“Don’t they get it?” said the executive, “If we don’t generate a good return to our shareholders, there won’t be any investment in the company. And, without investments, there won’t be any more company to give them their job. What more motivation do they need?”
Do you hear a faint echo of your parents here?
Here is the reality, the “moose (hey, what can I say, I’m from Canada) in the room” when it comes to the subject of employee motivation. What motivates the C-suite occupants in a company just doesn’t do it for the rest of the employees. Sure, most of them understand that turning a profit is necessary and, sure, our shareholders need to see a consistent, impressive level of earnings per share.
But achieving these metrics just don’t get the typical employee’s heart going pitty-pat, pitty-pat. It just isn’t a MOTIVATOR! Look to autonomy, mastery, and purpose (Dan Pink) or perhaps equity, achievement, and camaraderie (David Sirota) for things that DO motivate the broad masses of your staff, including your middle managers.
Something happens to managers when they ascend to high levels in a company. They find their interests and attention now hitched to the same metrics that the investment industry pays attention to. They forget that people below them in the enterprise are engaged by things other than quarterly eps.
Accept it, executive, the moose is waiting for you to acknowledge its presence.
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