There are two songs out there that challenge me everyday to better than I was yesterday. If you get a chance check them out and take the messages to heart.
Jeff Dernlan - Good Man
Brad Knull - Little Life
Thank you both for giving of yourself for the blessing of others.
February 22, 2010
Music As Motivation
My current class is on Human Motivation and all that goes into it. The focus in on motivation in the workplace but the lessons go so much deeper. I was thinking about this today as I went to town for a quick trip. My wife had mentioned to me yesterday how she was reminded how much music motivated her. I am in total agreement that music is a motivator for our family but it strikes me how the type of music is so varied.
We have a little of everything in our iTunes and as such there is never a shortage for music no matter the situation. What is interesting to me is what is most effective in motivating me. It may surprise many to know that the music which I enjoy and get most energized by is Kid Rock or Eminem. As I sit here typing this I have Eminem's Curtain Call fueling me with inspiration. I had some time earlier today to wonder as to why this music is so influential to me. Kid Rock and Eminem are not exactly everyday role models, most people I know would not listen to them and their lyrics go against everything I grew up being taught.
...well, that's it. These two musical artists are everything I aspire to be in my faith, my family and my daily walk.
-I don't want to be like everyone else. It's not that everyone else is not good but there are only so many times you can fit the right mold and fall in line before you get lost in the crowd. I don't believe I am supposed to just get lost in the crowd.
-I don't want my message to be appealing to everyone. I want it to be hard to hear, uncomfortable to swallow and next to impossible to understand. Anyone can spew the cookie cutter messages that are out there. I don't think that's my calling. If I don't offend someone, most likely traditionalists, with my message then I am not being bold enough.
-I don't necessarily agree with everything I grew up being taught. I don't want to continue the patterns of sin in my family. I am who I am because of my family but that doesn't mean I have to be my family. I grew up with an Uncle and Aunt who were the family outcasts because they lived life for themselves and went against family traditions. I was taught they were wrong for doing this but now I am them. I will not be defined by my family past but rather I will seek to define my families future.
We have a little of everything in our iTunes and as such there is never a shortage for music no matter the situation. What is interesting to me is what is most effective in motivating me. It may surprise many to know that the music which I enjoy and get most energized by is Kid Rock or Eminem. As I sit here typing this I have Eminem's Curtain Call fueling me with inspiration. I had some time earlier today to wonder as to why this music is so influential to me. Kid Rock and Eminem are not exactly everyday role models, most people I know would not listen to them and their lyrics go against everything I grew up being taught.
...well, that's it. These two musical artists are everything I aspire to be in my faith, my family and my daily walk.
-I don't want to be like everyone else. It's not that everyone else is not good but there are only so many times you can fit the right mold and fall in line before you get lost in the crowd. I don't believe I am supposed to just get lost in the crowd.
-I don't want my message to be appealing to everyone. I want it to be hard to hear, uncomfortable to swallow and next to impossible to understand. Anyone can spew the cookie cutter messages that are out there. I don't think that's my calling. If I don't offend someone, most likely traditionalists, with my message then I am not being bold enough.
-I don't necessarily agree with everything I grew up being taught. I don't want to continue the patterns of sin in my family. I am who I am because of my family but that doesn't mean I have to be my family. I grew up with an Uncle and Aunt who were the family outcasts because they lived life for themselves and went against family traditions. I was taught they were wrong for doing this but now I am them. I will not be defined by my family past but rather I will seek to define my families future.
February 17, 2010
The Impact of Goal-Setting on Employee Motivation
Goal-setting in my organization is based on budgetary needs. The goal are set based on the financial needs of the organization and what programs are necessary to fulfill those needs. Although we provide services and classes to our members we do not have goals on the number of participants we anticipate in our programs. Because of the fact that all goal-setting is based on budgets only the department managers and leadership team know the goals. Not having goals that are set and shared outside of budget needs makes it difficult to have any affect on employee motivation. Goal-setting is done for the purpose of placing that target in front of an individual and/or team so that they know what is needed for success.
