Motivation alone is not enough

Changes are happening and more massive changes are expected to take place in business organizations. This is not yet announced because our battle-scarred workforce, where many of them are holed up in their homes doing work, still entertain the fear of catching the virus if they go back to their physical workplace. Convincing them to come back to the office is currently a heated, controversial change initiative leaders have to handle. And to announce more changes will drive our people to the edge.

The workforce shares different sentiments. Many want to go back, especially when school reopens, because they miss their colleagues, pantry, the free-flowing coffee, the aircon, and the high-speed internet while others prefer to stay home and work there. They have discovered that they save more money, spend more quality time with their loved ones, and feel safe from the threat of catching the virus. Both groups have in common is the hatred against commuting. The prospect of not going through the torture of daily traffic is a tremendous single appeal for them to stay home and work.

Many leaders feel that the only thing their employees need to do to produce results or respond positively to change initiatives is to be motivated! And so, they either give “pep talks” to employees themselves or bring some “motivational speakers” to give a “motivational talk.” This alone will not work.

The problem with “motivation” is that it is useless without the proper orientation, the right skills, and the suitable accommodations. Consider this – if you motivate a group of disgruntled employees dealing with fear and anxiety, they will probably want a massive pay hike without adding more value or want to quit their jobs. On the other hand, if you motivate people without giving them the necessary skills to perform the job, as my hero, business philosopher Jim Rohn, said: “Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot” – which is far more dangerous.

Our people today are intelligent. They cannot just be swayed by some speakers carrying and spewing out motherhood statements and motivational cliches of the past decades, expecting that they can change their minds and lead them to do their bidding. And so, before having a “learning event” and having a professional trainer or speaker do his or her thing, we have to make sure two things are done:

First, make sure that clarity of purpose is also developed alongside motivation. Employees need to understand what direction to be motivated in, how it will benefit them, why it is in their best interests to stay at the company and do their best job. Help them understand that the more valuable they make themselves to the company, the greater their rewards will be as well. The other thing is to offer them rewards. Rewards do not mean money or higher pay; they may be recognition-based. Leaders need to do their due research to understand the life goals of most of their key employees so that the program ties in with their goals in one way or the other.

Secondly, make sure any motivation you provide is supplemented or augmented by the skills development. It’s not enough to give talks like “Just Do It!” or “Be the Best!” “Fail Faster Succeed Sooner,” “Grit,” etc. All these cliches and motherhood statements are so stale by overuse, and as I said earlier, people are more informed and intelligent. They are also cynical and skeptical and would want proof of the pudding.

Leaders have to make sure they are skilled and trained to do their job. The wonderful thing about Generation Z and the younger millennials is that they want their companies to invest in their learning and training. So, consider “motivation” to be something like salt or spice that makes the food tastes better. You mix it with food, but you won’t just eat salt or spice alone, would you? The actual food is skill development. It can be technical skills, role-based skills, leadership, productivity or selling skills, or any skill that eventually has a tremendous impact on the company’s growth and bottom line. This is how you effectively motivate employees in a super valuable way and help the company!

(Francis Kong runs his Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online on April 20, 21, and 22. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)