Providing Motivation from Within (The Spirit of the Squirrel) ©Dr. B. C. Paul 2002

Spirit of the Squirrel Squirrels hurry about with motivation to put away enough food for the winter. Spirit of the Squirrel fulfills God’s plan for the forest Summed up in the Idea “Worthwhile Work” You must believe and treat everyone with the idea that their work is important Everyone’s work and contribution is important

Worthwhile Work Your team members must understand why they are needed Your team members must understand why their work makes the world a better place Example of the College Dishwasher “Ban Mining - Let the SOBs freeze in the dark” My goal out of High School More than a lecture - it’s a feeling you must plant inside

The Spirit of the Squirrel Fulfills God’s Plan for the Forest A sense of place and purpose A sense of how their contribution contributes to humanity Not a production concept Not a shareholder value concept Need to see their work in terms of what it means to lives of their fellow men Fills them with a sense of pride / purpose / caring The work of every individual fills a purpose for the organization and all humankind

The 3 Pillars of the Spirit of the Squirrel The individual must understand that their work is important The work must lead to a well understood and shared goal A basic framework of true values have to guide all plans, decisions, and actions

The Problem of Motivation Much has been based on “the carrot and the stick” Build up programs of incentives and bonuses for achieving some statistic Incentive programs soon become entitlements + loose effect We pack threats and power to make people latch onto plans as life preservers motivation is a short lived as it is intense True lasting motivation comes from an inner sense of mattering

Counting Production We are trained to count production in tons/manshift / days without a lost time accident Information gauges performance Information is not the performance Need to see things in human terms how does my productivity help other people coal is a black rock / Energy drives the life and vibrance of society accidents aren’t statistics - they happen to real people

A Shared Vision and Goals A manager can proclaim a goal - announce it at a meeting, print it in a report, post it on the board The goal has to be shared - a part of peoples vision that creates motivation from within If your team does not care about the goal - then the goal will not motivate them / nothing will change

Management Ego Build a network of goals that will put them in control of the whole mine Many don’t know the difference between shared awareness and a shared goal People must buy into the goal remember that fear and driving them to the goal as a life preserver will bring fleeting results