Motivation and Morale Part 2, Goals & Accomplishments

I have to digress before I even begin because I continue to be annoyed by the flagrant pandering of the unknowing. They want to present leadership as something you can learn by being inspired and mentored. They also emphasize inspiration and charisma as the keys to a leader’s success. It drives me nuts and I know it shouldn’t. Mankind has, in large numbers, always been partial to quick and easy answers, ones that use magic instead of hard work, diet pills over discipline.

The other problem I see is the type of individuals attracted to leadership. Leadership should be the result of preparation and achievement. Instead, many people see it as a goal or achievement in itself. They lust for the power and/or approbation they associate with the leadership role. To  achieve their goal they appeal to those above them through their deference and attention (pandering to the boss’s need to feel power and get attention). This technique works on those that share their desire for power and approbation. Once they’ve achieved the promotion, they enjoy the power position but feel insecure, and rightly so, about their abilities. This makes them demanding bullies not leaders.

Preparing for and performing of your leadership role requires work in two areas. First, you have build your character to be rock solid in its integrity and principles. Recognizing what is right and sticking to it even if it’s not expedient or popular. Also, recognizing what “principles” are really only personal sensibilities that can be waived to accommodate another’s sensibilities. Second, you need to learn, through study, the art of leadership. The do’s and don’ts, the dynamics of the relationships between leader and follower, and what makes people tick, these are all part of the study. These two areas require hard work and objective study unlike charisma and inspiration.

So on that note.

I want to continue looking at tools available to supervisors pertaining to morale and motivation. I covered the effect of job assignments in the post Job Assignments and Morale. It is important to have the appropriate people assigned to the appropriate jobs to be able to boost morale and increase motivation through accomplishments, which is the subject of this post.

Another damn illustration using football.

The ultimate objective to any football game is to score more points than your opponent. So, we have our mission statement as it were. Day-to-day operations fit nicely into an analogy of the offensive struggle of the football team. Since motivation and morale are huge factors in a team sport like football, the offense has a lot of subtle, and not so subtle, lessons it can teach. I only want to touch on a couple of simple ones as they relate to motivation and morale.

  

The typical motivation of the offense, when it’s on the field, is to put points on the board. Scoring a goal would be analogous to reaching a goal you’ve set for your team. It provides motivation much like your paycheck provides the motivation to get out of bed and into work each day. If your team isn’t focused on a goal then they’re just on the field running plays. You can expect a lackluster performance. They have no real motivation.

Motivation, scoring of a goal or at least putting points on the board, is the first piece. It provides some focus. To be successful play after play, you must keep the team’s morale up. The morale of the offense is closely tied to the achievement of first downs. This keeps them on the field so they can work towards their goal. It’s much the same for your team. Having a sense of accomplishment while working toward your goal is important for morale.

Build it into your plan.

As the leader, you are the one with the directions to the destination. It is your job to keep the team moving toward that destination. The path you choose (many times dictated from above) to get your team to the destination must have waypoints. You must figure out interim points at which you can mark success. These are then broken down into individual and team markers. Achieving team goals allows you to reward the team and cheer them on to the next success. If the team fails, you must accept the responsibility and make the appropriate adjustment(s) to ensure future team successes.

However, each individual player contributes at a different level. Success or failure of meeting their individual contribution goals is their responsibility. Your job isn’t to ensure their success but only to provide them the opportunity for it. Identifying individual success (or failure) at the individual level, allows you to discriminate between the levels of contribution. Nothing is more annoying to your top performers than indiscriminate praise. Team members must always recognize that it’s a team effort but one-on-one feedback can address their performance’s contribution to that effort. In any case, you’ll need to be aware of each individual’s contribution. Don’t make them responsible to keep track for you either.

It’s a team win but what did we win?

Regardless of how much or how little, a positive contribution to team success is a morale booster for everybody and motivates everyone to strive for the next success marker. One key element in success as a morale booster is the team’s understanding of how the success fits into the overall scheme of things. They should at least know how it furthers the mission. Let me illustrate.

