A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This statement can be considered in many ways but in regards to business it has a special meaning. Look at any organization and it is broken down into divisions within divisions and then, most times, comprised of teams. Imagine that you are on one of these teams and you have a co-worker who is not pulling their weight. You have a few options, you can pick up the slack yourself and do more work while receiving the same amount of credit for the job done, you can rat the co-worker out but that only makes you seem immature in front of your boss, lastly you can motivate this co-worker and make them a productive member of the team. There are many tips out there of how you can motivate this co-worker and they vary from the ingenious to the plain dumb. However, the best way to motivate a lazy co-worker is to make them feel valued as a part of the team. I read an article all about tips that will help to motivate this person into doing their best for the team and the number one tip was to make them feel like a valued member. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it logically, the more valued that you feel in an organization the more motivated that you become to do well not only for yourself but for the organization as a whole. This simple tip can help your team from being the weak link to being the driving force in your division. The stronger that your team is the stronger that you become. Motivating a lazy co-worker can help you advance in your organization and reach new heights.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Self Motivation
Self motivation is an important part of being a professional in a business environment. Sometimes a manager won't have time to cater to you specifically and give you the motivation that you need on a one to one level. In these times its important to know how to self motivate. The best way to do this is by applying self motivation techniques to other aspects of your life. One way that is popular is to set reasonable deadlines for projects that you are working on and achieve those deadlines. Not only will this boost your self motivation skills but it will also boost your self confidence, which is always a good thing. Along with setting realistic deadlines another tip is to set realistic goals and achieve them in a timely fashion. By setting goals you are creating a list of tasks that you want to accomplish and by completing them in a timely fashion you give your self the confidence to complete more. Having self confidence is critical in self motivation. The more confidence that you have in yourself to get a job done the easier it will be to motivate yourself to do it. Self motivation is what sets apart powerful leaders from the mediocre managers. When you reach the top of the chain there is nobody above you that will be trying to motivate you and the motivation has to come from within.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- thats why we recommend it daily." This quote by Zig Ziglar sums up self motivation pretty well in order to be good at self motivating you have to do it daily. Self motivation is not a one time deal where you can do it and be set for life. You have to be able to motivate yourself every day if you want to succeed in business. Beyond that it is important that while you are self motivating you also look for others perhaps people that you don't even know to motivate you and this will give you the best results and allow you to reach your maximum potential.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- thats why we recommend it daily." This quote by Zig Ziglar sums up self motivation pretty well in order to be good at self motivating you have to do it daily. Self motivation is not a one time deal where you can do it and be set for life. You have to be able to motivate yourself every day if you want to succeed in business. Beyond that it is important that while you are self motivating you also look for others perhaps people that you don't even know to motivate you and this will give you the best results and allow you to reach your maximum potential.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Managers Not Ready
I read this article about how many managers felt that when they got their management position they were not ready for it. It was surprising to me that over a quarter of the managers that they surveyed felt they were not prepared for their management positions. While the number one problem that the managers said they struggled with was dealing with issues between co-workers motivating their team members was the second biggest reason. This really makes me appreciate what we learn about motivation in school. This article also talks about other people that they interviewed such as the employees under these managers. In these surveys it was clear that the employees also felt that the managers were not ready for the tasks at hand. Another shocking statistic in this article was that over half of these mangers never even received management training. This seems to be very poor decision making. While the company might save a few bucks not having to pay for management training programs they will lose money in the long run when they have ineffective managers. Not only will managers be ineffective in this system but that also means that whole divisions that these managers control will not be motivated to do a good job and that will result in poor performance and in the long run a worse bottom line for the company. It is clear from this article that there needs to be a change in corporate america today. Managers need more training and they need it specifically in the motivation area. Without motivated employees the companies can't hope to keep up with the competition.
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Michael Ziegler
Team 7
Tough Times become Tougher for Employees
Other ways to get Employee's attention
With the economic crisis hurting a lot of companies and also the employees that work for them it is hard to find the money employees are looking for to motivate them. So companies are trying to find ways to motivate employees without the money that they are looking for. Some ways in which companies are doing that is by giving employees stock options that they can cash out and then buy other stocks. Other companies will give their employees gift cards that are as much as $50 for something that they enjoy. For example, if someone is really into music they might get the i Tunes gift card. This customizes the rewards that employees can earn and they also are not that much money and a cheaper alternative for employers. Although, it says that sometimes extrinsic awards can hurt an employees motivation because they are only focusing on the extrinsic rewards and not the work itself. I don't think I agree with that because employees have to do the work correctly and make sure its correct before getting the reward. Employers don't just simply hand out rewards to employees if the work gets finished. Otherwise, employees would finish it as quick as possible and not care how it looked or if it was correct.
