I was on Community Walks the other day with a Senior Team Member when we observed some glaring oversights. Committed and ever responsive, they vowed to “Push Harder.” I replied “Don’t”.

Do not push harder; it rarely lasts. Instead,

  • Clearly set forth the goal; make sure it is well understood, solicit input and questions.
  • Ensure reasonable, adequate resources exist (it sparks creativity if you’ve got to stretch a bit)

Then stand back and watch who runs toward the goal. Solicit feedback from and coach any laggards BUT after an adequate period of time (3 strikes?), face up to reality. Odds are the person is not in a job they love or for which they have the proper skill set and their poor performance not only lets down their fellow Team Members, it also deprives Customers of the quality of service they deserve. The kindest thing to do is to free up their future so that they can find a position for which they are better suited.

Closing Quotes:

“Listen to the Behavior.” – Proverb

“Monetary rewards are not a substitute for intrinsic motivation.” – W. Edwards Deming, 1900-1993

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” – Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919

“You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.” – Homer Rice, b. 1927, football coach

“I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.” – Mia Hamm, 2x Olympic gold medalist, soccer

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier