More Carrot Less Stick: Motivation Lessons from Harry Paul and Ross Peck, Ph.D.
“Instant Turnaround! Getting People Excited About Coming to Work and Working Hard.” Wow! The title alone had me wondering what motivational technique could possibly be worthy of such a confident promise. Quite frankly, a bit skeptical . . . “Oh, this ought to be good!”
To my shock, I have to say that Harry Paul and Ross Peck appear to have it right. This small book has a short but powerful message:
“[P]eople respond very quickly to positive treatment.”
–Harry Paul & Ross Peck, Ph.D., Instant Turnaround
The book is a short story about a manager who turns around the performance of a department simply by being nice to employees, having management at all levels visit them and interact with them and appreciate their good efforts.
That’s it?
Yes, that’s it!
It’s such a simple idea that it seems too simple to be true but yet Paul and Peck make a convincing case for why it isn’t so simple for most managers to do this and how much of a difference it makes. Paul and Peck first explain the most common management strategy which they call, “Management by the Numbers.”
Management by the Numbers
First, we make it very clear to the managers and employees what performance numbers they’re expected to achieve. Second, we strike the fear of God into them by informing them of the consequences that will occur if they don’t. Third, we go to our offices and continually monitor their actual performance numbers on our computers to make sure they compare favorably to expectations. Fourth, if they don’t, we get out there and kick some butt.
Sound familiar? Here’s why Paul and Peck claim this strategy just doesn’t work:
“[Management by the Numbers] is trying to motivate our employees by scaring them so they’ll work harder . . . . If you implement this new system it’s only going to make their decision to leave that much easier. Pretty soon, the only people who’ll be working here are those who can’t get jobs anywhere else. If you think productivity is bad now, just watch how bad it gets after all our good employees have left.”
–Harry Paul & Ross Peck, Ph.D., Instant Turnaround
Paul and Peck argue that in order to become an extraordinarily successful company you have to have employees that are willing to tap into their discretionary effort in doing their jobs.
What do you mean by discretionary effort? People regulate the amount of effort they put into their jobs based on how they feel they’re being treated by their boss. If they feel they’re being treated well, they will become excited about giving their absolute best efforts, which means they’ll work way beyond their job descriptions. If they feel their efforts are unappreciated, they’ll pull back and do only what they have to do to keep their jobs. And if they feel they’re being abused, they’ll either get even by figuring out a way to sabotage their boss’s performance numbers, or they’ll look for a job somewhere else.
–Harry Paul & Ross Peck, Ph.D., Instant Turnaround
Paul and Peck then detail principles for how to turn a workplace into “Destination:Work”
“[O]ur goal . . . is to make work a destination–a place that our employees get excited about coming to every day. We want it to be a . . . fun place where people come to get their batteries recharged.”
–Harry Paul & Ross Peck, Ph.D., Instant Turnaround
The principles are not hard and best of all require almost no money to implement! The catch, though, is that in order for this strategy to be effective, it has to be adopted and practiced by the CEO and every manager in the corporation. One department alone can have an impact but the full impact of this method can never be achieved if everyone in the organization isn’t part of the effort.
“The top single driver of discretionary effort is ‘senior management’s sincere interest in employee well being.’”
“Nothing is more demotivating than going the extra mile and having your boss not notice or care.”
–Harry Paul & Ross Peck, Ph.D., Instant Turnaround
Can this simple concept really be true? I think it is. Immediately after finishing the book, I thought of all the situations I have encountered where just a little appreciation/motivation makes a huge difference. For example:
The overweight friend who absolutely beamed when someone commented, “Wow! You’ve lost a lot of weight!” “Thanks! I’ve lost about 20 pounds so far. You’re the only one who seems to have noticed.”
How about the typical housewife’s lament, “No one appreciates me!”
Ever read a blog where someone writes, “I am going to stop writing because no one ever comments or reads this anyway!”
How about the old adage, “What gets appreciated gets done.”
So, inspired by Paul and Peck, here are 4 strategies to motivate yourself through appreciation.
- Find a way to receive frequent feedback/praise on your efforts at work. If you don’t have a supportive boss, look for feedback from coworkers or subordinates and be generous with praise to others. Perhaps you can start a new culture of appreciation at work.
- Find a way to receive frequent feedback/praise on your home or personal efforts. You might use blogging or join a Facebook group to share your achievements and get praise from your friends or even strangers. Stay-at-home mom? I was shocked recently when my daughter praised my cleaning efforts and how motivating that was. Teach your kids to give praise to you. Consider it executive preparation! And, of course, the praise of your spouse/significant other is critical too.
- Praise progress as well as results. Don’t wait until you have the final end result to give praise. Recognize the intermediate steps along the way and the efforts that have been made.
- Celebrate success. Don’t forget the importance of celebration once a goal is achieved. Don’t forget to recognize a milestone in some way. More than just a thank you . . . a special effort like a meal at your favorite restaurant, a vacation, a small shopping spree, a day off, etc. From Paul and Peck, “Not celebrating these occasions is to deprive yourself of a much needed infusion of positive energy. Most people don’t celebrate enough.”
I will close by instituting Paul and Peck’s advice by saying thank you to my wonderful readers! I appreciate the time and effort you make to read my posts, comment and share with others. Whether you are able to implement my ideas or you just take a few minutes to mull them over in your head, I hope that you are seeing some positive changes in your life, that a Ruly idea has challenged you or inspired you to look at something a little differently.
Have you ever been motivated by some well-timed appreciation? Please share in the comments.