What do you think works best? Inspiration or coercion?
Of course it is inspiration! I cringe when I hear a manager ask, “We need to have a contest! Got any ideas?”
A few things we need to get straight when we talk about employee morale:
- You cannot motivate anyone to behave any certain way. Motivation comes from within.
- You can only attempt to create a working environment that inspires them to action.
- There is no "climate" when it comes to your business. Climate is a meteorological term. It denotes fast and frequent changes in the environment.
- Culture on the other hand does not change as fast, nor as frequent.
- Culture is defined as what behaviors take place in the absence of policy or direct supervision.
- Employee contests are a form of coercion and add no substantive value to your culture and in fact erode teamwork.
If you want inspired employees:
- Be inspired yourself. Why would an inspired and motivated person want to work with slugs?
- Provide daily inspiration. Walk the talk! Random acts of inspired rewards!
- Hire only people who walk, talk, think as inspired people. Not that hard to tell!
- Surround your inspired staff with more inspired staff. "A" & "B" players only please!
- Rid yourself of uninspired clods who drain energy from the rest of your staff.
- Reward the inspired constantly for great work. Value for value!
Have Fun Today!
