Staff motivation - Vision Realization

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Greatest regret? And, greatest lesson learned? What staff member do you remember the most? Why? Who on staff would you most want to be like? Do you feel we worked together well as a team last year? How so? How not? Are there things that were not cleanly communicated to us last summer that you think should be said now? Or, in other words, are there things you feel we should have done, said, or known that we didn’t? Key problem #1: Tell me your thoughts about Peter’s dismissal last summer Key problem #2: How do you think we handled Mary’s violation of the community’s trust? Do you have any comments or reactions about the tentative changes we’re thinking about for next summer? (They would already have 2 – 5 pages that describe what’s going to be different next summer) Are there things we left out? Strengths? Weaknesses? Opportunities? Threats? Are there any new things you’d like to bring (or do) to camp this summer? What do you think other returning staff will expect of you? What do you think new staff will expect of you? What do you think we can do to make the new staff part of the team? What were your favorite things to teach and lead last summer? What do you want to do this summer? What will you do to make sure things and camp life are creative and not stale? All returning staff will have a role in next year's staff training . . . an actual assignment that they will lead. After looking at the staff training schedule, what parts would you like to be involved in? From your personal end-of-summer evaluation with your supervisor, I see that the following strengths and weaknesses were agreed upon. What are your thoughts on those now? What are your specific personal and professional goals for next summer? At the end of the summer, how do you want to feel? What do you think will be your greatest accomplishment? One final noteworthy point on setting expectations concerns the attainability of camp outcomes for staff and campers. These outcomes should be grounded in very probable reality. When they are not, the effect is an expectation that wasn’t met in reality. Not all roads lead to the top of the mountain. For each intended outcome, there needs to be a recipe that will actually result in the desired end. The “Process maps” resource will help you create a very solid means of achieving your specific outcomes. The principles for improving social skills, self-esteem, environmental attitudes and awareness, selfconfidence, et cetera are largely the same whether the environment is a school, home, church, or camp. To use another example, means of transportation vary between cars, planes, and trains – the methods are different. But the underlying principles of physics apply in any case. If you jump off a cliff wearing feathered wings (some faulty or missing principles), you’re in trouble, and your staff may be quite demotivated. © 2004 Randall Grayson, Ph.D. 12
The role of stories, speeches, and pep talks I included “Get more from your staff without even asking!” as part of this book title, because I wanted to strongly emphasize that an approach of demanding, imploring, and energizing your staff toward greater productivity is usually fundamentally flawed. Let me quickly add that stories, speeches, and pep talks have their place. But when they are needed to get people on track, or to rev them up to a necessary level of performance, the other elements I list throughout this resource must be addressed first. They are the cause of motivation problems. Using words to create a standard, acceptable level of performance often does more harm than good, and usually doesn’t last long enough to make a real difference on the outcomes for the campers. For example, some camps have issues with the staff lagging at some point during the summer. There is some hump where motivation sags. From my experience while at numerous camps for the full summer, let me tell you that there are a lot of camps where that isn’t an issue. There is no slump in week X, or wavering of motivation and energy. These camps enjoy strong, consistent effort without pep talks and speeches, for they have most or all of the other key motivation factors in place. Thus, when speeches, inspirational stories, and pep talks are necessary to get the staff going, or going stronger to where they should be, save your breath and work on the other factors. They will make a true, lasting difference. Having said that, pep talks can play a role in staff motivation. They can definitely yield a little spin up in performance. A good, rousing call to action will likely get you some rousing action. Key problems include that the effect doesn’t last long, and like a sugar rush, the extra effort can come with a downer on the other side. Pep talks can also create a staff who need them to stay motivated and focused, and even be addicted to them in the extreme. Staff look outside themselves, to the director or leader, for their motivation, which creates a dependency that was never necessary in the first place. However, a pep talk may be useful when there is a temporary, unusual circumstance that has lowered motivation. Speeches often