"What management needs to do to motivate people
is to stop demotivating them."
                   -W. Edwards Deming

RECOGNIZING THAT YOU MAY BUY 
PEOPLE'S HANDS, BUT NEVER THEIR HEARTS.

VIEWING EMPLOYEES AS AUTHORS OF
THEIR OWN WORK.

ENHANCING POWER BY GIVING IT 
AWAY--i.e., LOOSEN CONTROL. 

***************************************
MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
***************************************
Organization are flailing with lack of direction 
and focus.  A leader's job is to sift through all of
the possible activities an organization could engage 
in, say no to most of them, and select those 
priorities that are consistent with: (1)  the business 
you are in; (2) the values and principles of your 
organization; and (3) the long and short term 
priorities you have set with your players.  
This is proactive, creative planning.

Daily shifting or reactive planning is dangerous. 
Learn to hold steady at the helm and focus 
on the course you have set.   

**************************************
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
**************************************
I manage many people over several locations, and I 
can't be there with them constantly giving direction.  
Ideas?

Let's hope you don't have to.  There are many forms 
of communication, and two-way is the best.  Use that 
important face-to-face time from "Day 1," to discuss 
and delineate the following (ideas from Key & Sholtes):

1.    What is their job and how does it fit into the overall
purpose and direction of the organization?
2.    What is the best way to do that job and who defines 
what a "good job" is?
3.    What is expected of the person and by whom?  Who are 
the employee's customers--internal and external?
4.    What processes does the employee own or share with 
others?  Who can make improvements in them and by what 
methods?
5.  What feedback is available on how the processes are 
working, and what feedback should the employee seek from 
their customers?

With these questions answered, the employee should be 
able to direct their own work and invite your help when 
needed.  

Why can't our managers motivate people? 

Because they can't.   People motivate themselves, 
but sometimes not in the intended direction.  First, 
do people know the answers to the questions above?

Then take a look at what may be "demotivating" people 
and work on removing those demotivators.  Examples are:  

1. Politics
2. Unclear expectations
3. Poorly designed work
4. Unfairness/Preferential treatment
5. Unnecessary rules
6. Constantly changing the program
7. Hypocrisy (not walking the talk) and dishonesty
8. Over-control
9. Being forced to do poor quality work
10. Fractured communication, particularly gossip
11. Fractured systems, e.g., delays, repeats, 
    multiple inspections, broken equipment
12. Internal competition and WE-THEYism, and more...

The key motivators are intrinsic: e.g., the chance to 
do something important, something of quality, that 
you do well, or that you can learn from, with a team
you like, and with degrees of creative freedom.  Give 
choice and opportunity.

What about delegation and giving out assignments?  
Isn't that direction?

Yes, but be sensitive to the nature of the "contract."  
All relationships have an implicit social contract.  If it 
is a "Patriarchal Contract" (Peter Block), the first 
tenet is that people need to submit to authority.  
"I say, you do."  This takes the locus of control 
away from the individual, and may have the opposite 
effect of what we leaders desire.  We may buy hands, but 
not hearts.

If the contract is more "Entrepreneurial," we have
negotiated a relationship with the organization where 
the employees are responsible for their own actions 
and the success of their unit or project.  It is a two-
way agreement where the wants of both parties are 
expressed, and the delegation is in the form of a 
"request."  The boss or supervisor then becomes a 
consultant, ally, and teacher.  The pay-off for 
encouraging self-expression is a high level of 
commitment, energy, and creative self-expression.  
"Want to, not have to."

**************************************
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
**************************************
The New Look of Leadership, a course from Key Associates.
http://www.mkkey.com/courses2/LeadershipCourse.htm

Video training program, "Giving Leadership Away"
http://www.videovisions.net/giving.html

http://www.hrpapers.com/ features 100 downloadable 
papers on HR issues such as human motivation.

Former Keyzines on related topics:
Volume 8, November 2001 - Keeping Customers 
Volume 15, June 2002 - Motivation
Volume 35, February 2004 - Employees as Customers
Volume 48, March 2005 - The Strategic Plan

**************************************
OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES 
**************************************
Article on giving direction and other leadership skills
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Management-Focus/Giving-direction/2005/03/28/1111862308448.html

Lead softly, but carry a big baton
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/48/baton.html

http://www.motivation-tools.com/ - called a tool chest.
Some interesting thoughts about motivation and leadership.

**************************************
ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS                              
************************************** 
Bennis, Warren. On Becoming a Leader. . 
New York: Addison-Wesley, 1989.

Block, Peter. The Empowered Manager. 
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.

Deming, W. Edwards.  Out of the Crisis.  
Cambridge, Mass:MIT Publishing, 1990.

Depree, Max. Leadership Jazz. New York: 
Doubleday Currency, 1992, 151-166.

Kaye, Beverly and Jordan-Evans, Sharon.
Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good 
People to Stay.  Berrett-Koehler, 1999.

Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards: The 
Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, 
A’s, Praise and Other Bribes. New York: 
Houghton-Mifflin, 1993.

Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. 
The Leadership Challenge. (Chapter 8). 
San Francisco Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Leebov, Wendy & Scott, Gail. Health Care 
Managers in Transition. (Chapters 4 & 8). 
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.

Oakley, Ed. & Krug, Doug. Enlightened 
Leadership. Denver: Stonetree, 1991.

Richards, Dick. Art of Winning Commitment:
The 10 Ways Leaders Can Engage Minds, Hearts,
and Spirits.  AMACOM, 2004.

Spitzer, Dean.  Supermotivation: A Blueprint
for Energizing Your Organization from Top
to Bottom.  AMACOM, 1995.