Motivating for the Long Term

Many managers complain about the constant challenge of motivating their team members to do what is expected of them.  In reality, it is very easy to motivate them.  All that is required is a system of continuous monitoring.

The old saying goes, “Never expect what you don’t inspect.”  While this strategy will allow a manager and his/her team to ‘get things done,’ it puts the manager in the position of a police officer.  Little time is left for other, more productive activities.

The real challenge isn’t getting team members to do what you want them to do.  The real challenge is getting them to WANT to do what you want them to do, so that they continue to do it on their own.  That is the more difficult challenge – difficult, but not impossible.

By using two simple motivational strategies, you can dramatically improve the willingness of your team members to follow your direction. These two strategies are:  the Power of “Because,” and the W.I.I.F.M.

The Power of “Because”

In his book Influence, Science and Practice, Robert Cialdini describes an unusual discovery from a study conducted by Social Psychologist Ellen Langer in 1978.  It is a well-known principle of human behavior that people are more inclined to do a favor for someone if there is a reason. 

According to Langer, people simply like to have reasons for what they do.  She demonstrated this fact by asking a small favor of people waiting in line to use a library copy machine:  “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the copy machine, because I’m in a rush?”  With a reason given, 94% of the people who were asked this question let the person skip ahead of them in line.  Compare this result to a request without a reason:  “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the copy machine?”  When the request was made in this manner, only 60% complied.

At first, it appears that it was the reason given that increased the success rate.  Langer showed this was not the case.

She conducted a third study: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine, because I have to make some copies?” The result was almost the same as the first study with 93% complying, even though no new reason or information was added to the request. According to Langer, the word “Because” triggered a compliance response from the study subjects.

When you think back to your childhood, try to remember the number of times you asked for a reason to do something. Many times, your parents, teachers and others responded with ‘just because,’ or ‘because I said so.’ Is it any wonder that people are more inclined to do what is requested when the word “because” is part of the request?

Step one in getting your team members to do what you want is to give them a reason for the request; and, whenever possible, use the word “Because.”

Give Them the W.I.I.F.M.

This is a strategy long used in the art of selling.  Whenever a salesperson makes a request, he/she is asking the client to make a commitment.  That commitment could come in the form of money, time or extra effort.  Before the client will agree to that commitment, he/she will always want the question, “What’s In It For Me?” answered.

When that question is answered, it better come in the form of a benefit. In other words, how will the commitment benefit the client, and will that benefit outweigh the investment of money, time or extra effort? If it does, then the client will be inclined to make the investment. If not, the client will probably say no.

Whenever a team leader asks team members to do something new or do something different, he/she is asking for a commitment. That commitment could come in the form of extra effort, learning something new, doing something outside one’s comfort zone or any other activity seen as an investment. Whenever possible, team leaders must provide team members with their W.I.I.F.M. They must answer the question of, “What’s In It For Me;” and, that answer should come in the form of a benefit to the team members.

Will their agreement with the request make them more effective, improve their results, save them time, improve their efficiency or in some other way benefit them?  When this occurs, they see the request as a win-win situation.

As I stated in the beginning of this article, it is easy to get your team members to do what you want them to do. The challenge is to get them to WANT to do what you want them to do.  Use these two simple steps:

1. Use the Power of “Because’ and give them a reason;
2. Provide them with a W.I.I.F.M.

You will greatly enhance your ability to motivate your team members for the long term.

Joe McCoy is the Founder and CEO of McCoy Enterprises (www.mccoyenterprises.com), a nationally recognized firm that specializes in call center employee improvement programs.