In combat a hill can represent a tactical advantage because it provides a vantage point from which you can control the surrounding area. If the mission is to take control of a region and one of the goals is to take the nearby hill, troop morale will get a big boost, and the mission will be be advanced, from successfully taking the hill. The entire unit is praised for the success and individual medals may be awarded for superior contributions or sacrifice. It also will motivate the troops to advance to the next objective. BUT, as we witnessed or learned about in history class, that isn’t always the case. In the Vietnam War, all too often missions were unclear. Struggles to take possession of a hill were rewarded by orders to abandon the captured real estate. For their contribution to the effort, troop were sometimes awarded the label of “baby killers” by friends and family. Successful combat operations actually had an overall negative effect on morale. You don’t want that for your team.

Mission and goal setting.  

Your mission is often dictated by the nature of the business you’re in or by those above your paygrade, or both. Coming to a full understanding (and taking ownership) of this mission is your first step in communicating the mission to your team. How well they understand will show when you and your team begin to develop the waypoints on your path to your destination, mission accomplishment.

Your team’s involvement  is vital when establishing the interim goals, those measures of success along the way. They will be responsible for the heavy lifting so it’s only fair. It is also the best way to get them fully immersed or immersed enough so that, even if you don’t get 100% buy in (and you may never get that), you may at least improve their understanding of where they are headed as a team. They are also the ones in the trenches which can sometimes provide them with unique insights.

Much like the quarterback, you may be focused on the play you’re running. If that’s a handoff to the running back you may not see the pass coverage. You want the wide receivers to give you the lowdown on any hole they may have spotted in the pass defense. Based on their input, you may run a pass play but, at the end of the day, you have to ensure you take full responsibility for the plays that are called. You can’t blame the wide receivers if a pass play fails just because they said you should throw one. It can pit teammate against teammate which is never good for morale. Hopefully, you got the correlation to deciding on your department’s goals.

Not a bureaucratic exercise.

So remember, when you’re trying to dream up a mission statement or crank out some department goals, it’s about motivation and morale. Instead of worrying if you have sufficient funds for elaborate monetary rewards to maintain good morale, focus on something that affects morale on a day in and day out basis, not just around Christmas. Also, get your team involved, it’s for their own good (whether they like it or not). The clearer they see where you’re leading them and how the goals help them get there, the more effective goal attainment will be in boosting morale. As an aside, it will also encourage some to develop shortcuts...just be prepared.

Unless you’re a cult leader, I say screw charisma.

The point I’ve been trying to make is that motivation and morale is more closely tied to goals and their accomplishment than the emotional claptrap of “inspiring” your workers to new heights. It allows you to focus on your work rather than developing some special, nebulous superpower or that manipulative emotional intelligence. Kill two birds with one stone. Give your boss the required mission statement and goals while giving your team a roadmap to improved motivation and morale.

Motivation and Morale Part 1, Cost Free Alternatives

There is a great deal of literature on how to motivate followers and what needs to be done to boost morale. Too often these revolve around personality traits you’re encouraged to develop or must possess genetically. From charisma to team hats, conventional wisdom continues to not offer any real advice to us “normal” humans to deal with other “normal” humans. I believe the two biggest morale boosters and motivators aren’t something you can buy. You have to work for them.

Being Genuine?

“You must be genuine” or “you must be sincere,” I see this in printed literature about leadership all the time. To most, I imagine, it means something emotional and requires we “feel” a certain way. I don’t agree. If you have made it your job to complete the mission and you believe it’s your duty to get it done the best way possible because it’s you’re responsibility, I submit to you the following. It’s easy to be genuine about all the parts of the job that you perceive will aid you in your quest. You don’t have to “feel” happy to genuinely appreciate contributions to that success. Your recognition of your team’s contributions will be genuine, sincere, and specific. You will also be sincere in your desire to boast morale, motivate your team, and build a stronger workforce.

But I ain’t got the money.

Motivation and morale is built on a day-to-day basis and isn’t as much about monetary incentives as it is about appreciation and recognition. Pay and benefits generally get your workforce in the door but after that their effect on daily motivation and morale drops off sharply. What really has the greatest effect doesn’t cost extra money and includes things you should be doing anyway. They do, however, require a concerted effort on your part and as the cliche goes, “that’s why they pay you the big bucks.”

Orange - Stressed, Nervous, Mixed, Confused, Upset, Challenged, Indignant

Do you need to be wearing a mood ring?

