How NOT to Motivate a Direct Report

I come across great examples of how to motivate direct reports.
Also some pretty bad ones. The worst example came from a friend
who’s a sales executive with a national company. And he told me
about how his boss, the sales manager, tried to motivate him to
close more sales. It’s a humdinger.

In a threatening, angry tone, the sales manager told my friend,
“If you don’t get out there and close more sales, I won’t get my
bonus!”

I couldn’t make this stuff up.

“It infuriated me,” my friend said. “The jerk really has some
nerve, trying to get ME to work harder for HIS bonus.”

So instead of getting my friend to think of ways to do better at
sales, this sales “manager” has actually de-motivated my friend.
Instead of focusing on more sales, my friend is focusing on all
the wrong things.

How much he hates his sales manager. How much he’ll enjoy
keeping the sales manager from getting that bonus. How the guy
is no leader, and has no idea what he’s doing.

And my friend is right. Putting a guy like that in charge of
sales, is like putting Anthony Weiner in charge of social media.

Maybe the sales manager didn’t mean it to come off that way.
But the fact is my friend came away with the impression that
it’s all about saving the sales manager’s bonus. And who’s
responsible for that perception? The sales manager.

I tell managers all the time, “It’s not about you. It never is,
so quit talking about YOU. Focus on the other person.”

But it’s hard for some people to grasp. Most aren’t as bad as
the sales manager, but their comments have the same
de-motivating effect. It happens when we talk about a direct
report doing something that cuts into our budget, or reduces our
profitability, or makes our lives more difficult.

The direct report, like my friend, goes away thinking, “Why
should I care about his budget?” Or profitability or any of the
other things we say when we’re not thinking straight.

Focus on the other person. Or when in doubt, focus on the
customer: We need to increase sales because the products and
services we sell make customers’ lives better.

The way to motivate and engage direct reports is to focus on
them, and on the customer. Show them that you’re there to
support them, so they can be the best at what they do, and in
turn do a better job of meeting or exceeding the customer’s
needs.

Take the spotlight off you, and put it where it belongs: On
your direct reports, and on your customers. That’s how to
motivate and engage your direct reports.

Then the direct report walks away thinking, “You know, she’s
right. I should try to do better. I want to do better. I WILL
do better.”

Until next edition, keep leading the way!

Copyright (C) 2011 by Terry Wall

What do you think?  Leave a comment, because I always
welcome your feedback.