Within my organization we provide programs for children, teens, families, adults, and seniors. The diversity of programs we offer requires everyone to be on the same page and working toward the same goal as we may be coming at it from different directions. Without turning our members or participants into a number on a piece of paper there needs to be an effort made to set participation goals, membership goals, and financial donation goals. Goals being set will seek to give employees a sense of motivation in working towards a target for the success and growth of the organization. Goals for participation levels will assist those registering participants and the instructors in having an better understanding of the organizational needs for the purpose of recruiting. Membership goals will help in measuring the number of new, canceled and continuing members thus giving a basis for better understanding participation levels.
Instead of being able to measure the positive impact of goal-setting my organization, unfortunately, an example of the negative impact. Not having goals for the employees to work towards takes away much of the ability to motivate employees. The lack of goals causes employees to potentially lose sight of why they work as hard as the do every day. They don't have a target to shoot for, don't know when they succeed, and don't know when they fail. The lack of goals creates an environment where when employees are reprimanded for not contributing to the success of the organization the employee does not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. When employees don't know what is expected of them then they cannot motivate themselves to succeed.
Within my organization we provide programs for children, teens, families, adults, and seniors. The diversity of programs we offer requires everyone to be on the same page and working toward the same goal as we may be coming at it from different directions. Without turning our members or participants into a number on a piece of paper there needs to be an effort made to set participation goals, membership goals, and financial donation goals. Goals being set will seek to give employees a sense of motivation in working towards a target for the success and growth of the organization. Goals for participation levels will assist those registering participants and the instructors in having an better understanding of the organizational needs for the purpose of recruiting. Membership goals will help in measuring the number of new, canceled and continuing members thus giving a basis for better understanding participation levels.
Instead of being able to measure the positive impact of goal-setting my organization, unfortunately, an example of the negative impact. Not having goals for the employees to work towards takes away much of the ability to motivate employees. The lack of goals causes employees to potentially lose sight of why they work as hard as the do every day. They don't have a target to shoot for, don't know when they succeed, and don't know when they fail. The lack of goals creates an environment where when employees are reprimanded for not contributing to the success of the organization the employee does not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. When employees don't know what is expected of them then they cannot motivate themselves to succeed.
February 10, 2010
Ineffective Rewards = Inhibits Productivity
In my experiences one of the most ineffective uses of rewards has been for the purpose of appeasement not recognition. The reward was used as a tool to try and keep an employee happy and/or keep them from leaving the organization. The employee, in most cases, was not the most deserving of the reward. This use of rewards not only was ineffective in keeping the employee happy but also had a negative affect on other staff that felt they were more deserving of the recognition. The reward lost some of its luster and impact therefore reducing the motivation of employees to strive for higher levels of performance. There was a reduction in productivity due to the fact that employees realized the recognition they were striving for was not given on the basis of performance but rather as a leverage tool.
Rewards should be given in a manner that not only recognizes the success of an individual or team but instills a desire in other members of the organization to also strive for the same success. When recognition is for political reasons the recognition becomes tainted and less appealing. In the same sense a reward that is not appropriate or relevant to those it is being given will have little motivational leverage in encouraging employees to strive for higher success. A reward needs to be of such quality or status that it requires hard work to achieve and cannot be attained easily by other means.
In my previous studies of psychology one of the studies that was fascinating to me was that of random reinforcement. The class discussion was around paydays and how knowing when the payday is employees will make sure to be at work on that day but may not be as motivated to work other days. The idea was thrown in discussion of what the response would be if payday was not a set day but if employees knew that they would be paid sometime during the week. Would employees be more motivated to show up and work hard every day not knowing when they might be paid. The same can be done with rewards. If rewards are given out on a set day then employees will do their best to put forth a great effort and be present on that day so that they might be considered for the reward. Random rewards could be more effective in eliciting a sustained effort from employees not knowing when they might be rewarded for the work.
Rewards should be given in a manner that not only recognizes the success of an individual or team but instills a desire in other members of the organization to also strive for the same success. When recognition is for political reasons the recognition becomes tainted and less appealing. In the same sense a reward that is not appropriate or relevant to those it is being given will have little motivational leverage in encouraging employees to strive for higher success. A reward needs to be of such quality or status that it requires hard work to achieve and cannot be attained easily by other means.
