired. Do have the urge to become an alcoholic to numb the feeling of being unfulfilled (I have before)? If that’s the case, your not solving your problems, you are ignoring them.

What are numbing agents?

Numbing agents are anything that you consistently do for the purpose of masking unhappiness AND keeps you from working towards satisfying your goals. A numbing agent is not to be confused with a hobby, which is something you do in spare time that contributes to your happiness. A list of common numbing agents (if not done in moderation):

- TV
- Video Games
- Surfing the Web
- That [insert social media service of choice] addiction
- Eating
- Partying
- Drinking
- Hanging out with motivation draining negatives
- Movies
- Sleeping
- Reading

All of these things, if done to escape persistent unhappiness, are numbing agents. They keep you from fulfilling your dreams.

What can you do?

Stop using numbing agents and use the “pain” as motivation. Determine what will make you happy (you may find that it doesn’t, but you don’t know until you try).  And instead of numbing agents, do inspirational things that will help you meet your goal. Here’s a list of inspirational activities.

+ Write something, anything
+ Start a blog
+ Connect with positive and motivational friends
+ Draw, even if you suck
+ Make some music, even if the only instrument you know are the spoons
+ Read a book that teaches you something related to your goal
+ Read a blog that teaches you something related to your goal
+ Cook something exotic
+ Exercise
+ Play board games with the family
+ Deactivate your cable/satellite service
+ Suspend that WoW account
+ Take a sabbatical from that [insert social media service of choice]

Basically, do anything that stimulates your brain. Bonus points if the activity is a step towards your goal. The objective is to get you thinking, having fun, being creative, and stop trying to numb your life. It’s amazing the energy, motivation, and satisfaction you will feel if you get out of your rut and work towards fulfilling your dreams.

Project Managers are often in difficult positions. We must manage large teams with people spanning multiple departments, all having full time day jobs and differing priorities. A project manager rarely has dedicated resources and must create realistic schedules taking into account everyone’s priorities and availability. Managing a team dedicated to the project may simplify scheduling, but it doesn’t do much for motivation.  How do you motivate a team that does not report to you, may not understand the goal of the project, and may have different priorities?

What Do They Need?

To help motivate your team you must first understand what they need. Abraham Maslow did a lot of work in the area of motivation and fulfilling employee needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a a five stage pyramid that represents the various needs that every person ultimately wants to fulfill. Once fulfilling the base needs Maslow believes everyone looks to fulfill the next stage, moving up the pyramid until all needs are satisfied.

More… »