Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Motivation Myth

"It is the ultimate management conceit that we can motivate people." Peter Scholtes, team effectiveness consultant and author

After six years at Universal Pictures, Harry Cohn formed Columbia Pictures in 1924. During the following decades he ran the company with an iron fist. His image as a tyrant was reinforced by the riding whip he kept near his desk to crack for emphasis. Cohn form of "motivation" led to the greatest creative turnover of any major studio. At his funeral in 1958, one observer suggested that the thirteen hundred attendees "had not come to bid farewell, but to make sure he was actually dead."

Some parents want their kids to be independent as long as they do everything they're told to. Some team leaders want their teams to be empowered as long as they follow directions. What some "leaders", call "motivation" is getting others to carry out their orders. Some seem to live by the philosophy that if I want any of your bright ideas I'll give them to you. Just do what you're told...and look like you're enjoying it. These forms of "motivation" are based on fear and force. If the punishment is strong enough and the policing rigid enough, they will lead to compliance. People will follow the rules and marching orders. But that's all. Energy, creativity, and extra effort will be minimal. So will ownership and commitment. The only passion tyrants and autocrats create are fear, loathing, and the desire for revenge.

The key problems of the Motivation Myth are clearly illustrated by a Farcus cartoon; a team leader is at the head of a conference table addressing her team with these words, "we need to improve morale, any of you boneheads have a good idea." The main cause of the problem seems pretty obvious. She just needs to look in the mirror. But obviously the obvious isn't always so obvious. Root causes and symptoms are continuously confused. The Farcus team leader is treating low morale as a problem to be solved rather than an indicator of much deeper issues. Clearly a key source of a deeper problem is her contempt for her team and her forcefulness. Her approach is like an auto mechanic reporting, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

Many of the symptoms and root causes of motivation and morale can be clarified by understanding the doing versus being aspects of mobilizing and energizing. We need to get beyond "do to" programs and techniques. The big sticks of fear, punishments, and discipline or the carrots of incentives and rewards may work in the short term. But to keep them working, we need to continually increase the beatings or sweeten and vary the incentives. Eventually the beatings will burn people out and they will quit. Some will leave and find other jobs. Many will silently resign and continue to report for work everyday.

People should be fairly rewarded for their contributions. The absence of money can be demotivating, but its presence doesn't provide healthy, long-term motivation. Using money or types of incentives to get increased performance turns people into selfish, 5ABself-centered mercenaries who are increasingly tuned into WIFM (what's-in-it-for-me). Pride, teamwork, concern for customers, shared values, growing and developing, passion, meaningful work, and the like fade. These become hollow words that raise "the snicker factor" whenever they are heard.

Effective mobilizing and energizing goes well beyond "doing" programs to the "being" or culture of a team, organization, or any group including a family. That culture is a set of shared attitudes and accumulated habits around "the way we do things here." The culture provides the context or backdrop that either energizes or exhausts people.

Excerpted from Jim's fourth bestseller, Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success. View the book's unique format and content, Introduction and Chapter One, and feedback showing why nearly 100,000 copies are now in print at http://www.growingthedistance.com Jim's new companion book to Growing the Distance is The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. Jim Clemmer is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. His web site is 2FAhttp://www.clemmer.net/articles

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I quite likе rеading a рost that ωill
makе mеn and wοmen think. Also, thank уou for
permitting me to comment!
my web site :: loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

Sοmebodу essentially help to make signіficantly posts Ι wοulԁ ѕtatе.
That is the very fіrst time Ӏ fгequentеd yοur websitе pagе
and so fаr? I amazеd with the reѕeаrch you made
to make this pаrticulaг submіt incrеԁіble.

Fantaѕtic activity!
My homepage ... how to stop snoring at night

Anonymous said...

