On Leadership, Sherlock Holmes and The Analytical Leader

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Alexsys Thompson

Sherlock Holmes

Being Holmes

Known particularly for his shrewd logical reasoning, Detective Sherlock Holmes most certainly possesses a strength both envied and despised. Despite the efforts of those he seeks to thwart, Holmes’s uncanny ability to weed through the details of a case, find the facts, and solve the puzzle has proven he is the best at what he does.

Some might call his methods perceptive, systematic, logical, or even rigorous.

In the Strengths world, however, it is known as Analytical.

Being Watson

One must wonder, what’s it like to work for someone who is Analytical? No one knows the answer to this better than John H. Watson, Holmes’s very own assistant.

As an Analytical leader, Holmes constantly challenges others, following the motto “Prove it”.

When developing a theory of his own, Watson can count on Holmes to ensure his thinking is sound and essentially bullet proof. In Holmes’s more unsophisticated moments, Watson is also aware his ideas may be destroyed. In fact, if Holmes allows his Analytical to run amuck, he may all but completely deter Watson from speaking his mind ever again.

If you’re like Holmes…

Chances are, if you’re Analytical, your work rarely (if ever) has a mistake. You base your conclusions on proven data and facts, rather than “what ifs” and possibilities. You are able to create patterns and make connections to provide solid, agenda-free solutions, making you extremely valuable to your team and organization.

To others, you are unbiased, meticulous, and logically sound; for these reasons, you are the go to person to diffuse “fanciful thinking” and implement concrete ideas.

As a leader, you are able to provide your team with:

  • Substantial support for the bottom line
  • Relatively error free production
  • Trust worthy decision making
  • Stability in data based solutions

As with any Strength, you also need to be aware of the dark side of being Analytical.

Effectively Leading Watson

Below-the-line perceptions can be extremely powerful when leading your team. Not everyone on your team will have Analytical anywhere hear their top five, much less their top ten, so it’s critical that you understand how your feedback and/or direction are received.

Possible below-the-line perceptions are:

  • Paralysis by Analysis- too many reasons why a plan WON’T work
  • Seem argumentative
  • Ask too many questions
  • Struggle with Abstract thinking
  • Dream killer

Though your intention is to help Watson develop a sound theory, you may actually be creating an unproductive work environment for him. If Watson is high in the themes of Activator or Futuristic, your tendency to get “stuck in the weeds” will be very frustrating.

Remaining Engaged

In order to guarantee Watson remains engaged, and also develops a well-thought out plan, it’s important for you to see the forest for the trees. Remember the bottom line and present him two to three questions that can help him head in a solid direction.

There may be times when it is necessary to deconstruct Watson’s theories and redirect him to a more tangible path; be aware of how you deliver the information.

If you are too harsh, your feedback has the opportunity to be taken personally.

When you begin your line of questioning, be fastidious about which questions are essential to the bottom line. Remember, the big picture is the ultimate result of the details!

If you’re a leader strong in Analytical, how have you been able to balance your need for detail with the essentials of a particular project? Are you able to leverage the talents of other team members to get projects started? Have you found a way to deliver feedback to an employee in a way that is productive and leaves them feeling valued?

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Alexsys "Lexy" Thompson HCS, SWP
Alexsys “Lexy” Thompson is Managing Partner at Fokal Fusion
She helps building Strong Leaders through Strong People Strategy
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Hey Leaders: People Are People

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Rich Bishop

Empathy and Compassion

It’s important to see that people are people. Sounds like an easy concept, doesn’t it?

But it’s not!

On Leadership And Empathy

Viewing people as people means that we understand that others have feelings, we care for them, and we understand that they have needs. When you feel great about your relationships, you intuitively know these things, don’t you?

Your wife has feelings, you love her with all your heart, and you do what you can to meet her needs. You take out the trash like you’re supposed to, you buy flowers for her birthday… you pour yourself into her. It’s pretty obvious that you truly do see her as a special person.

