Is employee motivation a concern?

A story/puzzle

When Mike first started his career, he came to work early, left late, and never had to be told twice to get something done.

Mike feels that the generation entering the workforce today has no clue what hard work is.

Instead of managing projects with his people, Mike finds himself playing the role of babysitter and micromanaging; something he never thought he would do. As a result of this inauthenticity, he sometimes feels like a fraud.

He finds himself in conversations with his team about reasons and excuses rather than results and performance.

“That’s not my responsibility.”

“We didn’t know.”

“It’s not my fault.”

These are common phrases that surface multiple times throughout the week.

Instead of thinking creatively and producing results, Mike’s internal dialogue revolves around the question, “Is my team doing what they are supposed to be doing?”

He is also unknowingly creating an unmotivated culture of “Abdication of Accountability,” where the good employees get punished with more work, and the underperforming employees do less work. He finds it easier to give more work to people who are productive rather than having honest conversations with those who are underperforming.

Mike’s department ranks average in company sales, and he is feeling the pressure from his boss for his team’s performance.

According to Gallup, seven out of ten workers in America consider themselves “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work.  The signs of a disengaged employee are apparently easy to spot.

Engagement = emotional interest + worthy effort

Mike’s organization is up against disruptive technology, increasing competition, and economic fluctuations. He knows that being labeled as the manager of an average-performing team does not ensure his job security.

But Mike is struggling with his role as a manager. He wants his employees to like him but hasn’t found a balance between being a manager, being likable, and producing results.

Constantly playing the role of babysitter and engaging in accountability conversations is draining Mike’s energy, creativity, and happiness.

As a result, he finds himself with too little time and in a permanent state of being overwhelmed and disengaged.

Mike and his team have little-to-no motivation, in fact, his company as a whole is losing the motivation game. The organization still views motivation solely through the lens of monetary compensation.

Money can extinguish internal motivation, diminish performance, and crush creativity – Daniel Pink, bestselling author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”

What should be the first thing Mike does?

Post your comment below.

by Eric Papp
Time Management Speaker