Debunking Motivation Myths

Earlier this summer Suzanne Bates, author of Motivate Like a CEO”, and David Javitch, CEO of management and leadership consulting firm Javitch Associates, both published their (very similar) lists of top 5 employee motivation myths. My own list of motivation myths below reflects elements of theirs. I bet your own personal list of motivation myths would be similar as well.

1) Cash Is King – Money doesn’t motivate. It compensates. Each element of your total rewards package must have its own “currency.” Money is the currency of compensation, not motivation or recognition. A simple “thank you” and sincere appreciation of effort will motivate far better than cash that only becomes an expectation and entitlement.

2) Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Keeping employees in the dark about office, company, industry and economic realities is the “ostrich” approach to motivation – bury your head in the sand and hope the bad stuff goes away. Employees are generally smart people. They see what’s going on around them. Instead, share the reality along with the plan for success (your strategic objectives) and how each employee can contribute to achieving them. Then recognize them for their efforts when they do so.

3) Having a Job Is Motivation Enough – It’s easy to be deluded by this misconception during a recession, but survey results show a majority of employees are planning to look for a new job when the upturn comes. For company leaders, that’s the same as sitting back and watching your top talent walk out your door to join your competitors. To maintain and even competitive advantage, be sure you are acknowledging the value your employees bring every day.

4) Motivation Isn’t for Everyone – Everyone is motivated – by something. Your challenge is motivating them to achieve your objectives in a way that reflects your values. Strategic recognition plays a powerful role in this through praise and appreciation that calls out every action or behavior that reflects those values and contributes to those objectives. This also flows into the next myth...

5) One Size Fits All – Motivating employees is as much about the personal benefit as the business outcome. If an employee works long nights and weekends to finish a project on deadline, they achieved your objective. But the motivation may lie in knowing their efforts will be recognized and they can choose to share the rewards with family through a vacation, perhaps, or other reward that is personally meaningful to their situation. Another logo shirt or lapel pin certainly won’t motivate.

What have I left off? What other motivation myths have you encountered?