We discussed in class the different way to motivate employees and how there are other things to motivate employees besides just money. For example, the video in class we watched talked about how communication can effect an employee and how well they do the work. It showed that positive communication can go a long way and actually improve how an employee works. Compared to if an employee is talked to negatively that would make them not want to work as much. This is just another way employees could get motivated when employers don't have the resources to motivate their employees in other ways.
What do you think? Does simply talking to an employee more positively effect the way an employee works?
-Brian Cullum team 7
With the economic crisis hurting a lot of companies and also the employees that work for them it is hard to find the money employees are looking for to motivate them. So companies are trying to find ways to motivate employees without the money that they are looking for. Some ways in which companies are doing that is by giving employees stock options that they can cash out and then buy other stocks. Other companies will give their employees gift cards that are as much as $50 for something that they enjoy. For example, if someone is really into music they might get the i Tunes gift card. This customizes the rewards that employees can earn and they also are not that much money and a cheaper alternative for employers. Although, it says that sometimes extrinsic awards can hurt an employees motivation because they are only focusing on the extrinsic rewards and not the work itself. I don't think I agree with that because employees have to do the work correctly and make sure its correct before getting the reward. Employers don't just simply hand out rewards to employees if the work gets finished. Otherwise, employees would finish it as quick as possible and not care how it looked or if it was correct.
We discussed in class the different way to motivate employees and how there are other things to motivate employees besides just money. For example, the video in class we watched talked about how communication can effect an employee and how well they do the work. It showed that positive communication can go a long way and actually improve how an employee works. Compared to if an employee is talked to negatively that would make them not want to work as much. This is just another way employees could get motivated when employers don't have the resources to motivate their employees in other ways.
What do you think? Does simply talking to an employee more positively effect the way an employee works?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Given More Freedom
More freedom for Employees
Employees at most jobs are given tasks and objectives that they have to complete by a certain time. This can put a lot of stress on an employee because it is a repetitive job that can cause a lot of stress and demotivate an employee to work. The article breaks down the groups of people into two types: person X and person Y. Person X is the one who will try to avoid work at all costs and is also the one who has to be punished, warned, and threatened at all costs to keep them working. Person Y is the one who works hard all day and doesn't mind putting in a hard day's work. They also are very committed to the objectives they have to complete and want to finish them in a timely matter. It turns out that people are more likely to want to come to work and commit to their job if they are given more freedom in their job. The article states that people will be more positive towards their work if they had some self direction instead of a standard format of tasks that they would have to complete.
In chapter 7 we discussed the different types of acting: surface, deep, and genuine. I think these connect well to what the article is talking about because if people are not wanting to go to work then they are simply going to act in a way that isn't how they really feel or surface acting. Which could cause an employee to feel a level of burnout and begin to display negative emotions resulting from the continued dissatisfaction from their job. I agree that employees do need a little freedom in the way they do their job because it gives them a challenge and motivates them to want to do the job that much more efficiently. We also talked theory X and theory Y in chapter 12, which discussed how X people are the ones who are lazy and don't want to put energy into their work. Whereas Y people aren't lazy and enjoy the work that they do. The biggest question to answer to how to get people to go from X to Y. I think by giving employees more freedom in how they do their work can get them to change over from X to Y.
What do you think cause to people to act like X or Y people? Has this ever happened to you? If yes how did you overcome it?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Employees at most jobs are given tasks and objectives that they have to complete by a certain time. This can put a lot of stress on an employee because it is a repetitive job that can cause a lot of stress and demotivate an employee to work. The article breaks down the groups of people into two types: person X and person Y. Person X is the one who will try to avoid work at all costs and is also the one who has to be punished, warned, and threatened at all costs to keep them working. Person Y is the one who works hard all day and doesn't mind putting in a hard day's work. They also are very committed to the objectives they have to complete and want to finish them in a timely matter. It turns out that people are more likely to want to come to work and commit to their job if they are given more freedom in their job. The article states that people will be more positive towards their work if they had some self direction instead of a standard format of tasks that they would have to complete.
