It’s Lonely at the Top – 4 Ways to Help Employees Make the Step Change to Leader

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Sandy Cooper

Becoming a Leader

In a recent National Post article Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, where shown riding the subway with the caption “Prince Charles shows he’s just a regular bloke.”

Although the article didn’t convince me that the Prince is a regular bloke (I don’t think that regular blokes only take the subway once every 25 years!), it did (in a very strange way) highlight an issue when employees are promoted to leadership positions: they are no longer seen by their former co-workers as “regular blokes.”

The new leader must form new bonds and this, coupled with the pressure of trying to succeed in a new position, can be difficult for the newly promoted leader.

4 Ways to Help Employees Make the Step Change to Leader

Here are four ways that company’s can help to ensure their employees don’t feel lonely at the top.

1. Make Relationship-Building a Part of Leadership Development

Building relationships with co-workers is important. Of equal or maybe greater significance to a leader is their ability to form new relationships with those who report to them. The dynamics of this relationship can be difficult to grasp and therefore should be a part of the professional development of all future leaders.

2. Teach People Skills

It is common practice to select potential leaders within an organization partly based on character traits that would be beneficial to the company. Having a natural ability to relate with others should be one of these traits.

It is great to have a leader that has the technical knowledge to answer specific questions from their team however, the further up the ladder they progress, the less valuable these technical skills become. Great leaders surround themselves with people smarter then they are and find a way to get them to produce – these are people skills, not technical skills.

“Many corporate and governmental organizations assessments of leaders are exclusively focused on how well they handle the files in the inbox. But there is almost no assessment of their leadership skills.” ~ General Rick Hillier

3. Coach, Coach, Coach

Picking the right candidate for the job and providing all the formal training you can find will do little for how your top performer feels the first time they have to give their former lunch room buddy a poor mid-year review unless they receive continuous coaching.

Set your new leader up with someone in a different department that is one or two levels above their position on the org. chart. Of course the coach will need coaching on how to be a coach, but that is a part of the continuous professional development model you have implemented.

4. Team Build

Making friends isn’t easy. Making them with a new group of co-workers is even harder. Not only will frequent opportunities for team development help your newly promoted leader feel like they are part of the group, it will also help those that have been in management positions for a while get to know the new kid on the block.

If there is any resentment held by the more experienced leaders in your company towards the young up and comer, team building can be structured in such a way as to break down the walls of communication and help close the generational gap.

 “Under many existing development models, leaders learn to think about jobs in terms of what they control. This notion has led to excluding others and a lack of teamwork.” ~ Ram Charan

Keeping Real

No one is expecting that when an employee is promoted that they will have to completely drop all friendships they developed in their previous role. Nor are they expected to invite the management team over to watch football on Sunday afternoon (or hockey on Saturday night) with this said, their relationships will change: their new title dictates so.

To help ensure success for the employee and the company, it is important that relationship skills are recognized as a vital skill in their professional development and included in leadership development programs.

Have you experienced the feeling of isolation after being promoted? How much of a divide do you think is healthy between management and a company’s workforce? Do you think social media can help maintain a healthy balance between management and worker or will the line be too blurred? What kind of leadership training does your company offer? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Sandy Cooper

Sandy Cooper is a HSEQ Advisor in the offshore oil and gas industry
He works within a management system to help develop worker leadership skills
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter |  Web 

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Leaders: How to Deal with Control Freaks

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Aditi Chopra

Control Freak

Haven’t we all come across control freaks in our lives at one time or another?

If you say that you haven’t, then I would be quite surprised! They seem to be anywhere people gather and they are very tenuous to deal with.

Dealing With Control Freaks

The bad news is that you can find such people in any walk of life, but the good news is that there is a way to deal with them. You just need to be patient with such people and you can’t expect to treat them just like others because it simply will not work.

Although they are very trying to be around, you definitely cannot let them frustrate you because when you do this you are giving them more power that way. You could certainly refuse to deal with them, but you might be forced in a situation at work or some other place where you will have no choice but to deal with a control freak.

