| Motivation is not enough. If you motivate
an idiot, all you have is a motivated idiot.
Education alone is not enough either. Many
"educated" individuals achieve very little on or off the job. They know what to
do, and they know how to do it. The problem is they're not motivated enough to do much
about it.
The Gallup organization once analyzed its massive database
and determined that ABOUT HALF (55 percent) OF TODAY'S EMPLOYEES HAVE NO ENTHUSIASM FOR
THEIR WORK.
Gallup labeled these people as "not engaged." In
other words, they didn't have much loyalty to their organization or much desire to improve
their job performance. It found that one in five (19 percent) were so negative about their
jobs that they actually poisoned the workplace. In fact, when those employees called in
sick, their organizations were more productive and efficient.
You may think, "Big deal. So what if some of our
employees are not fully motivated?" It is a big deal. Their lack of motivation is
costing your organization big bucks.
Gallup estimated that if companies could get 3.7 percent
more work out of each employee, the equivalent of 18 more minutes of work each eight-hour
shift, the gross domestic product in the United States would swell by $355 billion, twice
the GDP of Greece.
In today’s competitive world, THE REALLY SUCCESSFUL
PERSON IS NOT ONLY EDUCATED, BUT ALSO MOTIVATED.
If you're educating or training your employees, but you're
not motivating them to use what they learn, you're wasting your time and your money.
The famous author, William Butler Yeats, said it quite
well: "Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire." A more
contemporary figure, Kevin Roberts, the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, says, "In the
21st century, organizations have to achieve peak performance through inspiration by
unleashing the power of their people -- not by teaching them, not by managing them, but by
inspiring them."
If you educate and motivate your staff, you'll see an
increase in productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and ultimately an increase in profits.
The Mercedes Benz plant in South Africa learned that, for a
long time, the managers said their quality problems were due to an unmotivated, lazy
workforce. That's why it took them two weeks to make a car that had 70 defects. By
contrast, the Mercedes Benz plant in Europe could turn out a car in one week that had only
fourteen defects.
Then, a fortunate accident occurred. After a year of
suffering with productivity and quality problems, it just so happened that a car was being
made for liberator and president Nelson Mandela. No particular mention or fanfare was
made. The vehicle simply went through the assembly line with a tag on it that read,
"For Mr. Mandela."
To the managers’ amazement, the car was completed in
one week and had only ten minor problems. A light bulb went off in the managers' heads.
Their workers were capable. They were educated enough to do the job and do it well. They
had simply not been motivated enough to give their very best. It was at that point that
the Mercedes leadership learned that they had to engage their workers' hearts, not just
their hands.
Are you doing that in your organization? You're buying your
employees' time. Are you also getting their hearts and minds?
Education plus motivation will not only help your
organization make more money, but it will also save you a lot of money.
When I was speaking at a construction company, the CEO
asked his employees a question. He asked, "What does it cost to put a piece of
plywood on the floor? How much does it cost in terms of time and money?” The
employees answered, "About ten minutes and twenty dollars."
The CEO replied, "Yes and no." He said that's
what it would have cost if the job had been done right. Unfortunately, an employee slapped
down the plywood poorly and didn't cover a hole properly. The ensuing lawsuit cost the
company $450,000. The employee was educated. He knew what to do, but he wasn't motivated
enough to do it right.
Here Are My Top 3 Tips To Motivating & Engaging Your
Staff’s Hearts:
1. Take a look at the training you’re offering
employees. Is it really motivating them? As a speaker, I find that many people in my
audiences are quite well educated. They're filled with knowledge. However, sometimes they
don't have enough motivation to use all the knowledge they possess.
2. Listen to what your colleagues are saying when they hear
about an upcoming seminar. Do you hear groans and complaints about having to go? Or do you
hear comments of excitement, as people can't wait for it to begin? What you hear will tell
you how successful your past classes have been in motivating people.
3. If you're not hearing almost unanimous excitement,
re-examine the education you're offering and re-examine those who are leading it. One bad
class or one poor instructor can leave a negative legacy for a long time to come.
So you see … education without motivation serves no
useful purpose. |