In chapter 7 we discussed the different types of acting: surface, deep, and genuine. I think these connect well to what the article is talking about because if people are not wanting to go to work then they are simply going to act in a way that isn't how they really feel or surface acting. Which could cause an employee to feel a level of burnout and begin to display negative emotions resulting from the continued dissatisfaction from their job. I agree that employees do need a little freedom in the way they do their job because it gives them a challenge and motivates them to want to do the job that much more efficiently. We also talked theory X and theory Y in chapter 12, which discussed how X people are the ones who are lazy and don't want to put energy into their work. Whereas Y people aren't lazy and enjoy the work that they do. The biggest question to answer to how to get people to go from X to Y. I think by giving employees more freedom in how they do their work can get them to change over from X to Y.
What do you think cause to people to act like X or Y people? Has this ever happened to you? If yes how did you overcome it?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Motivation is Different to All
Specializing in Motivation
I recently came across this story of motivation in the workplace and how different people have different ways of being motivated. I at first thought that employees simply would work better for any incentive based or other motivational programs that are put into place. Although, it says that incentives are the number one motivational technique. The article also talks about how to customize each incentive program to various employees. Not everyone is going to work the same amount for the same amount of motivation. Some people may work harder while other may work the same amount as before. It made me better understand that employers need to customize their programs so that they can get the most out of each employee.
In chapter 5, we discussed the SMART goals and how they show how to develop an attainable goal. This is the same way in which employers in this company should base their motivation techniques off of. By giving employees something specific that is attainable and something they genuinely care about could help them become that much more motivated. Also it was talked about how employees should want to come to work and not have the mindset that they don't want to go to work. In class we talked about how giving people more empowerment at work or by rotating their job and giving them more to do would give them some motivation to want to keep coming to work. I think that is an important aspect of the job because sometimes people will lose interest in going to work and sometimes it you have to come up with way to keep people wanting to come to work.
What do you think? Do you think motivational techniques should be specialized for all people or is their only one way that should work for all employees?
-Brian Cullum team 7
I recently came across this story of motivation in the workplace and how different people have different ways of being motivated. I at first thought that employees simply would work better for any incentive based or other motivational programs that are put into place. Although, it says that incentives are the number one motivational technique. The article also talks about how to customize each incentive program to various employees. Not everyone is going to work the same amount for the same amount of motivation. Some people may work harder while other may work the same amount as before. It made me better understand that employers need to customize their programs so that they can get the most out of each employee.
In chapter 5, we discussed the SMART goals and how they show how to develop an attainable goal. This is the same way in which employers in this company should base their motivation techniques off of. By giving employees something specific that is attainable and something they genuinely care about could help them become that much more motivated. Also it was talked about how employees should want to come to work and not have the mindset that they don't want to go to work. In class we talked about how giving people more empowerment at work or by rotating their job and giving them more to do would give them some motivation to want to keep coming to work. I think that is an important aspect of the job because sometimes people will lose interest in going to work and sometimes it you have to come up with way to keep people wanting to come to work.
What do you think? Do you think motivational techniques should be specialized for all people or is their only one way that should work for all employees?
-Brian Cullum team 7
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Commitment = Motivation
What Drive You - Commitment or Motivation?
Although this article does not have much motivation for how managers can motivate their employees is does give tips on how you can motivate yourself. In most situations it is very easy to motivate yourself and then start a certain task but it seems as if starting a task, becoming commited, and then gaining motivation might be a better tactic to staying motivated for the long run. By started a task and from the beginning thinking about the end result, you will be motivated to continue no matter what. Success brings motivation but when success and results are not there yet, envisioning them will bring the same result...motivation.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Although this article does not have much motivation for how managers can motivate their employees is does give tips on how you can motivate yourself. In most situations it is very easy to motivate yourself and then start a certain task but it seems as if starting a task, becoming commited, and then gaining motivation might be a better tactic to staying motivated for the long run. By started a task and from the beginning thinking about the end result, you will be motivated to continue no matter what. Success brings motivation but when success and results are not there yet, envisioning them will bring the same result...motivation.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
The Master Motivator
How to Inspire Workers in Tough Times
Usually the first tactic managers go to when trying to motivate their employees is bonuses, promotions, or extra responsibilities but these are not necessarily the best ways to motivate employees right now. "Master motivators" find that it is much more important to connect with employees on an emotional level along with emotionally connecting them to their work. If an employee is connected and understanding of the full purpose of their work, they will be much more inspired to do better.
Managers and leaders need to spend more time connecting with their employees by means of the informal elements of their organization. They should get a better understanding of what is important to employees outside of work, what the employees truly value, and what makes them tick. If a manager can get a good grasp on the emotional needs of employees, there is a better chance that they will be able to connect and in turn motivate.