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Understanding the Control Freak

con·trol freak [ kən trṓl freek ]

  1. Slang. n. a person whose behavior indicates a powerful need to control people or circumstances in everyday matters.

The very first thing to know about a control freak is that he is somewhere insecure himself which makes him behave in a controlling manner.

  • They are probably not sure of their ability to work with people or lead them and therefore they chose to control them.
  • They haven’t developed the right leadership skills and controlling is the only way they know.
  • They may even feel threatened by you and by trying to control you they feel a sense of false power.

The other obvious thing to note is that control freaks are completely unaware of the fact that they are being perceived as control freaks. These people sometime wonder why they are not so popular.

The answer is obvious to us but not to them.

When you know and accept these two facts about control freaks, it immediately gives you power over them. Some people may mistakenly perceive them as bossy, type A personalities and fail to see their weakness.

If you are able to see their insecurities, you can deal with them very easily.

Leading the Control Freak

If you have the time and inclination to coach these personalities into becoming able leaders, you should attempt to do so.

I have to say, it is not going to be easy.

First you will have to make them realize their weakness because they are not even aware and then help them overcome it.

Both of these processes could take years because they will have to first unlearn their current ways of dealing with people and then develop more healthy ways of leading.

Control Freak

If you are not inclined to be a coach to these people or you don’t have the time to devote neither you are in a position to coach them, then you will have to have a different strategy to deal with them.

  • One option is to work with their supervisors to keep their behavior in check. This is only possible if you work with them in a well-defined organizational setup.
  • If you work in a cross-functional organization or let’s say a volunteer organization where there is no hierarchy, then the strategy would have to be different. In such cases, try and appeal to their goals and aspirations.
  • If they have some goal that you can help them with, they will see you as a collaborator and will not get threatened by you. As soon as they see that they have something to gain from you, their behavior will soften automatically.

So, are you now or have you been in the past the victim of a control freak? How did it make you feel? How did you deal with it. Or perhaps, do you see some of these symptoms in your own behavior? If so, what steps can you take to play nicer in the sandbox with others? And how could this increase your level of influence? I would love to hear your thoughts?

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Aditi Chopra
Aditi Chopra is an experienced leader in the software industry
She is a consultant, writer and a leader
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Leaders: How to Dig Deep and Treasure Your Trials

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Lee Ellis

Treasure Your Trials

As a leader, are you going (or have you been) through tough times? If so, it may be time to reflect on some who have been down that road before you.

For the POWs in the Vietnam War, facing serious trials became a way of life.

Ask a Prisoner of War

In that bleak existence locked up and isolated in a communist prison camp for five, six, seven and even eight years, every day had its challenges.  The POWs had to depend on their enemy for the meager food that kept them alive. The same sinister enemy used isolation, beatings, and torture in their attempts to exploit them and make them into propaganda pawns for the communist party.

The diet was pitiful and medical care was virtually non-existent.

Yet the POWs emerged stronger, becoming successful military leaders, congressmen, teachers, lawyers, doctors, counselors, businessmen, and even a Senator and Presidential candidate.  They learned to treasure the trials of their hardship.

“Not many will have to contend with the tribulations of POW life, but everyone faces hardships and disappointments.”

Ask Anybody

For some it’s a work or career crisis. Layoffs and home foreclosures of recent years have cut deep, leaving many in a severe financial crisis that may worsen, with some experts saying that home prices will go down further before we see a slow recovery. For others it’s a health crisis or perhaps a struggling teen, or a relationship that has gone sour from betrayal.

At some point, we all face the pain of trials.

When you’re in dark times or caught up in the chaos of a battle, it isn’t easy to see the treasure in your trials.  Here are some tips to help you refocus toward not only your goals but the true gold found in trials.