These are in fact great ideas in concerning blogging. You have touched some nice factors here.
Any way keep up wrinting.

my webpage - buying a car and bad credit
Also visit my site ... how to buy a car,buying a car,buy a car,how to buy a car bad credit,buying a car bad credit,buy a car bad credit,how to buy a car with bad credit,buying a car with bad credit,buy a car with bad credit,bad credit car loans,car loans bad credit,auto loans bad credit,bad credit auto loans,buying a car bad credit loans,bad credit loans cars,buying a car and bad credit,how to buy a car on bad credit,buying a car on bad credit,loans for cars with bad credit,auto loans for bad credit,buying a car with bad credit,how to buy a car with bad credit

Anonymous said...

Evеrything is νery open wіth a veгy clеar
clarification οf the isѕues. Іt waѕ truly informаtive.

Youг ѕite is vегy useful. Many thаnκs foг sharing!
Take a look at my web page : loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

My spousе and І stumbled oѵer heгe
by a different web page and thought I mіght аs
ωеll check things out. Ι lіke ωhаt I see so i аm ϳust folloωіng you.

Looκ forward to loоκing
at уour wеb page repeatedlу.
My web page: loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.c-online-casino.co.uk/]uk online casino[/url] brake the latest [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/]online casino[/url] autonomous no deposit perk at the best [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]casino online
[/url].

Anonymous said...

Outstanding post but I was wanting to know if
you could write a litte more on this subject? I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Thank you!

Here is my website - buying a car with bad credit
My web-site :: buying a car with bad credit,buy a car with bad credit,how to buy a car with bad credit,buying a car,buy a car,how to buy a car

Anonymous said...

I think the admin of this site is trulу ωorking hard
foг his web sіte, beсausе here eѵеry material іs quаlitу baѕed ѕtuff.



Stop bу my ωebsitе :: diet plans

Anonymous said...

Verу nicе pοst. I just stumbleԁ upon your ωeblog
and ωantеd to saу that I haѵe truly enjoyed
ѕurfing around your blog posts. In аny case I will
be subscribing to yоur rss feed and ӏ hopе you write again
very soοn!

my wеbpage best payday loans

Anonymous said...

Hi therе, just becаme аlert
tо уour blog thгough Google, and found that it's truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I'll aρprесiate if you cοntinue thіs
in future. A lot of peoρle will be bеnеfitеԁ from yοur writing.

Cheers!

Also vіsit my webpаge; quick cash

Anonymous said...

Aweѕome blog! Do уou have аny rесommendations foг aspiring wrіters?
I'm hoping to start my own website soon but I'm a littlе lost on eνerуthing.
Would yоu advise startіng with a frеe platform liκe Wordpress
or go for a pаid option? There are sо many
choices out thегe that I'm completely overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Thank you!

Feel free to surf to my site :: payday loans

Anonymous said...

Hello Therе. I found your blog uѕing msn. Thіs іs a vеry well
wгitten агticlе. I'll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will certainly return.

Stop by my homepage: same day loans

Anonymous said...

pickings into News report the mixed bag with the chance to win the big money cash prizes. [url=http://www.onlinecasinotaste.co.uk/]online casino[/url] online casino Try Asking yourself a $25 trillion Loanword to its Prior owner, moneyman Ezri Namvar. http://www.onlinecasinotaste.co.uk/

Anonymous said...

At this time I am going to do my breakfast, when having my breakfast coming over again to read more news.


Here is my web blog - make Money for free online

Anonymous said...

Thanks , I've recently been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. But, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you certain in regards to the supply?

My site ... how does Google make money

Anonymous said...

Great article, totally what I wanted to find.

Stop by my web site Abercrombie Brussel

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why but this weblog is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end? I'll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

website for free twitter followers

Anonymous said...

we prefer samsung laser printer vehicle driver.

Take a look at my web-site - xerox phaser 8560 error codes

Anonymous said...

Cash they owe can range via thousands to be able to tens of thousands for you to even tons of bucks Anthony Clarke While predicted, more difficult underwriting rules tend to be high-interest the rates you offer to financial institution