Although it is still important for managers to focus on the formal elements of the organization during tough times for the sake of their cost structure and stakeholders, that is just not enough anymore. When managers take the time to combine insight into their employees lives combined with the organization itself, they will ultimately get the best results and improve overall company morale.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Usually the first tactic managers go to when trying to motivate their employees is bonuses, promotions, or extra responsibilities but these are not necessarily the best ways to motivate employees right now. "Master motivators" find that it is much more important to connect with employees on an emotional level along with emotionally connecting them to their work. If an employee is connected and understanding of the full purpose of their work, they will be much more inspired to do better.
Managers and leaders need to spend more time connecting with their employees by means of the informal elements of their organization. They should get a better understanding of what is important to employees outside of work, what the employees truly value, and what makes them tick. If a manager can get a good grasp on the emotional needs of employees, there is a better chance that they will be able to connect and in turn motivate.
Although it is still important for managers to focus on the formal elements of the organization during tough times for the sake of their cost structure and stakeholders, that is just not enough anymore. When managers take the time to combine insight into their employees lives combined with the organization itself, they will ultimately get the best results and improve overall company morale.
By: Lesley Pfeifer
Value-Based Motivation
Value-Based Motivation
In the article, Value-Based Motivation, it states that employees value different rewards as motivation factors and how it will affect employees performance with their current jobs. I for one can agree with this because different rewards would motivate me differently depending on what the reward is, such as a bonus versus a free dinner at a particular restaurant. Rewards have to be highly valued by employees in order for them to be successful motivating factors. In recessions, the article states that job security and financial rewards seem to be high motivating factors due to people working for less income and the job market being rough. I would work harder especially just to keep my job in order for me to "survive" because chances are it would take awhile for me to find another job unless I was one of the best employees where other companies would almost definitely want to hire me right away. I like the fact how the article states that stock incentive plans are a good idea for motivation in recessions because stocks are generally lower and employee can buy them at a discounted market value price. This in turn can make employees more committed to their organization and work harder in order for the stock price to increase in the long run which gives the employee more money than what they bought it for. Job security can be a high motivating factor for employees if there is a correct policy in place based on their performance. Employees will not want to lose their jobs so this in turn makes them want to be the best employee so they do not get laid off by the organization. These two factors are value-based motivation because it depends on the particular employee and how they envision the rewards. Some employees will not care about job security if they know that they can get a job at another organization right away so this will not motivate them to work harder. Rewards still seem to be a high motivating factor for most employees because of the recognition of performing well by their company. Overall, employee values truly depend on what is a reward and what is not depending on what they actually have to do and the actual "value" of the reward to the employee that is offered.
Have you ever been offered rewards or incentives at a job? If so, did you view that particular reward as "valuable" to perform better? If not, do feel that different rewards motivate different individuals based the particular "value" of the reward?
-David Harbeck
In the article, Value-Based Motivation, it states that employees value different rewards as motivation factors and how it will affect employees performance with their current jobs. I for one can agree with this because different rewards would motivate me differently depending on what the reward is, such as a bonus versus a free dinner at a particular restaurant. Rewards have to be highly valued by employees in order for them to be successful motivating factors. In recessions, the article states that job security and financial rewards seem to be high motivating factors due to people working for less income and the job market being rough. I would work harder especially just to keep my job in order for me to "survive" because chances are it would take awhile for me to find another job unless I was one of the best employees where other companies would almost definitely want to hire me right away. I like the fact how the article states that stock incentive plans are a good idea for motivation in recessions because stocks are generally lower and employee can buy them at a discounted market value price. This in turn can make employees more committed to their organization and work harder in order for the stock price to increase in the long run which gives the employee more money than what they bought it for. Job security can be a high motivating factor for employees if there is a correct policy in place based on their performance. Employees will not want to lose their jobs so this in turn makes them want to be the best employee so they do not get laid off by the organization. These two factors are value-based motivation because it depends on the particular employee and how they envision the rewards. Some employees will not care about job security if they know that they can get a job at another organization right away so this will not motivate them to work harder. Rewards still seem to be a high motivating factor for most employees because of the recognition of performing well by their company. Overall, employee values truly depend on what is a reward and what is not depending on what they actually have to do and the actual "value" of the reward to the employee that is offered.
Have you ever been offered rewards or incentives at a job? If so, did you view that particular reward as "valuable" to perform better? If not, do feel that different rewards motivate different individuals based the particular "value" of the reward?
