3 Motivation Techniques with a Twist: Learning What Not To Do

As a rule of thumb, remember that you learn from example what to do as well as what not to do. Here are three techniques we do not recommend.

Technique #1: “You Are Lucky to Have a Job”

As I walked past the store manager speaking with one of his sales clerks I overheard him say, “What are you complaining about? In this day and age, you should feel lucky you have this job.” In an instant the sales clerk’s face turned from attentive to completely disgusted. If I were the betting type I would wager that she will leave that position as quickly as she possibly can. In that short conversation the manager took an employee who seemed to be mildly annoyed about something in the workplace and turned her into an outraged angry employee who no longer wants to be a part of the organization.

 

This is no way to retain an employee. Just because the economy is at a low, it doesn’t mean the way we motivate people has to drop. This store manager is a perfect example of what not to do. Instead of reminding the employee of the economy and that she should be grateful she has a job, he would get much farther with her by keeping those thoughts to himself. Does he really want to lose a competent and trained employee?

Technique #2: Take Away the Bonus

It’s year-end, a time when many employees receive their bonuses. It reminds me of the holiday classic National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Clark, upon realizing he received a jelly-club membership instead of his expected annual bonus states, “ If this isn't the biggest bag-over-the-head, punch-in-the-face…” One of the biggest de-motivators is to take away money that has been hung as a carrot all year and based on all previous knowledge has been earned and should be paid. After Clark’s relative Eddie drags the boss, Frank, over to Clark’s house the conversation went something like this:

Frank Shirley: Remember how I was toying with the idea of suspending the Christmas bonuses?
Helen Shirley (Frank’s wife): You *didn't*! Well, of all the cheap lousy ways to save a buck!
SWAT Commander: That's pretty low, mister! If I had a rubber hose, I would beat you into a...
Frank Shirley: I changed my mind. I'm reinstating all the bonuses.

Taking away bonuses lowers morale.  We recommend maintaining earned income.  Use salaries and incomes only as a very last resort for cost savings.  It is much more motivational to rally the teams around solving a problem.  Get everyone involved and excited about finding and fixing operational inefficiences around the company.  You may find that this can save you as much as cutting the bonsues.

Technique #3: Point fingers

At one point in my corporate career, I worked indirectly with a manager who was affectionately nicknamed “Teflon” by everyone. It seemed whenever there was a problem in the department the issue would never get stuck on her. She was a finger pointing expert. If you looked at department statistics she also had a remarkably high turnover rate. The rate of interdepartmental transfers out of her department was the highest in the organization.

Blaming others and never taking responsibility for the actions of the department is a sure fire way to de-motivate the team. Understand what is going on in the department and take responsibility for the team’s actions. If something goes wrong, focus more time on resolving the issue so it never happens again and less time on trying to get to the bottom of who made the mistake in the first place.

What we DO Recommend

Three key lessons to remember:

Maintain your motivational skills even during tough times..  Being a good motivator will help to create a more positive environment.

If an employee works hard to achieve a goal that has a carrot at the end of it, give them the carrot if they are deserving.

Own your team by taking responsibility and sharing the fault when something goes wrong.

These simple lessons will support you in motivating your team. The ability to motivate can be very gratifying.

Do you want to strengthen your ability to motivate others? Coach Effect can help you get there. Please contact us about the coaching options that may work best for you.

Written by Jennifer Mounce, President, Coach Effect. Coach Effect is a coaching, consulting and development firm focused on engaging employees through leadership and organizational effectiveness. For more information, please contact us.