So the other day on your way to work, how did you look at the guy who cut you off in traffic? Chances are pretty good that he may have been on the receiving end of your horn, a selective finger or two, and a few choice four-letter words.

Did you see him as a person? I doubt it.

I bet that you saw him:

  • As an obstacle to what you had to do for the day
  • As a jerk
  • As an idiot
  • As as a danger
  • As anything but a person who has feelings, issues, troubles, and needs, didn’t you?

It’s ok to admit it… it happens to me too.

The reality is that we see the people closest to us as the special people that they are.  But the people that we don’t necessarily have a tie to can become just a “thing” in our minds. Other people tend to become a tool that we measure whether they are helping us achieving our goals, preventing us from achieving our goals, or just noise in the background.

However, these “things” are special people with their own set of issues, feelings, and agendas.

What Are Their Intentions?

What if you knew that man who cut you off was rushing to see his wife in the hospital because she was in a serious accident? Would that change your mind about him cutting you off? Maybe you would have even let him go? You see, we all have our own agendas near and dear to our hearts, but we tend to forget that other people do too.

We will often view people based on how they fit our agenda – if they fit, then we care for them; if they don’t, they’re just getting in our way.

We are all guilty of judging people by their actions and not by their intentions. Those actions can hurt us or let us down. However, we tend to judge ourselves based on our intentions. How many times have you said, “I didn’t mean to do that. What I was trying to do was…”?

If we truly want to be judged by our intentions, we have to start judging others by theirs.

 No One is “Below” You

We are also guilty of fitting people into some sort of an importance hierarchy. Depending on where we see ourselves, our hierarchy may look something like this:

Level 7: The President
Level 6: Me
Level 5: Executives
Level 4: Clerks and assistants
Level 3: Those pesky teenagers in the neighborhood
Level 2: Labor workers
Level 1: The homeless

It seems somewhat absurd when it’s written out that way, doesn’t it? But I know that I’m not the only one that has looked at people with this in my heart. This is exactly what happens when we look at people as “things” in our lives or pieces that fit our agendas.

No one is below you! And, for that matter, no one is above you!

Every single person on that list is a person. There is not a single one on that list that deserves to be placed in the box that we’ve put them in.

It’s About What’s in Your Heart

What is in your heart is what determines how you will see the people around you. If you truly love people, you will naturally see them on a level playing field with yourself, no matter where they may fall in someone else’s pecking order.

  • Their job doesn’t matter
  • Their income doesn’t matter
  • Their looks don’t matter

But what does matter is that they are people. They are just as special as you are, with their own talents and treasures to offer the world. Having the compassion to see people as they really are can make the difference between being a leader of people and just being productive with your own to-do list.

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Rich Bishop
Rich Bishop is President of Bishop Coaching & Consulting Group
He takes a hands-on approach to your Development through Coaching & Training
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Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Difference-Maker

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Tom Cocklereece

EQ

A true story:

In March 2013 Susanna Rohm’s seemingly-healthy two month old baby had stopped breathing causing mom to go into a panic. She began screaming for help as loudly as possible.

In the panic Susanna had lost her cell phone and had the presence of mind to go get help rather than search for the phone. She ran outside and saw two boys playing across the street. Susanna yelled to them for help and screamed for them to call 911.

Ethan Wilson, age 11, and Rocky Hurt, age 9, immediately placed the emergency call but Rocky ran across the street to see what else he could do to help.

Noticing that Susanna was not administering CPR correctly, he coached the panicking mom to give proper chest compressions and breaths to her distressed baby.

Rocky later told a reporter, “I told her to push on the baby’s chest five to 10 times with only two fingers, tilt back the baby’s head, plug the baby’s nose and breathe into the baby’s mouth.”

Suddenly, the baby began crying at which point Rocky told Susanna, “That’s a good sign because it means the baby is breathing.”

Paramedics soon arrived and transported the baby to the hospital for further treatment but Rocky certainly saved the day. Rocky and Ethan said they had learned CPR from a restaurant poster.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability and presence of mind to make rational decisions and to take action that may be directly opposed to the inner emotional stimulus. More broadly is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.