meld a pep talk with the substance of a story. They can be rousing and impassioned, or quiet and sincere. Ultimately and simply, a speech speaks to our dreams for ourselves and others. Speaking of dreams, realizing them or working toward them highlights the reasons for breathing, for wanting to be alive. Highlight is a key word, because the speech shines a brighter light on what the leader should have made visible all the time – our dreams for ourselves and others. Speeches are also useful for calling upon values, or offering some educational point in an emotional way. Examples and further descriptions are included in Part II – Page 44. While speeches can be powerful, two further caveats need to be considered as well. First, they usually move those who were ready to be moved. Preaching to the choir, so to speak. Like the great speeches of our time, they serve to call forth the motivation that was available to us all the time. Changing minds is more the stuff of Hollywood than history. Second, speeches borrow some of the drawbacks from pep talks. They can offer a spin up, but such boosts are often short lived, and staff can come to rely on external sources of motivation. We want the coach to send us into the game roaring (even though, for example, the most successful basketball coach ever did not rely on such tactics). So, keep speeches as tools in the box, but understand their limitations (need the choir, spin up, addicts, outside motivation) and appropriate use (speak to dreams, slump, values, education). Stories are wonderfully diverse tools. They can teach us lessons in a way that we wouldn’t be able to hear otherwise. Stories can expand our thoughts by opening new vistas and connecting seemingly unconnected areas. They can impart values, make complex things easier to understand and remember, relate history, and communicate the culture. Stories can also inspire us and enhance motivation. A great tale woven by a master teller can tug at the heartstrings, or put fire in the belly. Hollywood, a teller of tales on the silver screen, is keenly aware of these properties. © 2004 Randall Grayson, Ph.D. 13
Page 2 and 3: Advance Praise Randy's book gives a
Page 4 and 5: Part II Detail Motivational Speech
Page 6 and 7: Introduction What is motivation? Mo
Page 8 and 9: Structures The elemental factors of
Page 10 and 11: Strongly disagree // Never Disagree
Page 12 and 13: Set expectations Satisfaction Reali
Page 16 and 17: Camps usually have a stable of stor
Page 18 and 19: Trust Element Examples Credibility
Page 20 and 21: when it goes empty for a couple sum
Page 22 and 23: I’m sure you could imagine each o
Page 24 and 25: Tell stories “I remember when . .
Page 26 and 27: this will be obvious from the proce
Page 28 and 29: As you would’ve guessed, passion
Page 30 and 31: and work toward challenging goals.
Page 32 and 33: eview or that weren’t done while
Page 34 and 35: others around them are not also wea
Page 36 and 37: Year-round staff (goals and pay) To
Page 38 and 39: The question to ask is why don’t
Page 40 and 41: For the frill and thrill of it - pe
Page 42 and 43: Food Pizza, munchies, soda, and ju
Page 44 and 45: inspirational. When staff are given
Page 46 and 47: Introduction to Speeches, Stories,
Page 48 and 49: The professor and the Buddhist A st
Page 50 and 51: Last 24 hours {Basically, you are l
Page 52 and 53: Co-counselor wedding spiel for staf
Page 54 and 55: You are Powerful {This speech is no
Page 56 and 57: “Being Powerful” means standing
Page 58 and 59: What’s left after the ashes? {Eve
Page 60 and 61: The Worlds We Know {If it fits, try
Page 62 and 63: What Would The Regular World Look L
Page 64 and 65:
15 Minutes and Counting Good mornin
Page 66 and 67:
Final Staff Gathering Candle Ritual
Page 68 and 69:
Favorite article - “The unbearabl
Page 70 and 71:
Honesty We expect people to be hone
Page 72 and 73:
Come to the Edge, Life said. No we
Page 74 and 75:
Children Learn What They Live If a
Page 76 and 77:
Autobiography in Five Short Chapter
Page 78 and 79:
Face emotions © 2004 Randall Grays
Page 80 and 81:
A person who has not passed through
Page 82 and 83:
My Spirit Home Camper for 8 summers
Page 84 and 85:
Camp GoodFit Cabin cleanup Communit
Page 86 and 87:
O u t c o m e s From the people Dur
Page 88 and 89:
Four Letters To The Staff It’s ge
Page 90 and 91:
Holly cow! Civilization!!!!!!!! Tra
Page 92 and 93:
Top 10 reasons to work at Camp Good
Page 94 and 95:
One-page Assessment of Fit Do you h
Page 96 and 97:
Quotes from Staff “I am so psyche
Page 98 and 99:
Activities 1. Cabin activities are
Page 100 and 101:
Expectations / Clarification Review
Page 102 and 103:
Bonus Section: 10 Great Ways to De-
Page 104 and 105:
Two Not Controlling Termites, Negat
Page 106 and 107:
Don’t have the attitude / values
Page 108 and 109:
Four Being a Jerk / Ego / Hubris /
Page 110 and 111:
Five Not Varying Your Leadership St
Page 112 and 113:
What are the barriers for communica
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Boosting Staff Return Rates Motivat
Page 116 and 117:
Dangers - not all roses As you may
Page 118 and 119:
Notes / Feedback / Sharing / Action
Page 120 and 121:
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