Motivation Shots from The Doc

Do you have people on your team who are not performing to your satisfaction? I reckon you probably do; and I believe that too many managers are spending too much time trying to change people. They seem to believe that if they train people, tell them what to do or threaten them with the sack, then they can get them to change.

The Motivational Manager concentrates on developing the strengths of his team members – not trying to correct their weaknesses. Sometimes you have to manage around a weakness but you can’t make people what they’re not.

Some years ago I decided to improve my golf by taking some lessons. A friend and I spent some hours with a professional golfer at a local country club. This was really useful to me and I did get better. However my friend Norman hadn’t a clue. No matter what the pro told him to do, how to change his stance and his grip, he could hardly hit the ball. If you’d given Norman a hundred lessons and threatened him with a gun, I doubt if he’d ever have completed a round of golf in less than two days. Robin is a successful lawyer and makes a lot of money, however a golfer – he is not!

So if you have a sales person on your team who isn’t bringing in the sales, or a production engineer who isn’t making his quota then you have to make a decision. Is this person not producing because they don’t have the ability – because they need more training or – because there’s another reason?

It’s important to understand that the individual may not be able to do the job. They may tell you they can do the job because they’re unwilling to accept defeat. However, I’ve known people in sales jobs who shouldn’t be in sales and doctors, plumbers, lawyers and engineers who were also in the wrong job. What you need to do is get people who can’t do the job into a job that they can do or get them out of your team.

I hear you saying – “easier said than done Alan” and you’re right. But the Motivational Manager needs to address these issues for the good of the team and the business. It often takes co-operation from your manager, but that’s a subject for another day.

Let me know your thoughts.

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