Emotional Intelligence may be explained best using stories in which it may be illustrated. The story about Rocky helping to save a baby illustrates a great human interest story but also Emotional Intelligence, also known as EQ or EI.

Rocky clearly did not panic as might be expected of a nine-year old boy. He maintained control of his own emotions, recalled memory of a poster describing CPR of an infant, and through his composure he calmed the emotions of Susanne so that she could follow the instructions and resuscitate her baby.

This is not to suggest that Susanne has a low EQ but rather that Rocky certainly is a good illustration of high emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability and presence of mind to make rational decisions and to take action that may be directly opposed to the inner emotional stimulus.

Emotional Intelligence is Leadership Intelligence

Rocky Hurt appears to have natural Emotional Intelligence at an early age, with limited education, maturity, or training. His presence of mind and control of not only his own emotions but also those of Susanne is compelling. Historically this is an ability of the best leaders.

  • Bvt. Maj. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain serving as a regiment commander in the battle of Gettysburg overcame the overwhelming sense of defeat by his soldiers on the second day of the battle. He ordered a bayonet charge of Confederate forces and took over 100 prisoners and restored confidence as his position on Little Round Top was held.
  • Lee Iacocca was an incredibly successful executive at Ford Motor Company in 1978. Even though the company posted a $2 billion profit that year, Iacocca was fired. While many people get down on themselves after being terminated, Iacocca quickly rose to the top again as the chief executive of the troubled Chrysler Motor Company and is credited with turning the company around.

True Control: Controlling One’s Self

Whether in the military, business, politics, church, or any other endeavor, leaders with high Emotional Intelligence are able to change the mood, motivate the people, and lead the organization to success.

Emotional Intelligence is the difference-maker for leadership. It requires that the leader suspend their own mood and emotions and communicate optimism and a positive vision.

It is the difference between leadership that creates dissonance and leadership that creates resonance. There are many examples in history of leaders with high Emotional Intelligence.

Dissonance or resonance may be seen in the culture of a leader’s organization by how he or she motivates people. Dissonant leadership can motivate for a while but requires great energy to sustain. On the other hand, resonant leadership that is actuated by Emotional Intelligence coupled with effective leadership abilities is self-sustaining by the synergy of the whole organization.

Developing a Higher Emotional Intelligence

Many scholars of Emotional Intelligence believe that people can improve and grow in this area of development. The premise in virtually all of the books and resources on the EQ subject suggest that one may improve his or her Emotional Intelligence area.

However, developing a higher Emotional Intelligence requires determination and presence of mind.

It requires moving from:

  • UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE >>> to >>>
  • UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE.

The last stage shows the presence of mind that Rocky Hurt dad as he helped save that  baby.

For those of the Christian faith, actuating Emotional Intelligence is the realization of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It requires that one internalize the principle until it is lived value.

So what are some examples you remember of emotional intelligence from history? Why is it difficult to act contrary to emotional stimuli? Are you growing in emotional intelligence? Does your workplace exhibit resonant or dissonant leadership? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Tom Cocklereece
Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC
He is an author, professional coach, and leadership specialist
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Gian = Leadership: Timeless Advice on Competitive Advantage

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Rob Wolfe

The Art of War

In his book, The Art of War for Executives, author Donald G. Krause provides interpretations of author Sun Tzu’s writings from The Art of War to help business leaders use the material in everyday business situations.

His interpretations incorporate philosophies from modern business leaders such as Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, as well as military strategists such as George Patton and J.F.C. Fuller.

Sun Tzu said: “We estimate using five principles and calculate our strategies. Then, we judge our course of action.”

Gian = Leadership

Of the five principles…the fourth is called Gian (or leadership).

This principle—Gian—is the basis for this article. I have sifted through Krause’s modern interpretation and compiled three focus areas with timeless points of wisdom that can and should be applied by leaders in every business to gain and sustain a competitive advantage.

