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| Team Motivation Technique: Break the Golden Rule |
By:
Daiv Russell |
It looks incredibly simple, doesn't it? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Golden Rule feels so undisputed that it should be a remedy for every relationship. Simply handle everyone the same way you would appreciate being treated and everything will run smooth as silk, right?
Just a minute... It seems that something is wrong...
Does your twenty-something hotshot salesman want the same goals out of their job that your forty-something office clerk wants? Is your technical staff hoping for similar goals and rewards as your receptionist?
Apparently, their wants are quite unique, however too many managers apply a one-size fits all approach when rewarding their key employees. After a large project is finished, everybody receives an identical award, whether it's lunch or a gas card. Providing an identical reward to the whole team is what's fair, right? But do you think it's truly fair to your team's key people?
Retain the Best Players
Startlingly small numbers small business owners realize that the Pareto Principle lesson regarding their people means that 2 out of 10 of their people deliver most of your entire company's success. In addition, almost every management book refers to case studies comparing the productivity of the key workers to the not so skilled (yet still effective) workers. The distinction between the top and bottom have been found to be as high as 100 to 1. The nearest these ratios ever seem to get to one another is about 4:1. But how much more does this extreme difference in value end up costing?
Let's say that your annual cost for the least skilled staff member is $30k, how much are you paying your key staff? Since a fair bit of the costs for staff stay the same, those costs don't increase in relation to base salary. For the intent of this example, let's use some worst-case , $60k. Assuming that your $30k employee delivers $30k of value (otherwise you'd let them go, right?). If your key employee is a measly four times more productive than the worst, they deliver far more value for how much more they cost.
If your business invests in more classes for your low-end people, costs instantly increase, but without any assurance that productivity will similarly increase. Consider, also, how much of your salary is factored into the "cost" of this moderately competent employee? Probably none. Management costs are usually invisible, factored away as overhead. It certainly feels like you're being productive - trying your hardest to bring along the strugglers, hoping that they eventually rise above their shortcomings. Consider how much of your time is spent with either of these employees:
The self-managing dynamo who, with speed of a bullet train, handles customer complaints, delivers defect-free results, and even cleans up after himself in the break room
The new guy who has some interpersonal issues, occasional product defects, some trouble listening to reason, and shows up late on Mondays due to his occasional hangover
Obviously your key performers are worth the effort. As such, it's crucial for every small business owner to keep their top performers, as this handful of hotshots makes up most of your team's value. Their experience with your unique processes combined with their talents and ability to get the job done in a pinch makes them just about invaluable.
Now, what's the most effective way to invest in your key people? How do you show those top performers that they're wanted, and increase the likelihood that they'll stick around?
What's the most effective plan to keep your best people?
Pay them cold, hard cash. If your $30k staffer puts in 100-hour weeks during the home stretch of a key project, most pure monetary rewards would come in at a rate less than minimum wage. Simply rethink this alternative. This can be quite insulting, seen, instead, as a half-hearted attempt to pay them off and ease a boss' guilty conscience. If you do decide to follow this path, after the taxman gets his share, the ultimate value of this cash might end up being far less than it costs to pay it out.
Pay for a training trip. Some people might be thrilled to get an opportunity to attend a course in a place expenses to the company. They may even like to spend the weekend before or after, out of their own pocket, just to cash in on a opportunity to get away for a bit. Watch out though, this could be mistaken by your high achiever that you noticed their efforts less than desirable. They might wrongly assume that they must take further classes to be worthy of the more desirable reward that lies waiting. If your worker is sensitive, they could get worried that their extra work they exerted was an indicator to you that they were struggling along. Suggesting a training reward in this situation could be interpreted that their challenge was obvious, and you are now taking remedial steps.
Offer a promotion. Though the appeal of a notable title or tangible gains accompanying a promotion may encourage some, more and more workers have come to understand the risks of the Peter Principle. They're worried that their work lives will shift a great deal should they are promoted to a position of greater responsibility. Your turbocharged talent probably delight in their current job. That's why they're so incredibly good at it. Before trying out a promotional reward, be sure that the new role truly leverages the talents and abilities present in these high achievers, or you may end up losing them. If you go for it, ensure your key staffer knows that they can get their old job again if something doesn't work out in the new job.
Offer additional paid time away from work. Everybody needs time off, right? Unfortunately, if you give this reward to a very dedicated worker who is so totally committed to their occupation that they have little social interaction outside of work, they may not know how to conduct themselves during this spare time.
Do unto others as they would have done unto them.
As you can see, there are innumerable ways to reward your most valuable. It's easy to be tempted to give all of your workers the same reward. It's especially dangerous to give them what you would want.
All of this leads to a very simple concept: communication. Simply put, ask your hotshots what they really would like. What could you give them that will let them to truly understand that they are appreciated? The path that leads someone to become a great account manager is quite distinct than the path of a great office manager. You may be stunned by the answers you hear. In reality, your employees may be amazed, as well, to learn that you are truly giving them a say to decide upon the reward for their efforts.
Do they want money?
Do they want more challenging assignments?
Do they want a little relaxation time to appreciate their children?
Would they like more mentoring?
Do they merely want to be acknowledged at a company function?
What rewards have they received previously that really made them feel good?
The answers can differ significantly for each individual, depending upon their long-term objectives, how their desires at this time are being fulfilled within Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, and the current challenges in their life. Don't make the blunder of taking for granted that the answer you hear today will remain the same throughout your top performer's career.
In the end, as opposed to hoping to reward your staff the way you would like to be rewarded, break The Golden Rule, and spend your time actually learning their needs and wants. By involving them in decisions that affect their lives so immediately, you might coincidentally take advantage of the Hawthorne Effect, and encourage your worker by proving you care. You will probably find that you've created a work setting that makes your high achievers than they've ever been. Accordingly, they will uncover methods to push themselves to new levels of efficiency, realizing that their efforts will bring about rewards that are truly meaningful to them. You may even earn their respect and loyalty for a lifetime. |
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