In my previous studies of psychology one of the studies that was fascinating to me was that of random reinforcement. The class discussion was around paydays and how knowing when the payday is employees will make sure to be at work on that day but may not be as motivated to work other days. The idea was thrown in discussion of what the response would be if payday was not a set day but if employees knew that they would be paid sometime during the week. Would employees be more motivated to show up and work hard every day not knowing when they might be paid. The same can be done with rewards. If rewards are given out on a set day then employees will do their best to put forth a great effort and be present on that day so that they might be considered for the reward. Random rewards could be more effective in eliciting a sustained effort from employees not knowing when they might be rewarded for the work.
February 3, 2010
Extrinsic Motivators and Their Long-Term Effectiveness
Why do extrinsic motivators tend to lose their motivating properties in the long-term?
I believe that the dilemma of extrinsic motivators losing their impact over the long-term has to be analyzed from both the affect of the motivator and the response of those being motivated. According to Reeve (2009), "Extrinsic motivation arises from environmental incentives and consequences." Motivators can become dull and irrelevant if they are not adjusted to reflect the current work culture and the needs of the workers being motivated. The other side of this equation is the response of those being motivated. When people no longer have the will or desire to strive for a high level of achievement then motivators, no matter how exemplary, will be ineffective in their use.
As two teams prepare for Super Bowl this weekend the players on those teams are responding to extrinsic motivators. These teams are striving to excel to the highest level in their profession so as to declare themselves the very best at what they do. The lure of glory and recognition are motivation enough for the whole team and individual players to give everything they have as they compete. The motivation of being able to declare yourself the very best at what you do does not last for ever. In time the luster may wear off that prize, the challenge to achieve the goal may be too hard to overcome, or having achieved the goal already it may not be as important to do it again.
This last scenario is where the response of the person being motivated comes into play. If the individual has worked to achieve a goal with little to no success over time they may lose the desire to keep trying. Incentive programs that are too easy to achieve will become commonplace and employees may not feel continuously challenge to reach for a higher level. The opposite may occur in that if the incentive goals are set too high their may develop a frustration with always trying to achieve a level of success that is unattainable. People, while motivated by the challenge of success, can become frustrated when they feel they are not being given a fair chance at success or become bored with consistent success.
Extrinsic motivators need to be tailored to the workers being motivated so as to elicit the best possible response. Developing an incentive system that is varied will encourage consistent effort from employees who are enticed to earn the rewards.
I believe that the dilemma of extrinsic motivators losing their impact over the long-term has to be analyzed from both the affect of the motivator and the response of those being motivated. According to Reeve (2009), "Extrinsic motivation arises from environmental incentives and consequences." Motivators can become dull and irrelevant if they are not adjusted to reflect the current work culture and the needs of the workers being motivated. The other side of this equation is the response of those being motivated. When people no longer have the will or desire to strive for a high level of achievement then motivators, no matter how exemplary, will be ineffective in their use.
As two teams prepare for Super Bowl this weekend the players on those teams are responding to extrinsic motivators. These teams are striving to excel to the highest level in their profession so as to declare themselves the very best at what they do. The lure of glory and recognition are motivation enough for the whole team and individual players to give everything they have as they compete. The motivation of being able to declare yourself the very best at what you do does not last for ever. In time the luster may wear off that prize, the challenge to achieve the goal may be too hard to overcome, or having achieved the goal already it may not be as important to do it again.
This last scenario is where the response of the person being motivated comes into play. If the individual has worked to achieve a goal with little to no success over time they may lose the desire to keep trying. Incentive programs that are too easy to achieve will become commonplace and employees may not feel continuously challenge to reach for a higher level. The opposite may occur in that if the incentive goals are set too high their may develop a frustration with always trying to achieve a level of success that is unattainable. People, while motivated by the challenge of success, can become frustrated when they feel they are not being given a fair chance at success or become bored with consistent success.
Extrinsic motivators need to be tailored to the workers being motivated so as to elicit the best possible response. Developing an incentive system that is varied will encourage consistent effort from employees who are enticed to earn the rewards.
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