Send to KindleWhy All This Talk About Employee Motivation?
When I was young I sometimes would hear someone promise to apply some “size 12 motivation.” Sometimes there was some other thinly veiled threat to take some unpleasant action under the guise of motivation.
These techniques were not really motivation.
But, you say, they worked.
Yes they often did produce a behavior change and while sometimes that change was permanent, usually it was not. When the external influence or threat was removed the behavior change often went with it.
The same is true with your employees. They may respond to those threats or incentives, but if the threats or incentives go away, often the change does as well.
That’s why it’s important to understand motivation. When a leader helps a worker understand their own motivation and take action to realize it, the results are much more likely to be permanent. Leaders who understand what drives their people are more successful. It’s that simple.
As a leader, if you aren’t too worried about the future success of the company, or your own success, then by all means, don’t make an effort to understand what motivates your people. Keep throwing money at them or kicking them when they don’t do what you want. But, if you’re a leader who wants to succeed, and who wants to make your company more successful, then take the time to understand what motivates your people and help them take the action necessary to realize that motivation.
