Incentive - March 2010 - (Page 18)

STRATEGIES Profession with a Purpose M ost organizations encourage and/or insist that each of their employees has a developmental action plan (DAP) or something similar. These plans lay out an overall direction and the steps to take for employees to further their careers. Currently, employees are nervous, looking over their shoulders (and at newspaper headlines), keeping their heads down, and doing the right things—though something is amiss. The tone around the cubicles and water fountains, during meetings, and on the daily commutes is less than optimal for employee success—and the success of their organizations. From our vantage point, we see that some fundamental and BIG things are missing from employee mindsets, such as passion, connection, gratitude, pride, and ambition. How are people able to muster up going the extra mile for an internal or external customer, create new possibilities, and have an “I can make it happen” attitude without these core beliefs in place, let alone hit their career develop- Corporate social responsibility could be missing piece in career development & motivation investing in their career development and futures. Wouldn’t you like your employees to feel more of that? They will also learn new skills and/or competencies that are essential to the game of business as their roles evolve. There is a belief that if individuals in a company treat their internal customers as well as their external customers, more often than not everything else will work out—or even better than expected—at all levels of the business. With the challenge (and scrutiny) of being in a “fishbowl,” where the decisions of investments and cuts are critical and felt by many, a time-tested choice is to allocate funds to the people. This allocation, with a specific ROI in mind, and with a process, tool, and/or service that is highly recommended, can be a “brass ring” that is reachable and deemed worthy by all involved. Today, more and more companies are turning to a melding of CSR and philanthropy to address and/or supplement employees’ career development and team-cohesion needs. ment targets? What we know is that the more energy people focus on themselves (woe is me), the less energy they have to put where it can benefit most. Many DAPs include a philanthropic component, and when times are challenging they tend to go uncompleted. Opportunities abound for corporate social responsibility (CSR) events. An important consideration is what events will be selected. Often, employees have a very limited view of what their companies do in the CSR arena. If they look on the company’s internal Web site, they may not really understand the complexity or generosity of the company and the difference it makes around the world. When the training department, managers, department heads, VPs, etc, offer a CSR event for their employees they are getting a huge ROI. A CSR experience can shift the morale of individuals and groups. The proper choice of CSR events can increase crossfunctional networks, reduce communication silos, foster solution-based thinking, and raise mood levels as well as productivity. Beyond these benefits, offering a CSR event addresses and supports components of the employees’ DAPs—thus they feel (and see) the company is Todd Demorest is a lead facilitator for Odyssey Teams. He helps to motivate groups through programs such as Helping Hands, in which participants assemble prosthetic hands for amputees. Visit www.odysseyteams.com for more information. 18 | Incentive | March 2010 | incentivemag.com http://www.odysseyteams.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - March 2010

Incentive - March 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note: An Olympic-Size Motivation Mystery
Headlines
Cover Story: A Virtuoso Performance
5th Annual Gift Card Roundtable
5 Steps to a Successful Recognition Program
Strategies: Add Purpose to Professional Goals
Travel News: Where to Go
Caribbean Is Set for the Return of Incentives
Potentials: Here & Now
Gift Card Retailers Are Ready
Crystal Clear Recognition

Incentive - March 2010