Part of our Designed To Win series on the millennial workforce For many of us, motivation comes from larger-than-life characters that embody what we all hope to attain someday. Being a millennial, the generation born between the years of 1980-2000, it’s not hard to observe our complete fascination with the ‘celebrity factor.’ Born into an [...]
When ASQ CEO Paul Borawski asked this month what makes quality professionals happy or unhappy on the job, I immediately thought of sharing some of the important factors that influence job happiness for everyone. Most of these insights are directly from the work of Frederick Herzberg, a motivational theorist who introduced important research in the [...]
Intro It had been a long couple of years leading up to the day when my boss approached me and said, “What’s changed Mike?” Not knowing what she was talking about, I shot off an inquisitive look. “Your commitment level,” she said, “it’s apparent that something in you has sparked a renewed commitment to your [...]
Everyone wants more cash, right? Well…..apparently not. Twenty-first century research on motivation, commonly called Motivation 3.0 (Daniel Pink, Drive), suggests that what employees really want is much more than cash. Today’s workforce is looking for: 1. Autonomy – the desire to direct their own lives 2. Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something [...]
As managers and leaders we go through stages when certain concepts or philosophies become the “watchword” of the day. So is the case now with the word “engagement.” Many employers are worried that three years of economic turmoil have affected employee commitment. Not surprising really, since the statisticians are reporting that one-third of the workforce [...]
A new paper from New Directions discusses how managers, supervisors, and employers can flex to the needs of the Millennial worker without giving the ‘keys to the store’ away. In this article you will learn: How to flex your leadership style to meet the needs of Millennials What are the 3 areas of the employee [...]
This is often the time of year when staff are scrambling to finish projects by year-end or preparing to formulate goals, both professionally and personally for the coming year. How can we help our staff to choose a path of success and personal power rather than failure and lowered self esteem? 1. Help them to [...]
One mistake that we make as managers and leaders is to believe that people are not motivated. People are always motivated, just not necessarily in the manner we want them to be. Take, for instance, the person who does just enough on the job to get by. We might look at the behavior and think [...]