Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

At the end of the day, executives don't produce many tangible things.  Usually, we don't make the widgets, or write the reports.  Our colleagues do those things.  

Our job is to build the plan, remove the hurdles, and grease the wheels.  And what about motivation?

This article  (ChiefExecutive.net) discusses seven areas that managers must address to motivate their teams.  Here are two of the seven areas...

1) Companies must have a performance based culture. Even in difficult times there must be clearly defined goals for the company. These goals must cascade down to your top talent. They must have quantifiable objectives that motivate them, so when reached, they feel a sense of accomplishment. Providing specific time based goals with achievable results clarifies exactly what is expected of your people. Your best talent will embrace the goals and not stop until they reach the goal. Employee engagement is critical to retaining your best people. ...

5) Praise. You may have experienced a manager with this philosophy: “That is what they get paid for. Why should I thank them? They should thank me for having a job.” How did you like it? Compare that to a manager with this philosophy: “Thanks, I know it is just part of your job, but I appreciate the pride you take in your work. It helps everyone in the department.” How did you like that? A little praise goes a long way to motivate people. In difficult times when people are doing more than expected and yes maybe they should be glad to have a job, demonstrating appreciation will be returned when the economy turns and they don’t have to be working there any longer.

This sounds reasonable, right?

But just to show how clean-cut this "management" thing is, here's another article (The Leading Edge) that argues the opposite.  Here's a snippet:

Trying to motivate workers shows a lack of understanding about what motivation is and how it is achieved. Leaders who think this way want to eat the dessert before the entrée.  While the temptation for the tasty stuff may seem irresistible, it is not a wise strategy because after dessert, the main course is less appealing. Leaders do not make the necessary mind shift to do the things that actually improve motivation. So, what is the dessert and what is the entrée?  The entrée is the culture of the organization that either enables or extinguishes motivation. The dessert is how satisfied people feel at any particular moment....

I believe motivation comes from within each of us. As a manager or leader, I do not believe you or anyone else can motivate other people. What you can do is create a process or culture whereby employees will decide to become motivated to perform at peak levels. An example is when you set a vision and goals, then allow people to use their initiative to get the job done as they see fit.

So, faithful readers, which is it?  Is it our job to motivate? Or to set up a system that promotes self-motivation.  Or some other combination?

Have a great weekend, guys.

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Speaking of praise, do you have a cracker jack marketing team?  If so, consider nominating them for a NAFCU Marketing Award.  You can nominate your team for a member newsletter, designing a killer website, an annual report, a lending promotion, and more.  So let's see your best and brightest in marketing!  And it's not bragging if it's true!