Realize that getting more money, in fact, is not a long-term motivator–beyond a few months, at best. Your employees ultimately require other outcomes–benefits such as recognition, opportunity to learn and grow, and challenging work–to satisfy them.

One problem is that most employees aren’t aware of this. A second problem is that most people don’t know what they really want to receive, other than more money, from their work.

So, ask them to identify what they want from their job. If an employee’s first answer to the question is “more money,” you reply with, “OK, more money. What else?”

Once you have determined a benefit or two that she truly desires from her work, you can help her find ways to get more of what she wants from either her current job or another position in the organization.

If she is unable to satisfy her unbending need for greater remuneration at your organization, however, ultimately she will have choose to go elsewhere.

Return to top

1. Make him aware of the choice that he is making.
2. Invite him to make a different, ultimately more rewarding, choice.

You might say something like, “George, you’ve made it pretty clear that your plan is to glide into your retirement without making any extra effort. That is one choice you can make. Can I offer you another possible choice? It’s one that you may see as more rewarding, when you look back on your career from retirement.”

George, at least a bit curious, will almost certainly reply with something like, “What are you talking about?”

You continue, “What if you were to choose to make these last two years of your career the best two years of your career? What if you decided to go out in a blaze of glory around here? You have a wealth of experience and knowledge about the work. What if you decided to spend your last two years modeling excellence and being a resource for others in the department? Imagine how you will feel looking back on the legacy you left for others who follow you.”

Return to top

When an employee lacks the will to do his job, recognize that something is missing for him and he is not yet taking responsibility for solving this problem.

Our immediate temptation as manager is to apply a “push” strategy, threatening him with consequences if he doesn’t shape up. While there clearly is a place for this direct approach when all else fails, first try a “pull” strategy. See if you can get the employee to identify something that, if present in his work, would motivate him to perform.

Here’s the approach. Describe the shortfall you see in his performance. Then, share your perception that he doesn’t seem to want to do the work, or that he doesn’t seem to you to be happy in his job. If he replies that there is nothing wrong or missing, proceed with the direct approach.

If however, he confirms his dissatisfaction or a general feeling of malaise, ask him a question like, “What’s missing for you in your job?” or “What would cause you to be more enthusiastic about doing your work well?”

This way you are inviting him to take responsibility for his current state of demotivation and do something about it. If this strategy doesn’t lead to higher performance, you can still cycle back to a more confrontative approach.

Return to top

The challenge here is perceptions–yours and hers. If she truly believes her performance exceeds normal expectations for the job, she will, not surprisingly, resist any attempt to get her to improve.

Begin by telling her that she is not meeting your performance expectations for the position and that you need her to raise the level of performance she delivers.

Then, lay out clearly what you expect from any incumbent in this job. Refer to quantifiable performance measures ($, #, %) if they exist. If they do not, then describe in behavioral terms how you expect her to perform the task(s) where she is below your expectations.

Then–and this is key–ask her how she thinks she is doing against the measures and or behavior you have described. Listen fully and try to understand, not necessarily agree with, her point-of-view. Ask questions until you think you fully understand her perspective. If she feels fully heard and understood by you, she will be more open to considering your position and going along with it.

Finally, describe the level of performance you have seen from her, reiterate the level you require, going forward, and give her a time frame within which you expect the improvement to take place.

Return to top

If you listen closely to negative, cynical people you will notice two predominant themes: (1) something is wrong and (2) it’s not their fault, someone else is to blame. Such people focus on what to them is a problem, on what they don’t want or like. Furthermore, they assume that the solution to the situation lies with someone else, not with them.

Here is how you short circuit someone’s ingrained negative thinking pattern. When he makes a negative or cynical comment, challenge him gently by asking, “What’s missing for you about this?” If he complains about what some individual or department is or isn’t doing, ask, “What would you prefer that they do instead?” or “What do you want from them instead?”

He will almost certainly respond by repeating the problem and placing full blame on its perpetrator (not himself). Calmly ask again, “What’s missing for you?” or “What do you want them to do?” This approach from you will disrupt the negative thinking because you are not cooperating with their manipulative blame game. Rather, you are challenging them to declare what they want.

Here are two final questions you can ask: “How badly do you want this problem solved?” followed up by, “What could you do to improve this situation (or solve your problem)?”

Return to top

1. Results: These are quantifiable items, whether the job involves producing tangible units or providing services at a certain measurable level of quality. Results are measurable in terms of $, #’s and %.
2. Activity: While not quantifiable, these are actions that lead to or support results. They include behavior that can be observed, described and talked about. Examples are smiling when greeting customers, well-written reports, and meeting deadlines.

Your organization pays people for one or both of these two deliverables. Nothing else is “performance!” You don’t hire people for their skills or their personality traits. You hire them for results they generate or what they do.

