Employee Motivation - Are They Set Up to Fail?

Are Your Employees Set Up to Fail?
home · products · services · search · view cart · contact

NAVIGATION

Jay Arthur
888-468-1537
303-756-9144
KnowWare International, Inc.
DBA LifeStar
2253 S. Oneida
Ste 3D
Denver, CO 80224

We help people think!

In The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome, by Manzoni and Barsoux, the authors describe how managers set employees up for success or failure, often within minutes. Employee motivation begins in your mind, before it gets triggered in an employee. The same is true of teachers and students or parents and children...our expectations determine their success or failure.

Instant Assessment

Using what NLP calls "matching and mirroring," it's possible to establish rapport with someone you've never met in 60 seconds or less. It's also possible to blow rapport with someone by mismatching in 60 seconds or less. This may explain why Manzoni and Barsoux found that executives distinguished between high and low performers quickly, often in less than 30 minutes. To determine how executives distinguished between the two, the authors had over 3,000 executives fill in the blanks in these statements:

Better performers tend to ____ and tend to be ____.
Poor performers tend to ___ and tend to be ____.

Poor performers tended to be classified as:

less motivated and energetic and unlikely to go beyond the call of duty
less self-motivated, requiring more direction
poor communicators
less proactive, more reactive
less innovative and open to change
detail-oriented, less big picture
weaker leaders
more likely to bring problems than solutions

Beliefs Lead to Actions

From this list, executives adjusted their behavior with these poor performers to:

be more directive
set targets and deadlines
follow up regularly
focus on tasks not relationship
overrule the subordinate
assign more routine projects
be more distant physically and emotionally

Actions Lead to Consequences

Which causes the "poor" performer to:

become less autonomous
avoid the initiative
avoid delegating authority to their subordinates
avoid going beyond the call of duty
avoid asking for help
be defensive and use excuses
avoid innovation because it will be overruled

The Vicious Reinforcing Loop

So begins a vicious reinforcing loop. The executive expects lower performance and behaves in ways that encourage poor performance! The executive's expectation fuels the subordinate's behavior and the subordinate's behavior reinforces the executive's assessment.

Once a person is "tagged" as a poor performer, they tend to stay there. It's difficult to break free of these initial assessments. And it's difficult for executives to free themselves of the instant assessment trap.

This is also true of the superior performer. Once tagged or classified in the executive's mind, they can do no wrong which can lead to catastrophic consequences.

The Leader's Solution

First and foremost, remember that your expectations, at least partially, determine the subordinates success or failure.

Frame the relationship: priorities and measures, as well as your management style.
Invest in the relationship
Resist the urge to label the person
Monitor your evaluations
Intervene early by asking questions to elicit their understanding of your concerns. (Ask, don't tell.)
Encourage autonomy, but be available to give help.
Separate the subordinate's behavior from their identity. Identity statements use some form of the verb "to be." Behavior statements use verbs of activity. Instead of saying "John, you are a slacker" (identity), consider asking: "John, you seem to hesitate before starting on projects. I'm wondering what stops you?" (Behavior)

The Employee's Solution

Remember: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You have 30 seconds to 30 minutes to lock in a place in your leader's mind. Use them wisely. It will determine your success over the course of employment.

If you've been plunked into the poor performer category, you have two choices:

1. Quit and find a new job
2. Make it your intention to reposition yourself in your leader's mind.

It takes longer to reestablish rapport than it does to blow it, so don't expect changes overnight. But you can systematically demonstrate a proactive, innovative, solution-oriented way of going about your work that will change the leader's mind.

Where Else?

In Who Really Matters, Art Kleiner discusses the phenomenon social psychologists call the hidden curriculum. "In most institutions, (and particularly in schools), there is an unspoken message that one group of people fits in better than anyone else. The primary factor that separates the favored from the unfavored is knowledge of subtle forms of behavior that signal your membership in the elite." What is the real purpose of school? To teach students how to adapt to an overarching culture.

Teachers set expectations for students. Parents set expectations for children. Customers set expectations for suppliers. While the child, student or supplier never gets a second chance to make a first impression, teachers, parents and customers can choose the high road and set great expectations for every child, student or supplier.

Here's My Point

Other people's motivation begins in your mind, not theirs. Set high expectations and people will live up to them. Set low expectations and people will live down to them. Lead people up; don't let them slide down. It's your choice. Which path will you choose?

To have Jay Arthur to train your staff, contact Jay at (888) 468-1537, lifestar@rmi.net.

Debug Your Mental Software - Change Your Mind, Change Your Life!

Order Debug Your Mental Software now:

Motivation Profile (NLP) Want to discover your own "motivation profile?" Go to The Motivation Profile and take the complete profile online FREE. Compare your results with your spouse, kids, or coworkers to determine where you are most likely in alignment and where you conflict. You can also order printed copies of the motivation profile.