The skill set of successful managers today requires a talent for motivation. Those who understand motivation realize success and get more out of their staff. Those that don’t ultimately stumble and fall never realizing their group’s potential. This talent for motivation has little to do with technical competence but everything to do with understanding what moves people to action. What moves people to higher levels of performance.
We are all motivated in one of three ways: by fear, desire, or obligation. I often explain the concept of motivation by relating it to religion. Why do people go to church? Some go because of fear. The fear that the hand of God will strike them down if they don’t attend. Some go because of obligation, “my parents make me go”. Many go because of desire. They feel good about giving an hour a week to prayer. The positive rewards of this behavior reinforce the desire to do it again and again.
The challenge of management is to realize repeated good group performance by instilling the desire to do so. Why desire? Because it’s sustainable over time. Business journals are filled with stories of companies that faced problems of extinction but survived. Some got stronger and are here today. Others survived temporarily. What happened? What’s the difference?
When faced with extreme challenges, managers will use fear to motivate their employees. Fear works. The challenge of performing or losing your job can move mountains. I have no doubt that each manager knows how to find the “fear button” in their employees. Repeated use of fear is like the boy who cried wolf. Eventually employees stop listening.
Obligation works in a similar way. As a manager, I’m certain that I can bring anyone into my office and “obligate” them to the task at hand. Obligation usually means that the employee has to give something up for “me”. That something may be time, freedom to act or they are suddenly working under extreme management oversight. The only way the employee can eliminate this obligation to management is to perform. Good employees will not work very long for a manager who obligates them. They will eventually leave.
Although both fear and obligation work and can be used, the goal of managers should be to use them sparingly. Sustained success occurs through desire. The desire of employees to perform at a high level each and every day. Communication and sharing is the key to motivation by desire. Employees who know the plan, know the opportunity, and know what’s at stake will have a desire to participate and achieve. Don’t filter the message. Share everything with your employees. Many managers tell their employees what they think they need to know. They need to know it all if you want them motivated.