If you keep your performance discussions focused on results and/or activity and stay away from evaluating traits and attitudes, you will always be on solid ground.

Return to top

When you transfer into a department or unit as the new manager, remember that you are entering an existing “mini culture.” Your new staff already have established (based on their previous boss) what they expect expect and how they should relate to him or her.

So, you need to set your mark from the beginning. Here’s how to do it:

First of all, get them together as soon as possible and tell them about your goals and priorities for the unit/department, about what you expect from them and about the particular style of managing that has been most effective for you in the past.

Secondly, ask them what they want from you. What style are they comfortable with? How much supervision, guidance, access, etc. do they expect from you?

Thirdly, get to know each of your new team members individually. Find out what motivates them and what they want from their work. Learn about their backgrounds. What do they like about their job? What are their aspirations, career-wise?

When you “contract” like this, up front, around preferred styles of working and expected behavior, you establish your own standards and minimize the time it takes for everyone to adjust to the new working relationship.

Return to top

This can be one of the toughest situations for a manager to deal with. There is, nevertheless, a fundamental reality both you and they must accept: your relationship with your former peers will be different.

No longer can you be their “buddy” and share confidences as you did before. Nor, from now on, can you look the other way if their performance falls off. Furthermore, you will not be able to socialize with them in the manner you used to.

Make these facts crystal clear to your (now new) staff. At the same time, let them know that you are not trying to act superior to them. It’s just that your responsibilities as their boss require you, above all else, to be accountable for their performance as it supports the performance of the unit.

It may become apparent as you go forward that an employee resents your ascension to manager. Meet with him, raise the subject of your promotion, and check out how he is feeling about this. Don’t push this under the table. It will only fester and transform into negativity and reduced job performance.

Return to top

As a manager, you are charged with not only delivering results but also developing your people, the future leaders of the organization. You are, in fact, the individual who is best situated to observe your staff and give them suggestions, feedback, encouragement and on-the-job training.

Start by having a heart-to-heart talk with your boss. Get him or her to agree that coaching is one of the results expected of you. Add it to your documented performance objectives or list of job duties and show this to your boss. Build periodic coaching activity into your time management planner or to-do lists.

Coachable moments with employees pop up frequently. For example, right after a meeting in which they participated, in a shared car ride across town, observing them performing a task, or when you receive a report from them. Be on the lookout for these opportune moments and take advantage of them to have that coaching conversation.

You absolutely must carve out some time to coach your people. And, if you are–truth be told–creatively avoiding your coaching role, admit it to yourself, then get some training on how to be an effective coach. It’s really not all that difficult.

Return to top

There is no easy way to manage from afar. The bottom line is it will work only if you can trust your remotely-located employee. The other bottom line is that you have to work harder at and give more conscious attention to maintaining your relationships with your distant staff.

Discuss this challenge with your remote employees. Strategize with them on what you both can do to keep the lines of communications open and clear. Ask about their need for access to you and how quick they would like your responsiveness to be. Tell them, in return, what information you will need from them.

Plan to have regular conversations. While e-mail is easy and therefore tempting to rely on too much, be sure to use regularly that old standby, the telephone. Schedule phone meetings at least once every week or so. If you have access to streaming video technology, hook up a couple of cameras on your computers and talk face-to-face.

The best communications method, of course, is a conversation in person, in the same location. Whenever you make a trip to their location or they to yours, schedule extra time to meet, catch up, and connect.

Return to top

Let’s face it. You and your team have days when the enthusiasm drops off. We all have low periods. It’s only human. Very few of us wake up every single day highly charged to get out there and do tremendous work.

Maybe it follows a disappointing decision by senior management. Perhaps it is in response to difficulty you are having with another unit or customer. Or maybe it’s just that a general sense of malaise has descended on the group.

The first step is to acknowledge consciously to yourself, as leader, that your people seem to have lost their usual spark. Next, ask yourself whether you are feeling that way too. If you are, then begin by turning your own state-of-mind around.

The best antidote to lethargy and discouragement is to remind yourself what your unit does, for whom it does it and why it matters. In other words, get you and your team back in touch with your unit’s purpose. It is an honorable purpose, whether you operate a healthcare unit or a fast food franchise. You are in a position to make a difference each day in the lives of the people you serve.

Remind your team of this. If you express your own enthusiasm about the purpose of the work, most of your people will pick up your energy as well.

Return to top

Fulcrum's Management Development programs show your people how to effectively address these questions, as well as many other challenges that managers must deal with on a daily basis.

To learn more about our programs and how they will boost your managers' effectiveness, go to Training

Contact us at 888-385-2786 or email Contact Us. to speak with our consultant about customizing a training program to meet the specific needs of your management group.