Continuous Vitality Part 2

Written by: Ralph Twombly

Published: March 2013

Workplaces That Make Sense For People

What keeps people vital in their jobs or work? You may remember that last month http://www.prioritylearningresearch.com/articles/continuous_vitality.php we began the discussion with an overview of the diagram to the right.

Many of you told me that you were anxious to hear more and I suspect that you may be getting just a bit tired yourself and might be looking for some personal answers. That's good. We will take the journey together and I hope you can add to the dialogue.

Demotivation - Let's start at the beginning. Experts give us the formula to demotivation for people in the workplace and it is universally understood.

Examples - In September 1987 Frederick Herzberg wrote a really smart article for the Harvard Business School entitled; One More Time - How Do We Motivate Employees? In his article Herzberg uses real humor while overviewing the KITA (Kick in the Ass) approach to motivation, while using tongue-in-cheek humor gets us to think about what really motivates us.

So you can share in the humor, Herzberg identifies two types of KITA approaches. The first one is the Negative Physical KITA which is exactly what it sounds like. Frederick goes on to discourage this sort of KITA because: "1) It is inelegant; 2) It contradicts the precious image of benevolence that most organizations cherish; and 3) Since it is a physical attack, it directly stimulates the autonomic nervous system, and this often result in negative feedback - the employee may just kick you in return.  These factors give rise to certain taboos against negative physical KITA."

Further on he discusses Negative Psychological KITA. This one has its advantages in that, "First, the cruelty is not visible; the bleeding is internal and comes much later. Second, since it affects the higher cortical center of the brain, it has inhibitory powers; it reduces the possibility of physical backlash. Third, since the number of psychological pains that a person can feel is almost infinite, the direction and site possibilities of the KITA are increased many times. Fourth, the person administering the kick can manage to be above it all and let the system accomplish the dirty work. Fifth, those who practice it receive some ego satisfaction (one-upmanship), whereas they would find drawing blood abhorrent. Finally, if the employee does complain, he or she can always be accused of being paranoid; there is no tangible evidence of an actual attack."

Herzberg goes on to explain; "What does negative KITA accomplish? If I kick you in the rear (physically or psychologically), who is motivated? I am motivated; you move! Negative KITA does not lead to motivation, but to movement. So, if I kick my dog (from the front or the back), he will move. And when I want him to move again, what must I do? I must kick him again. Similarly I can charge a person's battery and then recharge it and recharge it again. But it is only when one has a generator of ones own that we can talk about motivation. One then needs no outside stimulation. One wants to do it."

So, let"s talk about motivation. Over the years we have been accumulating data about motivation and we have learned a few things from our audience. Here is what we have heard. Recently we conducted a poll and asked visitors to our newsletter to answer the following question:
Which of the following traits add the greatest vitality in your work life?
A) Intellectual challenge
B) Sense of belonging and participation
C) Evolving with a sense of purpose (your legacy)
D) Advancing in the workplace

Here is what we found:
42% responded to B - Sense of belonging and participation
26% responded to C - Evolving with a sense of purpose (legacy)
25% responded to A - Intellectual challenge
Only 7% responded to D - Advancement in the workplace.

Surprised? Participation and belonging are BIG! We talk about it a lot in workshops and with clients and it feels really good to see you respond to it. So let's ramp up the participation and belonging. Tricky, huh?

Common concern - it needs to start with leaders but we all have a role. Participation while a really big need seems to be pretty hard to do for many managers. It is the most common concern of people we talk to and the hardest habit for managers and leaders to adopt. I get the feeling that somewhere along the way we told our leaders that they needed to have all the "right" answers and they forgot to ask after that. Leaders are pulled in a hundred directions and it may feel like barking the answer or giving a command is just a time saver. Okay, that was a little unfair, but you get the point. People want input, yet they complain about decisions even if they participate in them. They want to be heard and have their opinions valued, but no one wants to be pandered to, so if you don't know how to do it, expect that it might just explode in your face. Someone said it once, "It's complicated", so let's start with the audience.

If you are an employee and you want more participation...get ready! Your time is coming. Everything we read, hear and experience says that today's workplace is changing quickly, from that place where someone tells you exactly what to do to the place where they ask how you can do your job better. It is a real competitive edge. Slowly but surely leaders are learning that you (the people closest to the work and the customer) have the answer and, when you give them the answer and you get to execute the solutions, it always works out.

• Learn as much as you can about the important things in your environment. Ask for a larger role in decisions and ideas. When you get a chance, take the opportunity and learn from it.
• Watch the evening news, CNBC, read books. Business is fun, so try not to complicate it.
• You have to build and keep your customers while you bring in more money than you spend. You also need to have fun! There it is, and for all the people at Harvard Business School, I hope you will forgive me for giving away the secret.

If you are a leader and you want to build more participation, go back and look at the phrase in Frederick Herzberg"s article about building generators. It is your job to build generators and, just like generators in real life, you have to put it together one part at a time. Start by letting everyone know that you really want their input and mean it. If you fake it, they will know it and you will lose all that you hope to gain. Encourage education, cross train, and ask questions that make people think. Encourage risk takers and adventure seekers in business. Reward good behavioral performance and people who stretch intellectually as well as meet their quotas. Be curious and ready to learn from your people. Wait on answering the question until they have had a chance to tell you the answer. Ask for their ideas and make sure they bring a suggestion with a complaint. Watch and see what you get if you do the things above.

If you dispute the facts, I won't issue a treat. You should, however, be prepared to be the smartest kid in the room for the remainder of your future. That is the only way you can survive. I never was the smartest kid in any room, but it is a lot easier to ask the question, take the time to learn from the audience and let them execute than it is to be right every time. And it's more fun.

Hope that helps and begins the conversation about continuous vitality. I will be back in April with more.
Please let me know what you think and hang in there, Spring is coming!

Ralph Twombly

In the 20 years since starting Priority Learning, Ralph has facilitated countless learning experiences and has conducted training for thousands of managers and leaders. With over 30 years of leadership development and organizational development background and work, Ralph continues to build relationships with client companies all over the U.S.