September 2009

Discovering the “Why”

During a recent meeting with a prospective client, the business owner shared a frustration with me about how she had tried incentivizing her employees by handing out baseball tickets every time someone “went above and beyond”. Her frustration was that her employees didn’t seem to care about receiving the tickets and therefore her good intentions (and the money she spent on the tickets) were wasted. “I think all they really care about is money” she said with a sense of defeat in her voice. When I asked her why she had chosen to give out sports tickets, her eyes lit up and she replied: “Well…I LOVE baseball and I have great seats for every game so I wanted to share that experience with my employees”.

The scenario described is not uncommon – in fact most of us can either relate to the frustration felt by the business owner or the sense of disappointment felt by the employee receiving yet another “meaningless” reward for having sacrificed at work. The key to success in any incentive or recognition program is ensuring that the “reward” is something that the recipient actually cares about receiving. What excites one person is not necessarily going to excite someone else. As a Business Owner or Manager part of our responsibility is to be both a coach and a cheerleader for our people – to do this effectively we have to understand their “Why”. Their “Why” is what lights them up, excites them, drives them and therefore…what will motivate them! Take a moment and think about the people that report to you. What do you really know about them? What activities or interests do they have outside of working hours? What are they passionate about? If you are struggling to answer any of these questions the answer is: YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH.

Discovering the “Why” in your people can be as simple as asking them what they did over the weekend. Ask any question that opens up idle conversation. The rules are: You can't ask anything about work during this conversation. You can't ask him/her to do anything for you. And you can't comment on work that they have recently done. This conversation is a starting point for you to really learn more about them as a person. Make sure they do all of the talking! Resist jumping in and sharing your perspectives – this is about them NOT you. Ask sincere questions. Be genuinely curious about them…and watch what happens. Not only will they walk away with an encouraging feeling that “the boss cares” but you might just discover what reward would truly acknowledge their contribution…and in turn make them a company loyalist!

At On Point we help our clients increase their results by designing and executing unique incentive and recognition programs using the most sought after Sports, Entertainment and other Experiences to deliver the "Wow". For more information on how we can help you recognize your top performers, please contact us directly at 1800-809-1277.

Incentive Program Services Travel Reward Card Program Monthly Incentive Idea March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 August 2009 September 2009 First Name: Last Name: Email Address: unsubscribe		View cart Print September 2009 Discovering the “Why” During a recent meeting with a prospective client, the business owner shared a frustration with me about how she had tried incentivizing her employees by handing out baseball tickets every time someone “went above and beyond”. Her frustration was that her employees didn’t seem to care about receiving the tickets and therefore her good intentions (and the money she spent on the tickets) were wasted. “I think all they really care about is money” she said with a sense of defeat in her voice. When I asked her why she had chosen to give out sports tickets, her eyes lit up and she replied: “Well…I LOVE baseball and I have great seats for every game so I wanted to share that experience with my employees”. The scenario described is not uncommon – in fact most of us can either relate to the frustration felt by the business owner or the sense of disappointment felt by the employee receiving yet another “meaningless” reward for having sacrificed at work. The key to success in any incentive or recognition program is ensuring that the “reward” is something that the recipient actually cares about receiving. What excites one person is not necessarily going to excite someone else. As a Business Owner or Manager part of our responsibility is to be both a coach and a cheerleader for our people – to do this effectively we have to understand their “Why”. Their “Why” is what lights them up, excites them, drives them and therefore…what will motivate them! Take a moment and think about the people that report to you. What do you really know about them? What activities or interests do they have outside of working hours? What are they passionate about? If you are struggling to answer any of these questions the answer is: YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH. Discovering the “Why” in your people can be as simple as asking them what they did over the weekend. Ask any question that opens up idle conversation. The rules are: You can't ask anything about work during this conversation. You can't ask him/her to do anything for you. And you can't comment on work that they have recently done. This conversation is a starting point for you to really learn more about them as a person. Make sure they do all of the talking! Resist jumping in and sharing your perspectives – this is about them NOT you. Ask sincere questions. Be genuinely curious about them…and watch what happens. Not only will they walk away with an encouraging feeling that “the boss cares” but you might just discover what reward would truly acknowledge their contribution…and in turn make them a company loyalist! At On Point we help our clients increase their results by designing and executing unique incentive and recognition programs using the most sought after Sports, Entertainment and other Experiences to deliver the "Wow". For more information on how we can help you recognize your top performers, please contact us directly at 1800-809-1277.