Keys to motivation (plus a really cool interview question)
September 17, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Communication, In this week's e-newsletter, Incentives, Latest News & Views, Management
In these tough times, if your organization is one of those asking employees to do more for less, it’s especially important consider what’s going to motivate them.
The best parts of these motivational tools — excerpted from the Harvard Business Review — is that they don’t cost anything and just about any manager can implement them:
- Give feedback, lots of it. But don’t confuse feedback with backslapping. In uncertain times, employees want you to be dead-on honest and thoughtful.
- Offer as much professional development as possible. One mistake managers make: Setting a career path for an employee without fully asking the employee about it. Try not to assume you know what the employee wants. At the very least, employees will be motivated by knowing you care what they think.
- Say “thanks.” Money and benefits are tight, so if you can’t shower them with cash, at least shower them with praise when they deserve it. And practice the two kinds of thank-you: (1) For doing the everyday job at a high level. (2) For going above and beyond the everyday job.
And the cool interview question:
- Ask employees (and applicants) what they’d do with themselves if they had all the money they needed. OK, some people are going to say “nothing” — that’s a given. But some others will tell you what their true passions are. Maybe you won’t be able to accommodate them, but you’ll know what motivates the person and how you can best adjust the tasks at hand to match the passion. Example: If someone says, “I’d write a book,” you then know that person would be happier doing work that involves writing, even if it’s only routine reports.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I like the question, but I’m unclear about the rest. We’re there typos in this piece?
September 21st, 2009 at 9:47 am
There is definitely a typo in cynthia’s response – should be “Were” not “We’re”
September 21st, 2009 at 11:54 am
I think Cynthia is referring to the “Setting a career path for an employee with fully asking the employee about it”. Surely you meant without instead of with.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am
I expect many applicants would divulge something about religion or family that isn’t appropriate for an interview. I certainly wouldn’t try to match the answer with job responsibilities. My own ‘urge to write’ would not be satisfied by writing reports. If someone said ‘I would spend all my time volunteering,’ should I think they can’t be happy unless they have customer contact?
September 21st, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I tend to agree with RJ. If my dream is to write the great American novel, it would be naive for a hiring manager to think that completing mundane reports will satisfy that same desire.
September 21st, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I agree with RJ that the question could potentially open up an employer to anwers that may not be job related and/or disclose personal information that could lead to discrimination charges. What would you say if the applicant said they would have a sex change operation!
September 21st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I have successfully asked job candidates either internal or external the following:
“If financial and time resources were unlimited, what training activity would be tops on your development plan?”
I have gotten some very insightful answers to what motivates the person. The terms “training” and “development plan” keep the question within the context of work, however are open enough to encourage creative answers.
This also has assisting in building T&D programs that fit into our business.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Or, given the jest of the question, what if the applicant gave a creative or fantasy type answer? What then? How would you accommodate the individual’s passions at that point?
September 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I love this article (typos and all). To answer Jane’s question… I’d say “good luck with that” and move on to the next topic or question.
Yes, asking those questions might uncover some topic you don’t want to discuss in an interview or in a conversation with an employee. If that’s the case you handle like you would in ANY scenario where an employee or prospective employee volunteers too much personal information.
I don’t agree that writing a report is not fulfilling for someone with a passion for writing. Ok, it’s not the same as writing the great American novel, but there is some satisfaction to be derived from it. And if the employee writes a kick-@$$ report and gets a lot of positive feedback, it will make the experience even more positive for the employee.
It’s certainly better to have an employee doing what he/she loves even in a very small way than not at all. Maybe there are other ways to use an employee’s skills/passions that we haven’t though of yet…
If you have an employee with a passion for writing, why not let him/her write or contribute to a company or department newsletter. Maybe he/she could do some blogging for your business.
For an employee with a passion for photography, perhaps you could appoint him/her as the official photographer for a company event or assign a project to capture candid images of employees doing their jobs for a company meeting, etc. For the employee with a passion for music, have him/her write a song for your next retirement or holiday party.