Go Deep—Find Meaning and Make Changes

Adversity builds character by forcing us to face our deepest beliefs and values.  In the crucibles of life, when all the pretend stuff melts away it’s much easier to clarify what is really important and what is not. We have the opportunity to find meaning in our suffering and meaning is a treasure worth finding.

The transformation that we most need isn’t very inviting in good times, but in difficult times our pain can give us the energy and motivation to change our attitudes and behaviors.   As Victor Frankl put it, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”  The painful struggles that we would never choose often afford the greatest opportunity for personal growth, and personal growth is the only path to genuine leadership development.

Go Long—Gain Wisdom and Experience

Leadership research confirms that the experience of overcoming difficulties is not only transformational; making us stronger, but it also makes us wiser and better suited for the challenges of leadership.  Wisdom gained through the experience of hard times helps us better navigate future minefields.

Persevering through tough times also increases our confidence, preparing us for future challenges that will surely come.  On the other hand, leaders devoid of crucible experiences are likely to be overly confident about their ideas, and surprisingly more susceptible to fears.

Courageously facing our fears in the difficult times gives us both humility and real confidence.

The wisdom garnered in hard times about ourselves and life becomes the wisdom that guides us into a better future.  Additionally, the difficult trials generate strong emotional memories that stay with us longer and are more easily accessed—gold that we don’t have to search so hard to find.

Don’t Go It Alone 

When you are in a battle, you don’t want to be alone—you need supporters in your corner—people who care about you and have your back.  They can provide encouragement when your spirit is down and your hope is sagging.

Encouragement can provide vital energy for bouncing back and continuing to persevere.

Sometimes a shared idea or a new perspective on a problem can make all the difference.  Just knowing someone is near—that you are not standing alone—can provide the needed inspiration, courage, and energy to persevere, even when everything in you is saying it’s too tough to keep going.

Every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine knows it’s not good to fight alone. The same is true for all of us.

We must stay connected to be resilient and bounce back from trials. The lingering treasure is that when you have gone through the fire with someone, usually a bond is formed that brings a special relationship for a lifetime.

More than likely, you have already passed through some tough times in your life.  It may be helpful to look back and see the treasure that you gained from those past challenges.  What was the meaning you gained through those trials?  What did you learn about yourself that may be helpful now?  What changes did you make then?  Who walked with you?

You have a choice. You can let your trials bury you or you can dig for the treasure in them.  If you want to discover the gold in your current pit, then answer these questions:

  • How can you find meaning in your current trial? 
  • What are you learning about yourself? 
  • What changes do you need to make now—in your attitude, mindset or behaviors?
  • What wisdom points are you learning in your current situation that will help you in the future? 
  • Who is walking with you through this fire to provide support?  

If you follow these tips, someday, looking back, you will see enormous value in your trials. We’d love to hear your thoughts–please share them in this forum.

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Lee Ellis
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Lee Ellis is Founder & President of Leadership Freedom LLC & FreedomStar Media.
He is a leadership consultant and expert in teambuilding, executive development & assessments
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog | Book | Facebook | Twitter

His latest book is called Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton.

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On Leadership, Positivity and Notions of Power

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Dr. Robert Brescia

Positive Power

What makes for a “powerful” leader? Is it authority, position, or seniority? Could it also be personal gravitas in the way the leader speaks and acts?

The interesting thing about power is that leaders and followers alike have an opinion about it but rarely take the time to try and define what it really is – it just happens.

We can better understand power and learn how to make it work better for you and those who interact with you.

Notions of Power

Old Notions of Power:

Power is contained within the long-lasting, durable structures of society: the police, the political machines, doctors, lawyers, educators – anyone or anything that is tied to a bureaucracy.  Power is almost always a negative connotation – it’s “power over” somebody – making that person do something that he wouldn’t have done were it not for your “power play”.

New Notions of Power:

Real power in our times comes more from what a leader says and does – not from the organizational architecture that she is a part of. How about the COO that everyone “goes around” because he just doesn’t add any value to ongoing initiatives? Consider the state representative who can’t get any of his legislation passed in the House because he doesn’t know how to garner support from his colleagues.

