Your Greatest Management Tool

What if I said I’ll give you five dollars if you read this article. Motivating thought isn’t it? Of course, I can’t actually pay you to read, but if I could, many of you would read what I write until I ran out of money.

That is my topic for today, getting people to do what you want. Your biggest management secret is the one I just exposed: behavior that is rewarded will be repeated.

If you want something done, reward the doer. You’ll never have to threaten or apply pressure again. You’ll be amazed at how motivated employees, coworkers, suppliers and even customers will be when they perceive a reward as a result of behaving in a certain way.

I am always dismayed when I see small businesses and large corporations not using this simple and basic management success tool. Instead I see office businesses filled with office politics, unclear expectations, unnecessary rules and dishonesty. These things do nothing but demotivate people.

Not all rewards have to be financial. Often saying a simple “Thank you” or “Good job” or even a hand written thank you note can work wonders in getting profit building behavior to occur again and again. Simple things like contests or awarding an “Employee of the Month” are wonderful motivators.

For any person to be effective he or she must have high levels of self-esteem. This is why providing reinforcement and rewards that give people tangible proof that they add value to your life or organization are such important motivational tools. When you build up a person’s self-esteem it will enhance their initiative and encourage them to try new ideas.

Integrity plays a very important role in motivating others, because it is the basis of trust. In any relationship you must always be sure that what you say will happen after a certain behavior or performance actually does happen. People must believe that you say what you mean and mean what you say.

Consequences have a short shelf life. Positive reinforcement that follows right after a person has done a good job is worth more than a delayed one. When it comes to behavior, people tend to seek experiences that provide current rewards rather than experiences that bring uncertain or delayed rewards.

The next time someone in your company or personal life does a good job or does something nice for you a siren should go off in your head reminding you to reward that behavior immediately, before it gets away from you.

When positive reinforcement becomes a way of life, adversarial relationships begin to disappear. People start to treat each other as they would like to be treated. People learn that they can earn bigger rewards by working together rather than resisting each other.

Positive reinforcement creates a pleasant win/win experience and a cause for celebration. Always remember: behavior that is rewarded is repeated. The rest is up to you.