Warning bells screeched in my ear. A manager was lamenting to me that he seemed unable to find the right staff and felt he had to monitor them carefully to ensure they didn't mess up or take unauthorized time off. He wanted me to give them a talk on motivation and team work. Whenever there is lack of motivation or the team is not performing I like to delve deeper into the dynamics of the workplace. The manager wanted to know if I could help. His question reminded me of another question asked of me....
Think of a candle. Imagine that represents your work life. Now, do you live in the flame or the wax? Roger Hamilton from XL asked this question in a recent seminar. He was referring to where and how you live your work life. Living in 'flame' means you are doing what comes naturally to you and it provides great pleasure for you. Being in the 'wax' means you are probably not suited for the task or you have lost your passion around those activities.
The 'flame' signifies passion, energy, clarity, purpose and vision. The 'wax' relates to drudgery, apathy and little passion or energy. He was encouraging us to question the activities we spent time with to ensure we were on the right path for ourselves. The 'right path' criteria could include various personality traits that suit a particular career or role within an organisation. A gregarious person could wither if left to work by themselves on research in a back office. As perhaps would a quiet introverted individual thrown into fast paced promotional work in the public arena. Knowing yourself, and what inspires or drives you is important information. Without these insights you could end up resenting the workplace you find yourself in. Bad for you and bad for the boss. Lose/lose :(
Many years ago I came across the word 'plerk'. It intrigued me. 'Plerk' was used in reference to our working lives and the energy we bring into it. The 'pl' stands for 'play, pleasure, passion. 'The 'rk' relates to the need to work to pay our bills and the 'e' for energy, enthusiasm, effort. Given the choice, I would rather 'plerk' than 'work'! This has nothing to do with skills or the amount of hours worked - rather it has everything to do with the attitude and approach.
It has often been remarked that you cannot make someone 'put their heart' into a business or job. What you can do, however, is create the right conditions so that people naturally want to produce their best...and then stand back and watch them create magic.
Getting back to the manager, I asked him to send a survey to his staff. It would be anonymous and the results sent directly to me. Amongst the questions I asked were:
"Are you happy in your role?
If not, what would need to happen so you would be?
If you were provided with the things you need to happy and fulfilled, what would you be willing to do in return?"
The answers didn't surprise me. Most employees don't want limousines to take them to work or to be paid outrageous sums of money. They want a place where they can use their skills in an engaging environment. They want to be listened to, be involved in the decisions that affect them, be appreciated and be treated fairly.
Not much to ask for, is it? And what does the employer get? Staff who want to be there, who want to contribute ..and can put their hearts into the business. Win/Win :) Much better!
