What motivates you to do better at your job? When I was asked this question, I had to really ponder before answering. Was it verbal recognition, more pay, bigger bonuses, more paid time off. As I continuously asked what I wanted more of, the answer for me was family time. I wanted to work as hard as I could to complete the task that need to be completed in a timely manner so that I could be complete with my day. As a Navy Chief I often used this as a motivational tool for my Sailors. I had a daily list broken down into two categories, the “had” to get done and the “wanted” to get done. The “wanted” usually led to achieving organizational goals. The workday in the Navy is pretty structured, but I was always willing to put my Sailors on liberty early if they worked hard and deserved it. I posted each list every day and my second-in-charge would drive the work to completion. Once the “had” to list was complete, the Sailors had the option to work on personal goals, such as career enticing qualifications, or work on the “wanted” list to go home early. Sailors who wanted to get promoted worked on personal goals, sailors who wanted to go home early worked on the “wanted” list. As I observed this routine for about a year, I was able to quickly identify my top performers, average performers, and low performers. What I really enjoyed about this paradigm is that the sailors could choose day to day. For example, many of my hard chargers would work on personal days throughout the week, but on Friday they would push the wanted list to enjoy an extended weekend.
As I build my workplan, I want to suite it for my team as a whole, but scalable to where it works for different motivation techniques for specific team members. Not all employees are motivated by the same thing. You need to find what entices your employees. I will identify 2 – 3 motivators that I will use to engage employees to be more productive. These motivators will be utilized as part of the R&R program (rewards and recognition). If a project team completes a project successfully two-weeks early and underbudget, they’ll get 50% of the time they saved off, plus share 5% of what they came in under budget.
Another work plan motivator I will apply is freedom within framework. I will provide the employees with the organizations end-result requirements and the restrictions to confine within. The team or employee can control their work schedule as long as they meet their daily, weekly, and monthly (if applicable) KPIs.
I have found some amazing examples or workplace motivators. If my leader can to me and told me that I could have as much time off as long as I did my job to a specific level. I would ensure that I gave every task 110% and completed early, so that I could enjoy my time off with family. We all go through different phases of life, some may be motivated by money while others by time-off. I’m in a transition where my kids need me to be there more for them, so I would choose time-off rather than to work longer for more money. But, giving employees the option to select is empowering and motivational.
MGT 635: Open Source Leadership 