A leader’s power is not in the structure – it’s in the interaction.

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Positive Power – Practiced by Great Leaders Everywhere!

What can you do as a leader to employ positive and effective power? Consider these actions:

  1. Shorten the distance between what you say and what you do.
  2. Use power as a multiplier in your organization, not as a personal kingdom-maker.
  3. Your own language can make you powerful – or not. Watch what you say and how you say it.
  4. Recognize and reward those who are practicing positive power.

1 – Shorten the distance between what you say and what you do.

Measure the distance between what you say and what you do. Look at the goals and objectives you have written down in strategy documents – how have you acted on them? Add a “1” if you’ve acted on them successfully – add a “0” if you haven’t. Tally up the number of “1”s and “0”s and calculate a percentage of “1”s to the total.

90% to 100%:     Congratulations – your distance between talk and walk is very short!

70% to 90%:        Work on it. Either your goal-setting is faulty or you are just not following through.

0% to 70%:          Really work on it – a lot. Your power factor is low. Seek coaching and mentorship. Understand that if you are just a pontificator, you have no real power.

2 – Use power as a multiplier in your organization, not as a personal kingdom-maker.

When I was in military service, I once had occasion to see two Generals having an argument with each in the headquarters. They were in each other’s faces, using their “outside” voices, and all this in front of others.

Each one was trying to exercise “power over” the other – through force, if you will – domination and intimidation. This only served to provide a bad example to us all and inhibit the number of powerful leaders in the organization.

Instead, we should help multiply leadership throughout the organization by demonstrating positive power even when we disagree. Remember: all personal “kingdoms” eventually disintegrate because they are held together by the wrong type of power. The more durable groups remain longer because their structures are made from long-lasting materials – positive power, trust, and respect.

Powerful leaders are those that set the example of civil and respectful relationships with everyone regardless of station and circumstance.

3 – Your own language can make you powerful – or not. Watch what you say and how you say it.

What kind of language are you using with everyone? Is it dominating, coercing, authoritative? Do you employ a lot of ideology and rhetoric? Rhetoric skews your message in some type of desired manner.

Politicians exercise power every day by employing rhetoric in effective ways. In other words, are you using language that is associated with old-school notions of “power over”?

Powerful leaders are those that set informal and lighthearted work environments by using their own voice and language in non-threatening and encouraging ways.

4 – Recognize and reward those who are practicing positive power.

When you observe someone practicing positive power, are you taking advantage of that action by recognizing it with some type of affirmation? If you acquiesce and let it pass, you will have missed a great opportunity for multiplication of positive power.

If you openly recognize that behavior, everyone will strive to emulate it. When they do, your whole department will experience a very beneficial effect of positive power. As an added benefit, you will have reduced fear in the workplace.

Powerful leaders set a “positive power” example and praise those who subscribe to this desirable behavior.

So how can you move toward a more positive notion of leadership and influence? What steps can you take today that will help you lead better tomorrow? What else can you add to this to help people understand the true force behind positivity and leadership? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Dr. Robert Brescia
Dr. Robert Brescia is Executive Director at JBS Public Leadership Institute
He teaches young Texans about leadership, ethics, and public service
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Web | Book | Skype: robert.brescia

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When Businesses Grow But Leaders Don’t: Become a Conductor

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Lee Ellis

Conductor

Have you ever thought of an organizational leader being a conductor of an orchestra? Or if you prefer, any type of team activity or sport creates the same set of principles. 

The Conductor’s Role and Method

As a small business entrepreneur, you have done most or all of the work yourself in your business. It was small enough that you could walk the hall or breakroom, give quick updates when needed, and then move on to the next task.

Your system of communication was largely one-on-one, and systems aren’t important in this early stage because only a few people are doing the work. Think of this scenario as a small music ensemble—just a few people making beautiful music together. There isn’t even a conductor standing in front the group in the traditional sense, but there may be a lead position playing an instrument (sound familiar?).   

