|
Happy New Year! I hope your holiday celebrations were festive and memorable and that the new year is off to a great start.
As 2006 begins to unfold, many organizations are holding their annual sales kickoff meetings. These meetings primarily serve two purposes:
- Communicating the vision of the company for the new year, as well as communicating the objectives set forth for each of the various positions in order to achieve that vision.
- Getting the employees all charged up so that when they leave the meeting and go back to their respective cities, they will feel energized to move forward with vigor into 2006.
It is important to think about how you will continue to motivate your teams once they return home from the kickoff meetings to their respective home offices. Which method(s) will you use to motivate your organization, be it small or large? What type of motivation works best for your particular situation? Of course that also means that in order to be most effective when motivating someone, you have to understand them and understand how they are motivated.
Basically there are 3 types of motivation, also known as the 3 I's of motivation:
- The Stick - Intimidation
- The Carrot - Incentive
- The Cause - Inspiration
In its simplest form, the Stick, also known as fear, is one way of motivating people. Although it is easily understood because the consequence is evident, it is usually based on power and intimidation. "Do this or else that.....you're fired or you're taken off a project, etc..." Often times people respond well to this type of motivation because it is a "take it or leave it" type consequence. However, over time this type of motivation usually leads to resentment and an unwillingness to comply. It is shrouded in a distrusting environment in which one constantly has to look over his shoulder.
The next type of motivation is the Carrot, otherwise known as incentive type motivation. This can be and should be particularly powerful in a sales environment where sales reps are presented with a desirable carrot of some type, an exotic trip, a large cash bonus, a car, etc..."If you do this, we'll do this for you!" You get the idea. Most of the time people respond well to this type of motivation because it provides something they want to achieve, the race they want to win. When presented to working teams, incentive motivation guides team members into pushing each other so that the entire group will receive the prize.
The third type of motivation, which is also the highest form of motivation, is the Cause. Causal motivation creates an environment in which people are inspired to want to work and be the best that they can be. Although it might seem that this type of motivation would also be the most challenging to achieve, sometimes it can be achieved quite easily.
For instance, when an organization witnesses the personal triumph of one of their co-workers, they may feel truly inspired to work towards something that will reward them all personally and also reward that individual who has overcome enormous hurdles. An example that comes to mind is of an individual who overcame a weight loss challenge that had been a personal struggle for them for a long period of time. When others witnessed the success this individual had had through determination and discipline, they became motivated to take on the challenge as a group in losing weight. They were committed and supportive of one another in this effort, and as a side benefit, they collectively became healthier, more energetic and passionate about staying on track. They took up the Cause to lose weight and get healthy, and the key here is that they wanted to make it happen and committed whole-heartedly to sticking with it.
The cause is by far the most desirable form of motivation because inspiration usually results in employees who are happy about their work. Theoretically, they perform better which in turn results in a better return over the short and long run. Coaching can help you develop a motivation strategy appropriate for the needs of your organization.
What type(s) of motivation will you employ for yourself and your team in 2006? | 
