For Teams

The hidden value of people

 

People are working harder than ever to achieve their goals, both personal and professional.  And while many are successful, still others are getting bored of the rat-race, overwhelmed by information and immune to the next vision which invariably means more work, more change and more demands for their attention.


Some people abandon their ideals of excellence, and retreat into a shell of absenteeism.
Or worse still, “presentee-ism” … where they are just "going through the motions" and covering their behinds. Consequently, the demands of the 21st century workplace can quickly turn the most competent team of professionals into isolated people performing isolated tasks, each defending their days and inboxes so as to get through the week as safely as possible.

 

Even for those who are successful, many are looking for more from professional life. Some would describe this as a search for meaning, a better blend of life and work, or professional alignment. Most would describe it as an alternative to "hurry-sickness" and exhaustion.

 

The challenge is not to get motivated, but to stay motivated. How can we consistently perform well? How do we keep key people engaged?  

 

We start by considering our motivation and our vision. Many of our goals are ego-goals: about us, our company or our product. So in times when success seems elusive, our energy starts to flag.

 

Resources for Teams

 

Why do people come to work?

When creating a vision it is important to understand why others come to work. One common assumption is that everyone comes to work for the same reasons. For example, perhaps we are motivated by achievement, and expect everyone else to be similarly inclined. When they are not, we are left wondering why the bonus scheme hasn’t worked, or why others don’t display the same enthusiasm.

 

We are not “all the same deep down”. Diversity is not just a word from the vocabulary of political correctness; it’s recognition that a strong team will be composed of people with different talents, skills and priorities.  

 

Finding out why others come to work will tell you more about your team, what motivates them and how they want to be treated (and rewarded) than anything else. The chart below indicates a few of the factors that keep people coming to work.  
 

	Interior	Exterior
Individual	Love of problem-solving Intellectual challenge Creative expression	Achievement Learning and Challenge (and Yes, the Money!)
Relationships with others	Working together Recognition, appreciation Sense of fun	Collaboration, Feedback Brainstorming, Cooperation Creating new strategies

 

Notice that "extrinsic" motivators like incentives and bonuses only deal with the top right quadrant of motivation. And in doing so, they corrode the other quadrants. For a more sustainable approach to incentives and rewards visit the resources for teams page.

 

The value of what we do

When we consider what we are investing in our careers (i.e. our very lives in many cases) the usual drivers of  money, status, mental-challenge, collaboration, learning, self-knowledge, habit, etc.  rarely carry the ring of real conviction.

 

“To make a difference” might explain why we commit a weekend to a charity-cause ... but if a professional has spent the last 3 years working 50hr weeks, plus thinking about work on evenings, weekends and even while asleep, I just can’t believe that “to make a difference” fully explains this.

 

And this is apparent to no one more than the younger Gen-Y professional. They have seen their parents sacrifice everything on the altar of work. They were the “latchkey kids” who microwaved their own meals after school, as both their parents were at work until late. Even before they enter the workplace; they know the reality of the so-called “work-life” balance.  So what will keep them at work?  Particularly as many of them can’t afford to buy overpriced property, so their exit won’t be mortgage-locked.

 

The common factor that unites all the reasons people come to work can be summed up in the word enjoyment.  Gen Y knows they can go back-packing any time they choose; indeed on any given day that’s exactly what many of their Facebook friends are doing. They are seeing pictures of Laos and Cotapaxi every time they logon; so the temptation to go elsewhere is a daily one. So why not go? 

 

Amazingly perhaps, professionals of every generation share one important trait: an extraordinary perennial attachment to the practice of what they do.  Forget the awards-ceremony or the bonus-scheme; indeed many professionals treat both with a mixture of disdain and repugnance. They derive their purpose and meaning not from extrinsic factors or achievements or even life-objectives, but the intrinsic day-to-day challenges of solving the next problem in a fun environment of loyal colleagues.

 

While they are enjoying themselves, they will go to great lengths. But when the day comes that they feel indifference or boredom, the company bonus-scheme is not going to keep them. Would it keep you?

 

What Next?

 

How organisations recruit and manage their people ultimately dictates the sustainability of a business.  People make a culture, and if the culture is one of blame, short-term fixes, lack of accountability or hiding from reality, then sooner or later the day of reckoning arrives.

 

On the other hand, when we truly connect with the value of what we do every task becomes more enjoyable.  

 

If would like support in crafting a vision or motivating the team contact us or visit the training for teams page.

 

© John Niland, www.success121.com. May be reproduced on condition that the copyright notice is included.