Motivate Intrinsically
photo by becominggreenblog
Dan Pink’s recently posted TED talk makes a convincing argument for why extrinsic, if-then rewards are detrimental to our businesses. If you need an 18-minute break then you could spend your time in far worse ways.
If you don’t have 18-minutes then the gist is:
Extrinsic rewards / contingent motivators limit thinking and block creativity. Extrinsic rewards do work to narrow focus and work well when solution is known. But right brain, conceptual abilities are what are needed in our knowledge-based workplaces today and these are stunted by if-then rewards.
His evidence is partly a study in which people were given a box of tacks, matches and a candle and were asked to attach the candle to the wall so it did not drip on the table. The solution requires some literal ‘out of the box’ thinking. Two groups were given the challenge. One was told their time would help establish group norms and the other was given a monetary incentive to complete it in the fastest time possible.
The result? Those who were given the if-then incentive completed the problem three and a half minutes…slower.
The incentive narrowed their focus and limited their creativity.
Chances are the team you’re leading isn’t building widgets and being asked to push buttons and pull levers faster. Your team operates within a changing marketplace where the solutions to success are not always obvious.
If you want to look good yourself then you need the mental horsepower of your entire team to find the solution. Providing a bigger carrot isn’t going to help. Rather you need to figure out if your team members even like vegetables.
Intrinsic motivation, according to Pink, comes from three things. He only defines the first in his talk so I’ll go out on a limb and color between his lines on the latter two. Those three are:
- Autonomy – giving people the chance to work on the things they believe to be important
- Mastery – allowing people to play to their strengths and having a coach (not a manager) in their corner who is interested in helping to make them better
- Purpose – ensuring people are working on things that are important. Tying their ‘to do’ list to the team and company goals
I’d also like to throw in a fourth which may be a derivative of ‘purpose.’ I’ll call it ‘potential.’
- Potential (should be #4, but c’est la vie) – Find out how the team member views herself. Where she sees herself going. What she wants to accomplish. Help her get there by leaping over the hurdles the team or company faces
Far too often we succumb to the ‘inherent truths’ that turn out to be just not true. Social science has a lot to offer us in the business world if we’re willing to challenge our beliefs and listen. Let us start here.
Turn your people loose with what matters to them, work hard to align company and individual goals, give them the support they need to fulfill the goals and help them reach their potential.
Return on Brain Waves (ROBW)
We’re all in the same business.
We may produce different things, but that doesn’t change anything. With off-shoring and 100-years to optimize the process, production is a commodity. Everyone can tap into efficient, quality production (lead-laden toys notwithstanding).
In fact, we’ve been in this business for a half-century and we aren’t getting any better at it.
We are all in the people business, of course.
Your job is to turn brain waves into cash (hat tip). If you thought you’d misplaced your competitive advantage, you’ll find it there.
photo by gilles chiroleu
In 1957 the U.S. hit the inflection point whereby we started thinking more than producing. White-collar workers outnumbered blue-collar workers for the first time. Since then the spread has only increased, but we haven’t changed our mindset about how we work.
We are still trying to get more from less by using the same approaches we used 100-years ago. Basically, work longer then work smarter then finally give up and off-shore everything.
But we’re left with an economy and business scenario that is entirely different. The job today is to optimize people’s thoughts.
Optimizing people is far different than optimizing people operating machines.
A couple starting points to keep in mind to make the transition from acting like a production line manager to a brain wave herder.
- How, not what. Anyone you’ll consider hiring is going to be smart. The difference in a few IQ points at the top end of the spectrum isn’t going to make a damn bit of difference in accomplishing your goals. The difference is how they put those smarts to use, not what they know. Is it in a way that aligns with how your company does business? Does it inspire conversation and even more brain waves?
- People aren’t independent. Our working systems are so intermingled that the lone wolf is indeed an endangered breed. When assembling your team look at it holistically. You don’t just need a marketer who has previously hawked your competitors product. You need a markter who knows how to communicate with the prima donna sales guy and knows how to extract good ideas from the introverted engineer. You need a marketer that raises the game of everyone on the team.
- Redefine ‘management.’ You’re job is to take seemingly disconnected thoughts and focus them in a way that a) makes money and b) doesn’t shut down future thinking. You’re job is actually far harder than you thought. You have to keep energy high, focus it, be able to recognize great ideas and keep the momentum going when conflict arises. You’re less a manager than you are a cowboy / cheerleader / psychologist.
- Rethink your relationship. Stop thinking that people are cogs in the wheel and are easily replaceable. Though it’s easy in this economy and it could be argued that it’s partially true (see above: there isn’t much difference in knowledge and skill levels between smart people), there is no faster way to shut down the brain waves you need to harness than to not appreciate what one brings to the table. You may not agree with what they’re bringing, but if you want the spigot of knowledge to continue to flow you don’t gum up the pipes with your archaic, century-old thinking that people a natural resource to continue to be exploited.
