As I’m approaching the halfway point in my MBA prerequisite seminar, the focus is employee motivation. This week’s readings covered Hawthorne, Two-Factor Theory and a bit of Kano for good measure (my own idea).
While decompressing with Dirt — rally racing at its finest — the thought occurred to me to blog about this assignment and provide some reflection. As a recent agency, I would watch in dismay how a department head would avoid providing basic elements for his team. Should it have been any surprise when an incentive program fall flat on its face? The few people who performed well continued to do so, while the ambivilent majority continued to plod along.
I strongly believe that, as a leader, you need to connect with your subordinates. No, this does mean be their friend. I had a boss who would listen to my 10 second rant and would simply say “duely noted”. I eventually stopped. Listen to the chatter when you’re in the next room. Debrief after a major project. Setup something that they would find a nice distraction from a bad week. Most importantly, observe their actions (work product) and dealings with one another. Here you will discover goals and interests… looping in motivation features that bear some relevancy.
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