Over time if you’re providing a great product or service, hopefully your business will grow. Your hard work is paying off with more business. At some point, though, you’ll face a barrier to future growth. You can’t do most of the work anymore, and there’s so much volume that you and your colleagues barely find time to talk with one another.

New systems and processes must be put into place to achieve that next level of growth; otherwise, quality will suffer and your growth will stop (or even decrease).

This is Your Moment

If you’re the leader of the organization, this is a critical moment in your career.

Either you learn how to grow and prosper as a leader, or you delegate the leadership to a qualified individual.

This new role may seem very alien and inefficient to you, but it’s essential that someone fill this spot. Now the business has grown from a small music ensemble to a 100-piece orchestra. The leader can’t sit in the group and play as he’s done in the past.

They must assume the role of standing in front and keeping the group on the same sheet of music (pun intended), keeping them on the same tempo, and ensuring that all parts are playing in harmony with one another.

Some Practical Principles

Here are just a few practical leadership lessons taken from my book, Leading with Honor –

  • Know Yourself – Know your personal strengths and struggles, and surround yourself with people that can balance your deficiencies.
  • Clarify and Build Your Culture – Creating a mission, vision, and values statement for your organization shouldn’t seem like a waste of time. This mission/vision/values musical score is the page that everyone will play from. It doesn’t have to be a complex set of statements, but it should make it clear who you are, how you do business, and what’s most important so that everyone in the organization has a clear understanding of expectations and results.
  • Over-Communicate the Message – If you believe that you’ve stated a point, process, or objective enough, you haven’t. Don’t needlessly have meetings for the sake of meetings, but find ways to disseminate information in multiple ways that fits with your culture. Also, make sure that the communication isn’t all top-down; it should be reciprocal, and the culture you’ve created should make it safe to do so.
  • Develop Your People – You must be in the business of developing your people just as much as the business itself. If someone needs more practice to perfect their part in the orchestra, give them the resources to do it and build in a method of accountability to hear what they’ve learned in the process. In an orchestra, the leader must teach them how to listen to each other.
  • Build Cohesive Teams – Create an atmosphere of collaboration instead of fear and self-preservation. Allow mistakes to be made, give supervisors the latitude to help their people, and incentivize all staff in a way that builds a closer team.

I hope that this doesn’t seem like an insurmountable task to you. Many of the leadership lessons that I’ve described above have been tested, proven, and implemented many times over. Find a successful organizational plan or successful business, and build on an existing strategy.

And please, don’t re-create the wheel.

You Can Do It

As you begin for create your own plan incorporating the lessons above, the over-arching leadership lesson that must be applied is courage—that is, doing what you know is right even though it doesn’t feel natural and safe. There will always be some element of risk in building your business, but being risky within a set of guidelines and principles is much better than being reckless with no plan or direction.

Once the orchestra begins playing a piece of music, it takes courage to keep going. They can’t stop and must press through with confidence, watch the conductor, listen and communicate with each other, and collectively give the audience the best performance possible based on their passion, skill, training, and experience.

You can grow as a leader of expanding business. Put the right pieces into place, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Trust me—you’ll have a team that can enjoy it with you and have the trust and confidence to follow no matter what challenges you face.

So, have you been in the position where you needed to become a conductor of your own “symphony” at your business? Or, is this something that you are facing now or in the future? What are some concrete steps you can take to insure that this shift goes smoothly? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Lee Ellis

Lee Ellis is Founder & President of Leadership Freedom LLC & FreedomStar Media.
He is a leadership consultant and expert in teambuilding, executive development & assessments
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog | Book | Facebook | Twitter

His latest book is called Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton.

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Wake Up! Leaders are Dreamers

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Dr. Bill Donahue

Leaders are Dreamers

Risky Dreams 

“The limitations you are willing to accept determine the boundaries of your existence.” ~ Erwin McManus, Wide Awake

As I reflect on what I learned a few years ago in Erwins’ book Wide Awake, I am challenged, prodded and provoked to live and think differently.