I could go on, but then I’d have nothing left to write about. Please add your own or challenge me on any of these. My thinking is always a work in process and it’s hard to do alone.
Job Descriptions – Show, Don’t Tell
A job description recently landed in my inbox. It was a unique opportunity! (Naturally.) Followed by a lengthy description of the product being built and the initial customers. All of which is fine, but let’s pretend it’s a cocktail party.
The guy that just sidled up to you loves himself. He can’t stop talking about his new jacket. It’s so unique, so expensive, so sought after. He barely stops to acknowledge that you are there. He may ask you a question or two but they’re likely leading questions that get him onto a topic he wants to talk about again. How long before you excuse yourself to ‘get another drink?’
photo by dandy_fsj
So it goes with job descriptions. We’re selling, selling, selling. But we’re really damn boring. In our efforts to differentiate ourselves with words we wind up sounding exactly like everyone else.
- Whose company isn’t ‘unique?’
- Whose company doesn’t want someone who can handle a ‘fast-paced environment?’
- Whose company doesn’t want someone ‘with a good sense of humor?’
Instead, think a little deeper about the skills and values you want the person to have. Then write the job description so it has the same attributes.
Need analytical skills? Throw in a Sudoku.
Want someone who values creativity? Include a brain teaser.
There is no rule that says our job descriptions have to put the reader to sleep. If you truly want someone with a sense of humor have them send you a creative headline to a funny picture when they submit a resume.
There is more to a job than the skills we bring. We’ll wind up spending more time with the new hire than we will with our spouses. It’s important that we choose well. Listing skills gets us so far, but finding the people that mesh well with the existing team and processes is vital.
But, garbage in, garbage out. Have your applicant pool self-select based on how you’ve written the job description. I don’t mean by saying that you are looking for ’5-7 years experience doing XYZ.’ That’s never followed. I mean by actually putting your values and requirements into the job description itself. Just like elementary school English – show, don’t tell.
If you’re looking for an example of a great job description, check out this one for a burger joint in New Zealand called Murder Burger.
Happiness at Work – Does It Matter?
I don’t like the term ‘happy’ when it comes to work. It’s too New Age Cumbaya. Though, if pressed, I would fall back on my sample of one and recall the times I’ve been most creative, effective and productive at work and it’s always been when I’m most confident in myself, when I’m most comfortable fitting into my surroundings and when I’m generally happy. Yes, it matters.
I just finished reading Johan Lehrner’s latest called How We Decide and he off-handedly plucks out a study by Mark Jung-Beeman showing that people with a positive mood (read: happy) are able to solve 20% more puzzles than unhappy people. And conversely, people with higher anxiety solved fewer problems and were slower doing so.
photo by tricky
A majority of us now work in knowledge industries. Everything we do is about solving problems, creatively improving products and processes and finding new ways to out-flank our competition. Everything requires creativity. And insofar as speed to execution and problem-solving matter to your business then it behooves you to pay attention to what your employees are feeling.
It’s not making sure they have M&Ms, on-site dry cleaning or yoga classes. But making sure that,
- their needs and career goals are being met
- they are a part of the company’s mission
- their work matters
- they feel as though they’re getting a fair shake. That is, their values are well-aligned with the company’s
- they know how well they are performing
Just as Happy Cows make better cheese so do happy employees make better products.
[To read Jung-Beeman's full study download the PDF for the 'Positive Mood and Anxiety Modulate Anterior Cingulate Activity and Cognitive Preparation for Insight.' It's the first title.]
Can Burnout Be Prevented?
photo by auntie p
I just read a phenomenal post on burnout – well researched, explained and experienced. And while I’m a big believer in work-life balance I was left with a question for which I don’t have an answer.
Can burnout be prevented through the right set of challenges and rewards?
In my sample of one, the times in which I’ve experienced burnout are when I don’t see the value of my work.
In other words, the work I was doing wasn’t challenging enough, the reason I was doing it didn’t align with my motivations and the rewards were captured by someone else.
Is it possible to solve burnout not by giving your team a few extra days off and returning to the same situation that created it in the first place but by getting to know what drives everyone on your team and assigning work accordingly?
If you knew why each individual on the team wanted to work, how they preferred to be rewarded and what their long-term goals were, do you think they’d burn out?
I don’t mean to suggest people can be worked indefinitely. Creative people (of which we are all a part in some manner) need to recharge at some point. But if we create work environments that provide the road map by which people can reach their goals and get the rewards they seek along the way then I think we’d see far less talk about burnout and being over-stressed.
Please jot your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks.