These points are:

  • Information
  • Perceptions and Your Target Market
  • Competitive Strategy

On Information

“Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.” ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  • Timely, accurate information is the lifeblood of successful competition.
  • Information means getting facts—timely, accurate facts—about the reality of conditions and circumstances in the competitive situation. Nothing in competition is more important than getting facts.
  • Facts clarify the situation. Alternatives are based on the facts. Appropriateness is based on evaluation of alternatives. And action is based on appropriateness.
  • Information also means giving out perceptions. Perceptions are facts and fiction that move your competitors and constituents where you want them.
  • When an executive fails in competitive operations, it is due to overdependence on internal knowledge or folk wisdom. Folk wisdom is that body of unchallenged assumptions which everyone thinks to be true. Folk wisdom exists in every organization. The value of information offered by people who do not know constituents personally is almost zero, particularly in times of rapid change. Decisions made far from the constituents impoverish the executive.
  • The wise executive harvests timely information from his constituents and his competitors. One new product idea generated from discussion with a real client is worth any number of ideas generated by consultants or [internal] staff.
  • Learn more about the people who use your products. Get better information. Create new products and services that fill previously unrecognized needs. Move quickly before your competitor finds out.

On Perception and Your Target Markets

“Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.” ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  • Keep your good name and your superior reputation before those who determine your future. Keep the quality and value of your products/[services] in the minds of your clients. Keep your clients’ needs uppermost in your mind.
  • In circumstances where your competitor is strong, develop innovative products and services. Look for indications of constituent dissatisfaction. Move quickly to meet needs. Where you competitor is weak, emphasize the advantages of your products. Look for better ways to serve.
  • Wear out your competition with unrelenting attention to the needs of your constituents.
  • If you have twice as many clients, make sure you understand why they are choosing your product and why they might choose your competitors’. Talk with your constituents. Talk with your competitors’ constituents. Redefine and differentiate yourself. How are you different? How are you superior?
  • Seek to divide the constituent group into smaller, more profitable niches which you can dominate. Further, seek new constituents for existing services. What additional services can you provide? Can you meet needs outside your currently defined constituency? Look at yourself through new eyes.

On Competitive Strategy

“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  • An executive must create plans for competitive actions which allow him/her to leverage his/her particular strengths within his/her organization in the marketplace. By competitive actions, I mean actions that bring an individual or an organization into conflict with other individuals or organizations. Leveraging your strengths gives you a competitive advantage.
  • All competitive advantage is based on effective execution of plans. Poor execution ruins superior plans. Superior execution saves mediocre plans. Further, superior execution can make more effective use of innovation and information. Surprise your competitors with your willingness and ability to adapt and change.
  • Constantly seek new approaches and methods, seek new market segments and different clients. Even with successful products look for new uses among old clients and new clients among those not considered before.
  • Confuse your competitors with constant innovation and superior service. Innovation is the one weapon which cannot be defended against.
  • The ideal strategy is to make competitors’ products or services obsolete through innovation.
  • Your aim is to take over a group of constituents intact by appearing superior in their minds. Thus your resources will be preserved and your profit will be greater. This is the art of effective competitive strategy.
  • The ability to triumph is a matter of positioning. Wait for the opportunity created by others. Execute effective strategies at the appropriate time.

Do you feel there are any important pieces of wisdom missing from the lists above as they relate to obtaining information, perceptions and target markets, or competitive strategy that are vital to business success? Do you disagree with any of the points above? I would like to hear your perspectives.

Note: I have changed Krause’s use of the word “customer” to “client” to stick with my viewpoint that all buyers should be considered “clients” with whom you want to build and maintain a relationship, rather than “customers” with a transactional focus.

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Rob Wolfe
Rob Wolfe is Consultant at Towers Watson
He help with engagement, solution selling, relationship management & social media
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Are You A Sleep Sick Leader

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Debra Olejownik

Sleeping Under Desk

An important aspect that helps lower our stress levels is getting regular, restful sleep. Sadly, many leaders experience periods of inadequate sleep that can last from just a few days, to several weeks or even longer.  