There are lots of ways to help an employee feel connected.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Thank you SS, I agree 100%. This is a great question that I will add to my list. You gave some great examples of how information gathered from this type of question could be used to the advantage of the employee and company for those that can’t think outside of the box.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
SS: Thanks for pointing out the possible ways to use the information gathered from the question. Good ideas! I sometimes live in a box but, now and then, a flap opens and I can jump out. “Think outside of the box,” wasn’t that one of the terms that made the most unfavorite office term list in another article?
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 am
I think the question is a great question. Isn’t the trend to get away from managing and becoming great leaders? Part of being an effective leader is knowing and understanding your employees or potential employees.
The question is not a work related question it is about their passions and dreams and gives you the interviewer a great insite to the charater of that person. People come alive when they can talk about what they believe is special. Since the topic is motivation and keeping employees happy when they are being asked to do more for less this is an incredibly important objective; to help maintain job enrichment and job satisfaction for less money. Remember, money does not necessiarly equal satisfaction.
Leadership also entails flexibility and I think SS has it right; be flexible in your thinking there is a whole lot more going into a job then just doing tasks.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 am
The question is a great one; however, writing routine reports and writing a book are worlds apart. The want-to-be write needs something creative and expressive not mundane tasks. A smart interview/manager would dig deeper into what motivates someone. Maybe a few follow up questions are in order so you don’t make false assumptions. For example, what work related projects, duties or tasks have you done that fulfilled your desire to be a writer?
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I am amazed at the negativity and comments from most. I’m hesitant to write a comment. Shame on you. These are my HR counterparts.
SS – cheers to you for putting a positive spin on this and seeing the bright side.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I read the article in a different way than some of you, closer to SS’s take on it. Merely, the suggestion was made that if someone’s dream was to author a book, then there is a definate “clue” that this person may enjoy writing, being creative, and yes, may do good on a report.
I often ask a similar question, “If you were qualified to do any job in the world, what would you be doing?”
I love the responses I get from this, as the answers tell alot about someone, possible work ethic, passions, etc.
I had one gentleman tell me he would be a Farmer (obviously doesn’t mind working hard), another on a School Teacher (we are a manufacturing facility) so I automatically thought “Patience”.
It is when they tell you that the job you’re interviewing for is what they would do, that tells me they are telling me what they think I want to hear…….WRONG!!
Have a good day!!
September 28th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I thought the interview question would be interesting to answer to say the least. From a prospective employee view point, it would help to keep in mind the question is being asked in relation to the job you are applying for. The same as “So… tell me about yourself.” You wouldn’t go into a life history except for your experiences pertaining to the job. Some job applicants will realize this and answer accordingly.
Or you can ask the question with verbage that indicates the answer should be work related as Carol Ann suggest.
I’d prefer an interview to stick with job related question and answers. If I wanted to talk about my hopes and dreams, I have a husband for that.
September 28th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I think the question is an excellent question, provided the interviewer is able to ask good follow on questions.
I am interested in what the candidate thinks and what motivates them. I ask them, “If hired, what do you see yourself doing in 5 to 10 years and how can working here help you achieve that goal?”
If a supervisor doesn’t understand the goals and aspirations of his/her employees, then he/she will be ill-equipped to influence and motivate. I find all too often supervisors get caught up in the mechanics of managing and have a hard time dealing with the subtleties of influencing. Those managers have high turnover, low loyalty, many hours spent in investigations and responding to litigation, and all sorts of metrics to explain why MEDIOCRITY should be accepted.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Sad that so many are so fearful of asking personal questions of and / or recieving personal answers from a possible new team member. In our efforts to eliminate discrimination based on irrelevant factors like race ( the bad kind ) we have lost the ability to learn what we need to know about thier individual goals, work ethic and personality (the good kind of discrimination) to make an educated hiring decision.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
One question I’ve often asked folks I’m interviewing is, “what’s your favorite movie and why is it your favorite?”. No real right or wrong answer, I just like to see how they respond about why they like it.