I wonder this:

  • “Am I living too safely?”
  • “Am I leading too plainly?”
  • “Am I willing to dream again—bigger, better, bolder?”

Remember: Great leaders are born out of great dreams.

I Have a Dream

Some of those “great dreams” emerge from a creative idea. Jeff Bezos, in 1992, was a SVP for the New York hedge fund D.E. Shaw when he dreamt of building a company that would sell books on the Internet. Ever heard of Amazon?

Others are stirred deeply by injustice. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman dreamed of freedom, battling slavery and racial oppression. It cost MLK his life.

Some dreams do that.

MADD as Hell

Not infrequently dreams are birthed in the midst of great tragedies. On May 3, 1980, Candy Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver in Fair Oaks, California.

Angered by the relatively light sentence the driver received for his recklessness, she launched Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) which raises awareness of the damage wrought when driving under the influence of alcohol.

McManus says “a dream needs a person to bring it to life.”

An isolated dream will only fester in the heart of one person and eventually die; and sometimes it takes the dreamer with it.

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Living the Dream

Dying dreams are as contagious as living ones. How many of us have buried dreams only to realize that we have placed a bit of ourselves in the ground? A dream must be shared, embodied and empowered for it to be life-giving.

Dreams are intensely communal.

McManus provocatively says:

How long you live does not reflect how well you live. The real question is, were you alive when you died?

I love that question! And I fear it.

  • What if my dream fails?
  • What if no one else is inspired by my burning desire to live the dream?
  • What if my dream is just an illusion, a momentary fit of grandiosity and self-indulgence?

Becoming a Dreamer

We need to focus our energy and rekindle the fires

McManus notes the word focus comes from the Latin word for “hearth” or “fireplace” and thus means “the burning center.” What is the burning center of my life? To find it I must carve away distractions, cut off the peripheral could-do for the more central must-do. But the “do” must be centered in the “be” – what I am becoming.

Before I have a dream am I becoming a dreamer?

That takes some time and effort. Focus seems like a luxury only a well-subsidized artist can afford—someone who’s paid to paint one portrait, not run around frantically splashing paint on every blank canvas, hoping for a quick a sale.

Can we make the changes needed to be real dreamers? Are we willing to make a focused effort?

Build the Core with Focus

McManus tells the story of therapy he received for a back injury – to work on his stomach. It seemed odd but he soon understood that “core training” was key to a healthy back. POW’s learned to do it so they’d remain strong enough for a potential escape, but not look so strong in the arms that they’d pose a threat.

We need to work on our “core” – core beliefs, practices and convictions; core mission, vision and strategy. FOCUS! But it is not easy or glamorous, so I settle for superficial solutions and neglect the core.

“I think a lot of us choose the opposite path,” McManus chides. “We do the tanning booth and the Botox and the collagen so we can look healthy on the outside, but we are really weak at the center.”

Admittedly, I am weaker at the center than I’d care to admit. And, as a result, my team is not as strong. Because core training is best when we do it together, like Navy Seals prepping for the mission of their lives.

So What’s a Leader to Do?

There are no quick steps. But here are some routines that will help leaders dream with focus and persistence.

1)     Shore up Relationships at Home (or friends)

My wife and daughter come first (my son’s out of the house now). Centered relationships will let you dream freely, knowing you are caring for the fires at home before you try to save the world.

2)     Spend Some Money

Dreaming has a cost. I suggest 1-2 conferences or gatherings and books. I am in the process of ordering about 30-40 leadership resources for the coming months. This is a mix of biography, provocative thinkers, life shapers and students of culture, and personal growth materials. I need to hear other voices as I recalibrate my own.

3)     Do a Dreamers Inventory

What inspired you before? What are the roadblocks now? What gets you up in the morning and keeps you up at night? What can you do that others cannot do? What must be done? I live in these questions.