When this happens, leaders ability to deal with stress weakens.

Additionally, the frustration of not being able to either get to sleep, or stay asleep, adds to leaders source of stress and can eventually lead to burnout!

Some Serious Questions

  • Leaders, are you part of the Sleep Sick Society?
  • Do you ignore the fact that you are tired?
  • Do you do too much, and stress yourself to the point of exhaustion?

Millions of people suffer from sleep sickness. According to Dr. William C. Dement’s research; we are a sleep sick society! It’s a very common problem; here are some startling sleep stats.

Some Causes of Interrupted Sleep?

  • Stress eating - Stress unleashes hormones that have an effect on what we eat. When stressed, we have a tendency to grab the high fat, sugary “comfort foods.” Wheat is also a culprit according to Dr. William Davis in the book Wheat Belly
  • Physical tension – Stress can result from many things: a high-pressure job, relationships, financial problems, and personal changes in our life.
  • Surfing the Internet before bed - The bright light of our computer screens may alter our body’s biological clock and suppress the natural hormone production of melatonin that’s critical to the normal Sleep-Wake Cycle
  • Excessive caffeinated products –  Caffeinated beverages; stimulants that block adenosine (energy transfer). According to Psychology Today, your brain does not sense exhaustion and it receives a gradual stream of alertness-inducing adrenaline. You typically experience caffeine’s greatest effects within 30 minutes to an hour, and the extra pep boost may last up to four to six hours
  • Overworked – Taking your work to bed with you will definitely keep you awake at night.
  • Emotional Strain – Anxiety, depression, worrying, anger and resentment, and PTSD are all symptoms of emotional strain that keeps us awake at night.

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Consequences of Interrupted Sleep

“Did you know that sleep is the single most important factor in predicting how long you will live?” ~ William C. Dement

If sleep is cut short:

  • Cognitive abilities are compromised
  • We wake up less prepared
  • Have difficulty making decisions
  • Short-term memory becomes clouded
  • We feel like we are in a mental fog

“Lack of adequate sleep, or sleep deprivation, also reduces leaders workplace productivity, public safety, and personal well-being.”

Good Sleep Hygiene Habits

The most important sleep hygiene measure is to maintain a regular sleep/wake pattern seven days a week. Leaders need to get the proper amount of rest, 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night. Do you know when your mind is in a subconscious mental state of relaxation? Before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning are times when your mind is relaxed.

“When you are playing mind games, exercising (earlier in the day), taking a hot shower/long bath, or just relaxing, your mind is in a relaxed state. “

Other things you can do to clear your mind before bedtime; keep a pen and pad on your night stand and write down goals you want to achieve. This will take the mental stress of what you want to accomplish off your mind so that you can sleep better. Additionally, try exercising your mind.

Brain Aerobics

What are brain aerobics? Challenging your brain with novel tasks (anything new or different). In order for an activity to be considered brain aerobics, three conditions must be met. The activity needs to:

  • Engage your attention
  • Involve more than one of your senses
  • Break a routine activity in an unexpected, nontrivial way

Feeling Sleepy?

Ever Try Reading Something Upside Down or Backwards?

.noitca gnillifluf-fles, evitisop a si yppah eb ot ediced oT .sevlesruo nihtiw seil ecruos sti dna, erawa-fles eht fo noitidnoc eurt eht si ssenippaH .pael siht ekam ot rewop ruoy nihtiw si tI .tahw seod ohw ro sneppah tahw rettam on, yadot yppah eb ot ediceD

Opposite Hand Tasks - If you are right-handed; try brushing your teeth with your left hand. If you are left handed; try writing a letter to yourself with your right hand.

Riddles – Figure out riddles that require you to think outside the puzzle content itself and use knowledge of language, experience, and other “external mental activities” to solve it.

For example: ”What is yours yet others use more than you do?”

Leaders, are you part of the Sleep Sick Society? What is interrupting your sleep? Do you practice good sleep hygiene habits? Have you ever tried brain aerobics? I would love to hear your comments.

