Incentive - October 2009 - (Page 38)

Bridging the Emplo yee Di vide & G e tti n g L e a d e r s A b o a rd Yo u r R e c o g n i ti o n & I n ce n ti ve Pro g r a m s By John Schaefer PRIMER Points to Remember • You must win over your leaders before you can expect them to win over employees • Until your employees believe their leader truly values them, any effort you make to motivate them will be seen as manipulation J oe is an engineer at a large manufacengaged and are seen as “going through turing plant. He sees a photo of his the motions,” employees won’t buy into general manager in the company motivational efforts. They will say, “Show newsletter and wonders, “Who the me the money.” heck is this guy? Wouldn’t it be great if he When supervisors see recognition as a wandered by every now and then and said valuable performance-improvement tool hi?” Joe is experiencing the very foundathat can make their jobs easier, they’ll get tion of employee recognition. behind your program initiatives and make A company leader must stay in touch them “real.” You must win over your manwith his people in order to motivate them. agers and supervisors before you can If he does this with all of your employees, expect them to win over their subordinates. you will identify where they are succeeding and where they need help. 2. Get Leaders to Look It’s an extremely effective way of engagThrough Employees’ Eyes ing employees emotionally. While many studies show The theory is that manthat employees rate John Schaefer is a agement walk-arounds recognition (another way consultant with more than 20 years of appeal to employees’ selfof saying respect) near experience helping companies realize esteem (their desire for the top of the things that and react to the employer-employee respect), where engagemotivate them, most disconnect. He is the founder of ment really begins. Relasupervisors assume that Schaefer Recognition Group in Glentionships are the foundapay is at the top and dale, AZ, and author of The Vocational tion on which effective recognition is near the recognition is built. If they Shrink–An Analysis of the Ten Levels bottom. aren’t in place, you will Management’s underof Workplace Disillusionment, as well waste money and time standing of what motias The Vocational Shrink–The Game. trying to buy employees’ vates employees is often He has a manager training program performance. flawed. When supervisors called “Why Should Supervisors Care? Here are three helpful become aware of how What They’re Really Thinking—What’s points about relationships: they view things differentIn It for Me?” For more, visit ly than subordinates do, www.schaeferrecognitiongroup.com. 1. It’s All About you are on track to overPerception come the frustration, low The secret to effective recognition is perproductivity, turnover, and lack of cooperaception. If managers themselves are not tion afflicting your company. Incentive Until your employees believe their leader truly values them through recognition, any effort you make to motivate them will be seen as company-focused manipulation, rather than sincere, and will turn them off. You lose them emotionally. Make sure that any action you take to improve performance follows engagement practices that make people feel valued and not just cogs in a big machine. 3. Do It in the Right Order Most companies already have a variety of training, recognition, and incentive programs in place, but they may not be well organized and are probably not being used in the correct order. It’s a lot like dealing with your kids: If they don’t feel you love them, your well-meaning discipline can come across as mean-spirited and more about you than their betterment. Lead with recognition (respect) and then offer performance-improvement opportunities (share the wealth) and special awards for high achievement (specific performance acknowledgement). When you step back and view all of the ways you communicate with your employees as one cohesive motivational strategy, rather than a set of unrelated actions, you will quickly identify redundancies and areas of confusion. Put your people’s emotional needs first, and you will enjoy measurable results that will surprise and please you and your management team. 38 | | October 2009 | incentivemag.com http://www.schaeferrecognitiongroup.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - October 2009

Incentive - October 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note: Motivation with a Catwalk Flair
Headlines
Cover Story: Study Reveals Travel ROI in Numbers
The First Annual Motivation Masters Awards Finalists
Holiday Parties with Heart
Research: Travel IQ
All-American Pillow Gift Guide
Strategies: Skip the Carrots
Primer: Win Over Leaders in Order to Win Over Employees
Travel News: Where to Go and How to Get There
The Caribbean: So Close, but a World Away
Florida Coast to Coast
Reno-Lake Tahoe: The Other Great Lake
Reno-Lake Tahoe: The Other Great Lake
Power & Hand Tools See Steady Activity
Netbooks Fire Up Computer Redemption

Incentive - October 2009