4)     Get Around Other Dreamers

Hanging out with I’m-building-the-dream-right-now-and-it-is-a-wild-ride kinds of people will light your fire and keep it burning. You know the type – upstart business leaders, creative teachers, provocative activists, church planters, artists without boundaries. (ESPECIALLY if they are not in your field!!!). I am doing it this week.

5)     Pull the Trigger

At some point you simply must act. I was recalling in my journal all the things I started in the last few years, some large, some small. Many “failed” or fizzled, or took an unexpected turn. Yes, I was frustrated, angry, disappointed, lost momentum, and almost threw in the towel. Actually, I did– but I picked up some new towels. I am not where I want to be – but I am moving!

 The real question is, “Were you alive when you died?”

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Dr. Bill Donahue
Dr. Bill Donahue is President of LeaderSync Group, Inc
Bill is a professor at TIU and a Leadership Speaker and Consultant
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On Leadership and Counting Carrots

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Alan Mikolaj

Carrot and Stick

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” ~ Dr. Robert Anthony

So What’s Your Carrot?

Do you know what motivates others at work? Research from Duke University and George Mason University reveals that, although you might think you do; you probably don’t.

At regular intervals over a forty-year period, executives were asked to rank what they thought motivated their employees. They consistently got it wrong.  Executives erroneously believed that external factors and incentives such as compensation, bonuses, job security, and promotions are what most motivated their employees.

But what do the employees say?  They report that it is inherent factors, such as interesting work, being appreciated for making meaningful contributions, a feeling of being involved in decisions, and being part of something bigger that motivates them the most.

However, employees were no better off predicting what motivated their bosses and peers. They got it wrong, too; believing it is external factors that motivates others – especially their superiors.

The fact is, executives report being motivated mostly by autonomy, their inherent interest in their work, big challenges, and a sense of relatedness with colleagues.

True Incentives & Rewards

In psychology we call these biases – particularly the self-serving bias and the extrinsic incentive bias. We give more credit to internal and inherent motivations to ourselves than we do to others and think others are more externally motivated than they probably are.

These biases between boss and employee can lead to sub-optimal incentive, reward, and compensation programs. It can lead to negative thoughts such as

“Since I can’t pay my staff more and promote them like I want to, they don’t seem very motivated. I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

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Eroding Trust

But more importantly, these biases and their corresponding negative thoughts erode trust. Anil Saxena recently wrote of trust in a recent L2L blog and how trust can only develop when our relationships are adult ones.   When they’re not and we allow biases and negative thinking to flourish instead, this can erode trust and make working well together difficult.

This doesn’t mean that money, promotions, and the like are not important. They are. Just much less than we think.

Other research shows that as long as employees feel they are earning a fair wage, inherent factors begin to take over as motivators, or if not met, as a detriment.

Lee Ellis also recently wrote on an excellent piece here on L2L about trust and coaching.  He learned employees valued two attributes most from their leaders: support and helping direct reports develop.

This can’t happen unless you also have some clues about what motivates them.

Undercover Revelations

I don’t watch much commercial TV, but one show I occasionally enjoy really knows how to bring this awareness out in bosses: Undercover Boss. In almost every episode I’ve seen, the CEO has an eye-opening experience not only about what frontline employees and their supervisors do, but more importantly, what motivates them.

The boss always walks away from the experience with a transformed perspective.

When both bosses and employees reduce blame and finger-pointing by reversing erroneous beliefs and ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) about each other, we foster trust, engagement, and a better working environment – and we know this leads to higher productivity, reduced turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and increased profits.

And who doesn’t want that?

How do you foster a keener awareness of what motivates your employees? How do you use that knowledge and awareness to develop trust and motivate others? What beliefs can you let go of that will help you be a better leader?

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Alan Mikolaj

Alan Mikolaj is a Professional and Inspirational Trainer, Keynote Speaker & Author
He is the author of three books and holds his Master of Arts  in Clinical Psychology
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Book | Web

Image Sources: anticap.files.wordpress.com

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