>>> Answer to Riddle: your name

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Debra Olejownik
Debra Olejownik is a consultant with DJC Core Consulting & Support Services, LLC
She helps clients identify comprehensive solutions to problems that inspires change
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Leading Customer Service

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Andy Uskavitch

Leading Customer Service

Good customer service doesn’t begin nor end with the customer.  

It begins with the leader and, well, I don’t believe it ever ends.

Defining Customer Service

You may have heard the saying that, “customer service is not a department,” right.  You may have a department called Customer Service, but by doing so, you make it feel as though that’s where it’s all taken care of.

  • But what about you, the leader?
  • Aren’t you supposed to be involved?
  • Don’t you have some say in the matter?

Absolutely, you do!  

If you want to dig even deeper, you should see that it’s everyone’s responsibility, not just yours, not just the Customer Service Department’s, but everyone who works within the organization. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep the organism healthy and functioning well.

Leadership is Influence

But leaders influence.  Some positively, some negatively.  Either one of those effects others’ customer service abilities.  You need to treat every employee you come in contact with, with the utmost sincerity and respect.

If you don’t do it, your employees won’t do it.  Unless you’re dedicated to taking the reigns to develop superior service in your employees, it’s not going to happen.

Taking a customer service class here and there or reading quotes on a poster once a month, is not going to furnish that sustained motivation that your employees need to provide that WOW service.

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Doing Your Whole Job

“I don’t have time to take on anything extra.”  How many times have you heard that or thought it?  Well first, customer service is not “something extra.”

Customers are where your revenue and profit comes from.  In any organization, there’s typically somewhere else they could go, or at least just stop coming. So when you’re that dependent on something like customers, how can you call service, “something extra?”

In Lee Cockerell’s (former VP of Operations, Walt Disney World Resort) new book, The Customer Rules, he points out that:

 “Great leaders speak loudly and often about what they want their organizations to focus on and what employees are expected to do.”

Hello . . .  How many of you, or other leaders you know in your organization, speak loudly about customer service?  But you always hear about sales, production, etc.

Keeping Ahead of the Pack

Don’t wait for customer service to get bad before you do anything about it.  By then it’s too late.  The damage has been done.  Now you’re into damage-control mode – which takes a lot more effort.

Monkey see, monkey do, here’s an easy activity to do (didn’t mean for that to rhyme, but I’ll take it).  Go to a few local retail stores or restaurants.  Spend just a few minutes in each one, just observing the employees.  You’ll be able to tell what the management is like within just a couple of minutes because the employees walk the leader’s talk.

No matter how good the stores’ customer service “program” is, it won’t be successful unless the leaders walk the talk.

You can’t just focus on the everyday business stuff – products, marketing, sales.  In his book, Lee goes on to say that, “Managers have to recognize that sustained profits depend on their ability to generate consistent, ongoing, excellent service”.  You have to keep good service in the forefront of everyone’s mind if you want it to be consistent.

A Whole New World

We don’t live in a world anymore where we can focus on one product and be the only place to get it.  You may come up with a one of kind product, but you, very soon, will have competition.  You must lead the customer service attitude.

“But seriously, I have very little time.”  In Beverly Kay & Julie Winkle Giulioni’s newest book, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, they say it so perfectly – “let’s get real.  You’re having conversations already . . . What if you could redirect some of that time and some of those conversations to focus on careers?”

In this case, bettering customer service is bettering a career.  A few words here, and a few words there.  Just be sure you’re backing up those words with what you do.

Leadership By Example

Most people aren’t going to personally try to get their teams to improve customer service.  It has to come from you.  If you bring the horse to the watering hole, the horse will have a drink.  But if you offer a trough, the horse will always be able to get a drink.

You’re always looking for new and better ways to increase sales, improve products, or streamline production.  If you can’t increase customers or keep the ones you have . . . none of that will matter.

Do you walk the talk when it comes to customer service?  How much time do you spend talking to employees?  How much time could you spend talking to employees? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Andy Uskavitch
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
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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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