-David Harbeck
Motivating Your Managers
Motivating Your Managers
In the article Motivating Your Managers, it is greatly stressed that keeping managers motivated from senior leadership is crucial to an organizations success, especially in tough economic times. One of the key factors is that managers, and employees as well, want to be heard and listened to with proper two-way communication. This is crucial because as stated, they set the "tone" for the entire work group that they are in. Managers want to know how they are performing (feedback) and if they need to make any changes to perform better; furthermore, they also want to be listened to my senior level management about the recommendations they have to perform better as they see fit such as a change in a work procedure to create a more healthy and productive work environment. I feel that all of these facts are ideal in order for a manager to perform best because I myself have seen ways to change work procedures from past jobs that seem to be more efficient and it could be a struggle sometimes to implement these changes when my managers did not want to listen to me about what I had to say. Furthermore, in order to keep employees engaged in their work, "open communication, teamwork, and employee appreciation" play an important role in doing this. I feel that this is important because it is important for employees and managers to communicate new ideas new ideas to each other in a circular flow. This provides great trust between each other which means they should work better in a team environment. Overall, I feel that keeping managers motivated will keep their employees motivated because managers definitely will set the "tone" for the working environment.
Do you feel more motivated when managers are actively engaged in their work so that it makes you feel that you have perform your best like them?
-David Harbeck
Monday, April 18, 2011
Leaders
A huge motivator for workers is their leaders. Employees look at leaders for motivation. The leaders are the ones giving directions so if the employees believe in the leader and agree with them, they will be motivated to work hard. Where I work the manager is more of a people-oriented leader. This is good because the employees realize that our manager cares for hi employees. We are motivated by this and want to please him. At the same time sometimes it is better to be task oriented so the employees have clear instructions that increase their performance. An article that i recently read said that the trouble leaders have with motivating employees is that they believe the same thing that motivates themselves will motivate everyone else. This can be a problem because every person is different and what motivates employee A can be different than what motivates employee B. So a big part of leading is figuring out what specific things motivate each employee and change your style of leading accordingly. At my job the manager has an advantage for motivation because he can schedule good employees on busier nights. He uses this tactic to his advantage and creates almost an in-house competition to get everyone motivated to work hard. He is also a supportive leader because he listens to employees scheduling conflicts and tries to give them days off when they need them. This motivates employees to work hard so he is always considerate to their feelings. Its almost as if they are motivated to keep him happy. Leaders style has a lot of impact on how much an employee is motivated to work and they need to use that to their advantage.
What kind of leader motivates you at your job?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
What kind of leader motivates you at your job?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Googles Unique Work Environment
Everybody has heard of Google, and most likely use on a daily basis. I know I use it probably about 10 -15 times a day. One of the reasons Google is so successful is because they have great employees and leaders. Google was rated the number 1 place to work in 2007. The work environment that Google has created keeps employees motivated and excited to work. Google allows employees to eat gourmet food at work, for free. Google provides 4 months of paternal leave with 75% full pay and also offers $500 dollars for take out meals for families with newborns. On site at the Googleplex in Mountainview, California employees have access to gyms, shower facilities, video games, child care, and doctors. Employees are encouraged to be innovative and to take risks.
All of these things allow for Google to be a place where people want to come to work. Employees are motivated to continue to work hard because they realize that most places do not give perks like these. The employees do not want to lose their jobs. These perks would excite me to work at Google.
What kind of perks do you guys look for when searching for jobs?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
All of these things allow for Google to be a place where people want to come to work. Employees are motivated to continue to work hard because they realize that most places do not give perks like these. The employees do not want to lose their jobs. These perks would excite me to work at Google.
What kind of perks do you guys look for when searching for jobs?
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Sunday, April 17, 2011
If You Feed Them, They Will Work
I am sure we have heard of all the incentives to get employees motivated. Money, promotions, time off, all the other basic ones that supposedly get people to work harder. Well this article had something a little bit different, it claimed that a stocked kitchen was the way to go. According to the article, 73 percent of employees said a well-stocked kitchen would make them happier at work and 57 percent indicated that kitchen amenities could lead to a more productive work force. 73 percent is a big number. I guess I could understand that good food would make a person happier. With that said, I never considered it to be a motivator. I mean don’t get me wrong I love food, but who doesn’t. All I am saying is that I would have never thought to myself, as a manager, “I bet if we stock the kitchen our employees will work harder.” I guess you never know what will make people work harder. At the jobs I have worked there was always food nearby so it was not an issue. In the article it also says that having a nice break room helps keep motivation high. That makes sense because everyone needs time for breaks and it would be nice to have a comfortable place to relax for a while when you need a break. The stocked kitchen is definitely a new motivation tactic that I did not think of before.
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
Posted By: Jacob Cyscon
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