18By Roxanne <strong>Emmerich</strong>, CSP, CMCTen Cornerstones ofEmployee MotivationContrary to popular belief, if you want tolose weight, all you need to do is exercisemore and eat fewer calories. Thosestruggling with weight will often insist theyeat very little–but just sit across the tablefrom them at a buffet and you realize theyare “breaking the rules” of diet.<strong>The</strong> same applies to workplace motivation.When the rules are followed, moraleimproves. When we break the rules,motivation deteriorates. Managers spendtoo much time in denial by insisting thatthey are building a motivating workplacewhen, in fact, they are often sabotagingit. A motivating work environment isthe responsibility of everyone. Gone arethe days when we look to managers tomotivate. Here are Ten Commandmentsthat must be adhered to by everyone in yourorganization if you want to build the kindworkplace where everyone thrives.1. Build self-respectPositive reinforcement allows people tounderstand that their performance addsvalue to the organization. Receivingpositive strokes gives employees a sense ofsatisfaction that creates the initiative to trynew ideas and take bigger risks.We can never have enough self-respect. Itseems that the office ‘egomaniac’ is usuallythe one who has the lowest self-respect. <strong>The</strong>more obnoxious and toxic they become intheir bragging, the less we feel like feedingtheir egos with strokes.No matter how confident or comfortable weare with who we are, we all have momentsof insecurity where our performance drops.We all need strokes.2. Don’t Be Neurotic (or disguise itwell)Employees deserve to have a clearunderstanding of what behaviors andoutcomes are expected. Many managers areso unclear that they create the perceptionthat they are they are intentionally hidingthe target. Management teams secludethemselves for a strategic planning session,an archaic and bankrupt managementpractice, only to place the book on theshelf with maybe a short review withemployees. If everyone in the organizationisn’t involved in “the plan” at some level,they’re not committed, period.3. Show RespectManagers often treat employees like a childin an adult-child relationship. An adultadulttransaction requires that we allowemployees the latitude to solve problems.Provide guidance with a clear picture ofexpected outcomes and allow people to think.4. Live IntegrityIn the Dr. Seuss book, “Horton Hatches theEgg”, Horton, the elephant gives his word toa lazy bird named Mayzie that he will sit onher egg until she comes back. Mayzie doesn’tcome back and Horton perseveres throughice storms, safari hunters, and even a trip tothe zoo. Through challenges, he continuesto repeat, “I meant what I said and I saidwhat I meant…. An elephant’s faithful, onehundred percent!” It is unquestionably truethat most people would say that they keeptheir word. In any day, however, those samepeople will break their word repeatedly insmall ways. Employees spot all the waysthat managers miss obligations by smallthings like not sending out reports that werepromised delaying meetings, etc. Employeesare quick to spot slips in integrity in peersand managers. Instead of confronting theproblem directly, they too often fall out ofintegrity by blaming, gossiping and whining.Living in integrity means keeping our wordand speaking a deeper truth.5. Be FairIn a world where there isn’t much thatis fair, we need to find ways be as fair aspossible. Fair doesn’t mean equal. Payingfor performance isn’t fair if you cap theincentives that a star performer can receive.If you reward employees for cost savings oran increase in revenue, the additional moneyis always there to share, because the extramoney wouldn’t have been there withouthelp from that employee.6. Value and Reinforce IdeasAccording to an Employee InvolvementAssociation study, the average employee inJapan submits 32 ideas for improvement peryear, compared to the average employee inthe United States who submits 0.17–a ratioof 188-1. <strong>The</strong> root of this problem stemsfrom the fact that only 33 percent of U.S.employees’ ideas are adopted–compared to87 percent from Japanese workers.If we expect people to give us ideas theirideas for improving the organization, weneed to have a serious system for evaluatingand implementing all ideas. People whosubmit ideas are entitled to a quick decisionand reason about the idea they had.7. Give <strong>The</strong>m What <strong>The</strong>y WantMy mother loves crafts. I love books.Every year forChristmas, mymother has givenme crafts. I givemy mother books.What’s wrongwith this picture?We love to give what we actually love toreceive, however sometimes we forget whowe are doing it for.Each of your employees has a differentidea of how they prefer to be rewarded.Money, trips, educational opportunities,promotions, verbal recognition–everyoneprefers it their way. If you don’t know whatthey want, ask them.8. Give Immediate FeedbackWho ever created the yearly performancereview anyway? By itself there is reallynothing wrong with it, but somewhere alongthe path, we assumed that all feedbackgets stuck in a file and delivered yearly.<strong>The</strong> problem with this approach is thatinappropriate behavior becomes habit bythe time the employee hears about it. Worseyet, you lose the benefit of reenergizingyour people with the substantial immediateimpact of positive reinforcement for aproject well done.9. Reinforce the Right ThingsOne of the companies I have done work forbelieved that good employees come to workearly and stay late. Not surprisingly, the CEOcame to work early and stayed late. Whena new CEO came, he placed the emphasison performance and productivity went upmiraculously. Those same employees didmore work in less time. Watch what youreinforce because you will undoubtedly getmore of it.10. Serve OthersWe’ve all seen it in our mission statements.“To be a leading provider of blah, blahservices in our service area providingquality service and a good return to ourstakeholders.” Gag me with a shovel! Tosay we are in business to profit is like sayingwe are alive to breathe. Every thrivingorganization is passionate about servingtheir customers. When we focus on ourcustomers’ success, we enroll our hearts,minds, and souls as opposed to simplyworking from our job descriptions.So, it’s easy. If you want to lose weight,eat less and exercise more. If you want toimprove the motivation of your workplace,follow these Ten Commandments.
NEW!September 13-14, 2006Minneapolis“We always plan too much and always think too little.” –Joseph SchumperMost strategic planning done in banks today is justregurgitation of the old…setting goals and processes builtaround the same old thinking.Moreover, almost every bank’s strategic plan is completelydevoid of strategy…and if there is any strategy, it is oftenbuilt on “old school” assumptions.What if you could lose the 1970s model of strategic planningof Mission, Values and SWOT and replace it with what moversand shakers are doing today?Better yet, what if you could have your executive team do this along sideexecutive teams of some of the other highest performing banks in thecountry who are not competitors so you could share ideas and best practices?When doing graduate work in strategic planning, Roxanne challenged her professor to rethink the course as it wastaught. Her approach was dramatically more focused on creating immediate and sustainable results than what wasbeing taught.With that approach, Roxanne has received and turned down hundreds of requests to facilitate strategic planningdue to time constraints. That said, the FDIC told one of the banks she assisted that it was the best, mostinsightful, and actionable plan they had ever seen.Move quickly to seize the opportunity to capitalize on this unique and powerful approach to planning your dynamicbreakthrough for the future.Only 15 banks will be accepted due to the nature of keeping this session intimate and effective. <strong>The</strong>application deadline is May 15, 2006. First preference will be given to current clients on our full programs andgraduates of Permission to Be <strong>Extraordinary</strong> and Boot Camp II.Process:• Bring up to 5 of your leadership team members for two days of intense work and “think tank” strategy.• Go home with a work plan that is strategically superior to anything you’ve done before…and a process that assures impeccable execution.Call 800-236-5885 to reserve yourteams’ spot today.“Most insightful and actionable plan ever seen.” –FDIC Examiner19
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