First and foremost is your demeanor. Consistently relaxed and professional should be your “mood” everyday and all day. You can be high energy and still be relaxed, they are not contradictory. Nothing raises stress levels in your people than an inconsistent or “moody” boss. If you’re consistently relaxed day after day and without regard to circumstances, your team will learn to relax as well. Some more than others but certainly as a group. They will follow your example in dealing with each other as well. However, please do not confuse relaxed with lackadaisical. Not being uptight is a far cry from not caring about the task at hand. If you’re supervising the restaurant crew during a dinner rush, you want them on their toes but not stressed because the boss is wigging out. Use those stressful situations to demonstrate calm professional behavior under pressure.

If you have a problem remaining calm when under a stressful situation, it may be that you’re too focused on how the situation is affecting you. Instead, focus your attention on the team and what you can do to help them step up while under this pressure. Always be mindful of the fact that you’re setting an example, good or bad, which will be reflected back to you by your team members.

Simple recognition.

The second most effective morale booster is your expression of genuine appreciation. This is typically expressed verbally as “Thank you.” It may be simple but it’s a huge motivator and morale booster. Of course, just running around saying thank you doesn’t work. In fact it cheapens the expression to the point of ruining your credibility.

Using the criteria of “genuine” established above, let’s apply it to your show of appreciation. You have begun to establish in your mind the elements that contribute to your goal of mission accomplishment. This mindset enables you to identify team contributions and how they fit into achieving the overall goal. Now it’s just a matter of showing your appreciation when something is done that deserves to be recognized as an achievement, big or small. You genuinely appreciate it for what it is and can be specific when expressing your thanks.

...that’s great but...

I have always been able to say thank you and act appreciative. I’ve generally been genuine about my appreciation for the effort involved but not necessarily the result. The obstacle I’ve had to overcome is their failure to meet my personal standards and expectations. It never helps to say “Thank you but…” because it makes the thank you worthless. Yet, it’s difficult to show genuine appreciation for work that doesn’t meet your high personal standards. These run the gamut from the simple “wasn’t as good as I would’ve done,” “took too long,” and “ran over budget,” to “barely met the minimum requirements” or you’re “too worried about how it makes you look.” It’s an issue that has to be worked out or the troops will pick up on it sooner rather than later.

Since our thank you’s have to be tied to a specific “what” and be directed at activity that advances our cause, we have to establish reasonable and achievable standards to that end. These standards, when met, advance the cause and therefore qualify for recognition and genuine appreciation.

...you want your credibility like you want your credit score, as high as possible…

“Thank you” is an easy expression to use and, as I stated earlier, can have a huge impact on morale and motivation. Much of it’s impact comes from the credibility of the one saying it. If you’ve established your integrity as one of high degree, then your word is seen as honest, your appraisal as significant, and your praise as something to be sought. If you have shown a distinct lack of integrity, your “thank you” won’t carry the same weight and may even be viewed in a negative light (e.g. only butt kissers get thanked).

The other credibility comes from the “Thank you’s” themselves. Besides being specific in regards to “for what,” they must be appropriate and deserving. “Thank you all for attending this (mandatory) meeting,” is not a credible show of appreciation. Random post-it notes left in a desk or on a computer monitor that say “Thank you” are not credible. It may credible and morale enhancing (for your wife) to send your wife flowers with a note that says “Thank you for being you” but, in my mind, it’s lazy to tell your team members thanks without a specific, credible, and deserving reason. In other words, while liberally sprinkling “Thank you’s” around you should also be judicious in their application. You want them to maintain their credibility. You want your troops to recognize that they are meant to point out a positive contribution to the mission.  

Cost free and status blind.

These two elements of motivation and morale don’t cost any money. If you have little or no control over the personnel budget or monetary incentives, you still have some powerful tools to boost morale and motivate your team. You can also employ these regardless of your title or position. In fact, the sooner you start practicing them the better you’ll get. So, whether you’re entry level or first-line supervisor, you can use them to the mission’s advantage.

If you’re so inclined...

Millennial Money Tips

Stability in a leader is a must. Ethical, moral, mental, and emotional stability provide an atmosphere of stability in the workplace. A leader must consider the effect of their personal life on their professional life. Instability in one’s personal affairs will bleed over into the workplace. Financial instability can be one of the worst. It pressures the leader to make decisions to protect his job above all else, morals and ethics included. Working to reduce or eliminate undue financial pressure is a good first step. It should begin long before you don the leadership hat but it’s never too late to start.

