Incentive - January 2008 - (Page 40)

200 framers and mechanical contractors work on the Marrero family home, overseen by J.S. Hovnanian & Sons was exciting to us.” That it would be a wide-scale collaboration that would bring in members from all parts of the community proved to be an incentive, as well, to the subcontractors that were approached to join in. Learning that a number of local companies and hundreds of volunteers from the community were going to be involved created what participants describe as “contagious motivation” that made it increasingly more desirable to sign on as more joined in. That it would be “monumental” was a surprisingly powerful enticement in itself. The show is, as Hovnanian dubbed it, “the Super Bowl of building projects.” Gathering mostly-donated supplies and talent to build an entire home, then coordinating the actual build to be completed within the 100 hours or so allotted, would be tough even for a huge company. Almost daring the companies to take on the difficult task, the show’s producers emphasized the very fact that it was so difficult. “He kept using the term, ‘It’s like childbirth or warfare,’” says Miller in reference to EM:HE Senior Producer Conrad Ricketts. “The connotation was: ‘Be afraid here, this is going to hurt. This is going to be scary, it’s going to be intense, it’s going to be massive.’ That motivated.” The individuals were more enthusiastic to take part when they knew it was going to be extremely difficult. Another major motivator was being recognized for taking part, and what it said about the company and industry in general to be helping a family in this way. As with smaller-scale incentive awards, public attention for a job well done can often be a strong enticement in itself, even without any material rewards to accompany it. This was especially true for these members of the home-building industry, who after receiving mostly negative press that focused on the slumping market, were not going to pass up a chance for some positive recognition. Tom Budzynski, president of Blaine, Minn.–based TJB Homes, had actually been sending out e-mails to reporters at USA Today and The Minnesota Star Tribune weeks before getting the call from the show, trying to encourage more positive coverage of the home-construction industry. Extreme Makeover provided a positive story line that the industry could get behind and be proud of. “When this happened, I kind of felt somewhat self-appointed to be an ambassador to the industry,” says Budzynski. “Part of doing this, especially in our little geographical area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, would actually change the look of real estate and building, at least for a short time. And it did.” Budzynski mentions a newscast that ran about the TJB build in which the reporter introduced the piece by saying, “a good news story about home builders? I can’t believe it.” This positive publicity helps identify the companies involved as focused on a higher mission than profits, which improves engagement of current employees and attracts potential ones. Not only did involvement offer a positive opportunity for the home-building industry as a whole, it also allowed the individual companies to present themselves in an inspiring way. Associating their work with positive community efforts allowed the companies to show themselves as being in line with the values of their clients, and especially their employees. “Organizations now are finding that in order to have their employees align with their goals, they need to know what’s important to their employees also,” says Christi Gibson, executive director of Recognition Professionals International, a group that advocates recognition and engagement strategies to businesses. Gibson says that it’s important for companies to connect with larger goals, like helping families in need, that reach beyond just making profits, if they want to keep their employees engaged in their work and invested in the company. “That kind of caring, it shows that an organization has a heart. And people want to work for an organization that has a heart,” says Gibson. The same effect works with business partners. Many of the subcontractors joined in the extreme building projects because of their history with the homebuilding companies mobilizing the builds. They saw joining up as both a chance to come through for a partner they had a relationship with, and a way to strengthen the relationship by working together toward something more than just business. The home-building companies reported 40 | Incentive | January 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

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Incentive - January 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Out of SITE In The News Cover Story: Include a Meeting, Improve Morale Case Study: DHL Delivers Recognition Incentive Primer: How To Use Promo Products How Bob Nardelli Rallied Chrysler’s Dealers Incentive Interview: Ken Blanchard Says Be Nice TV’s Extreme Makeover Motivates Giving Pre-Employment Motivation The Daycare Dilemma Happy Employees Shouldn’t Mix with Sick Employees Incentive Research: Consumer Promotions Report In Her Shoes: Winning Approval Of Flextime Travel News Field Report: Barcelona Field Report: Bermuda Golf: Follow The Pros potentials Here and Now Watches As Jewelry Awards: Online Gift Cards Tech Gadgets for 2008 Last Word: Stanley Bing Bashes Bully Bosses

Incentive - January 2008

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