Undercover Boss: Remembering the People Factor

A new television show premiered after the big Super Bowl game last Sunday, Undercover Boss. The reality show follows a senior executive who steps down temporarily from their position and becomes a rank and file employee for 7 days. They literally go undercover changing their appearance so as not to be recognized and become a member of the front line. The purpose is for the senior executive to get a real sense of what happens on the front lines of their organization by trying out various front line job positions.

The episode last Sunday featured Larry O’Donnell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Management.  

His motivation for wanting to go undercover was to find out the following:

·         How did the policies that were made at corporate affect the actual employees who had to implement them in the field

·         Were the safety procedures being implemented in the field and adhered to on a day to day basis

·         Were the goals and targets that he set realistic

It was fascinating to watch a senior executive tackle various front line job responsibilities like picking up paper, sorting through recycling items, or cleaning out port-o-potties. He had to learn the basics of the job very quickly and pretend at the same time that he knew nothing about the organization.  It appears that he learned a lot during his time in the field. He was able to interact with the employees of Waste Management on a different level and it seemed like he had a renewed sense of pride for his organization. He found out that some of the policies and procedures that he had implemented were not affective in the field.  A humbling experience in and of itself to see how something that sounded like a good idea can in fact have a negative ripple effect with employees.

How many times does that happen in an organization? An idea seems great at corporate but when it actually gets into the field it falls short of expectations and takes the organization 2 steps backwards instead of 5 steps forwards. A senior executive has many demands and expectations placed on them especially during hard economic times. The people factor is usually the first company value to be ignored as the organization goes into survival mode. This is understandable but it would be wise to remember that the employees in an organization will remember how they are treated in the tough times as well as the good times. So why not break the mold and work together as an organization to come up with solutions that are both cost effective, generate revenue, and recognize employees for their skills and talents. There is a reason why they were hired into the organization, utilize their expertise and their knowledge and you may be surprised at the outcome.  

I believe that Mr. O’Donnell has a new appreciation for his employees and Waste Management will probably be a better organization because of his willingness to go undercover and listen.  

Susan

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What really motivates employees?

Harvard Business Review discusses a study that looked at what really drives employee motivation. While the study is really looking at emotions and what satisfies employees and makes them happy (and not really “motivation” per se), it does reveal some interesting findings. The most important is that employees having a sense of progress is a key driver in this aspect.

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Of course this ties right into two of the four drives: Acquire & Achieve and Challenge & Comprehend. As employees, we need to feel like we are Achieving something – i.e., making progress. When we feel we are stuck or not moving forward, we are not satisfying our drive to Achieve. Another aspect of this, that was not explored in the HBR study, was what type of progress was greater motivator — progress on everyday simple tasks or those tasks that are challenging. I would theorize that it progress on the challenging goals has a higher impact.

Overall the HBR article brought up some key insights that will help us all in understanding what motivates us. Read more here: http://hbr.org/2010/01/the-hbr-list-breakthrough-ideas-for-2010/ar/1

Stuck in the Muck – Which of the Four Drives Motivates You the Most?

If you are looking for a little fun today read on as it may just help you get unstuck and moving forward!

Think back to a time, and it may even be right now, that you were in a slump, no desire to do a whole lot and not quite sure what will get you going again. It is times like these where looking at the situation from a different perspective can help you get unstuck and moving forward even if it is just baby steps of progress.

The Four Drive Model is our perspective shifter today and yes that is a very technical term.  When you are stuck, which of the four drives below is the one that can pull you out of the muck and get you going again? (This is a self assessment and by no means scientific but it will help shift your perspective and harness one of the drives to pull you out of the muck.)

Are you driven by the ability to Acquire & Achieve?

You are jazzed by setting and reaching your goals, receiving recognition for a job well done, and/or receiving an incentive for completing and reaching a goal.

Are you driven by the ability to Bond & Belong?

You enjoy and are energized by other people, collaborating on a project, feeding off the thoughts and ideas of others help you in completing your tasks.

Are you driven by the ability to Comprehend & Challenge?

You thrive off of a challenge and learning something new and if it is in service of the greater good even better!

Are you driven by the ability to Define & Defend?

You protect your beliefs and your work and enjoy a healthy debate that helps define your work in a new manner.

Have you chosen the drive that will help you get unstuck? If not, go back and read through the descriptions again and go with your gut, which one makes you smile and internally say, “Yes that is it!”

The ability to see a situation from a different perspective combined with a motivating drive can be the start of getting you out of the muck.

Susan

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Fun Motivational Sayings

Which is more important – recognition or incentives?

I had a question poised to me in a group that I’m in regarding which is more effective/important, recognition or incentives? It got me to thinking about how we tend to try to simplify things into easily digestible answers (i.e., make the world black and white). It isn’t so simple. In reality, a truly effective motivational program needs to include both. It also needs to include a focus on intrinsic motivators (i.e., the three other aspects of the 4-Drive model: Bonding & Belonging, Challenge & Comprehend, and Define & Defend). When we look at motivation holistically, we have a number of levers that we are able to pull as leaders. The fact of the matter is, there is no one silver bullet. Everyone has a plethora of motivators that drive them everyday.

That being said, it is important to understand what those key motivators are. Asking people is obviously a key component of that, but I’ve found that often what people ask for, isn’t really what motivates them the most. It is important to get beyond the surface to the underlying motivators that people have. For instance, research that I’ve been part of shows that the majority of sales people will ask for cash if given the choice for an incentive reward (roughly 74% of the time), yet, we typically see a larger increase in sales performance for non-cash awards (on average about 15 – 25% better). Because of human nature, we don’t always know what really motivates us or we have been conditioned to respond in a particular manner to these types of questions. The difficulty is being able to identify what those real motivators are.

My belief is that incentive programs have to get more individualistic. That companies need to provide managers with more tools to be able to determine real motivators and set up individual programs for their teams. Of course, this is easier stated than done. The first step however is asking them. The second step is identifying peoples underlying drives. The third aspect is to ask them again after assessing their motivational profile, using probing questions to get at peoples real motivation.

Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this topic. What have you seen in your own business on recognition or incentives? How do you optimize them?