Much like the pop culture leadership “tips” I see posted I have also observed a few conventional wisdom money tips as well. One wish I have for all forms of advice, financial advice included, is some realistic explanation and examples. To me it seems as though popular lessons, or advice, always include the “what” with little or no realistic and practical “how.” The old adage of “save for a rainy day” is good advice but how? When you’re so broke that your heart skips a beat over finding a quarter in the seat cushions, how do you save money? Consider the “typical” graduate who could use some solid and practical financial advice. This graduate will probably be taking an entry level position at just over $10 an hour (or still be working their pregraduate minimum wage job).

I’ve jotted down a few techniques I believe can help someone when they begin to piece together their financial house.

Put it down in black and white.

Putting together a system to calculate your total annual commitments (loan payments, housing expenses, insurance, transportation expense, etc.) combined with realistic/probable discretionary spending (food, gas, partying, etc.) is the first step. I suggest putting it all into a spreadsheet. Match that against your projected annual income. Then when you’re offered benefits in lieu of pay, you can work through some of the conventional financial norms surrounding these employment perks to see if you can afford them.

Show me the money.

Drowning in student debt and essentially living hand-to-mouth means money IS the number one priority, for now. Promotion potential, extra days off, flexible scheduling, or any other “currency” won’t pay the bills. You need cash to pay down your debt and get yourself out from under your indentured servitude. There is an exception to taking as much cash as possible. It’s called the company match on a 401k. Maximizing this is a must because it’s MORE money (increased income) and can help relieve the stress of not saving more of your paycheck each week. Since you probably don’t save at all, this fills that void for now.

Build your credit.

Building good credit is a must. The reason for needing good credit extends beyond buying a house or car. It influences the cost of your auto insurance among other things. It can also influence your potential employer’s decision on whether to hire you. Here again the size of your paycheck weighs in. Premier health insurance doesn’t count toward credit nor does an extra week of vacation. Staying current on your loan payments and paying down your debt will also help you maintain good credit.

Another popular way to establish credit is through the use of a credit card. One trap of the credit card is how easy it is to think that the extra $5 you’re spending on an item won’t be a big deal. Debit cards don’t let you overspend, they don’t hit you with a $35 late fee, and they don’t lure you with a low monthly payment. However, they don’t help you build good credit. The trick is: save up cash for a purchase, pay for it with a credit card, then use the cash to pay off the card. Builds good credit without “accidentally” overspending or paying any interest. This even works when buying groceries just be careful not to spend more than you have set aside.

Buy or rent?

Without alternative funding, most recent college graduates won’t qualify for any sort of home loan because of: the lack of stable job history, insufficient income, and a low credit rating due to lack of credit history (except for those student loans). Besides, buying a house locks you into that location for a minimum of 5+ years which you’ll need to build sufficient equity so you can at least break even when you sell. If living at home with the folks isn’t an option, be reasonable in your expectations for housing. Weighing transportation costs against housing, you may find better housing for less money further out of town.

Saving money.

It really is important to begin saving money from the start. Long term savings can initially be achieved with your 401k contributions but eventually you’ll need to do more. My suggestion is this: use 50% of your next pay increase (I always figured it after taxes) and all subsequent raises. This way you enjoy some quality of life improvements with part of the raise and begin your long term savings with the other part. If you have massive student loan debt you may want to use a large part of any raise to pay down your debt first but always use part of any raise to improve the here and now, it’s good for morale, your morale.

I suggest you use your spare change to help build up short-term savings, an “emergency fund”. Your target should be roughly $2,500. Major car repair, initial housing costs if you have to move, or cash to help you through an unexpected job change to name a few. Even if it’s nothing more than change less than a quarter, you’ll be surprised how fast it adds up. In our house, we’ve reached the point of not spending any change less than a ten. Once you reach your goal, or emergency fund amount, you can direct your spare change toward paying down your debt or saving for a car.

The crux of the matter.

Regardless of your monetary status, it always pays to live within your means. If you have to borrow to buy it (except for a house and maybe a car) live without it. Your goal should be one of fiscal responsibility and becoming as debt free as possible. It provides you with a freedom that feels great.