Risk & Business Magazine Marcotte Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 9

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATOR
BY: mike michalowicz
KEYNOTE SPEAKER & AUTHOR
The Ultimate Employee Motivator
Family Support
M
otivated employees. We all
want them, but how do we
get them? The common
motivation methods
are, well, common.
Performance bonuses, a pat on the back,
that ubiquitous “Reserved for Employee of
the Month” parking space – these strategies
work some of the time, but they don’t get to
the heart of the matter.
You see, you don’t want employees who are
motivated to perform well in order to win
a trip to Vegas. You want employees who
are motivated to perform well every day, no
matter what carrot you’re dangling in front
of them. What you really need is a team of
employees who are emotionally invested in
your company. And to cultivate that, you
need family support.
No amount of job awards can out-influence
their main squeeze. You can dish out praise
and Starbucks cards left and right, but you
won’t see much improvement in your senior
salesperson’s performance if at the end of
the day she goes home to a partner who
says, “How much longer are you going to
work for that jerk?” Now, I’m not suggesting
you ARE a jerk, just that the lovely men and
women who keep your employees warm at
night have the power to motivate your team
far better and faster than you ever could.
Here’s the key to winning over an
employee’s fami ly: start from day one.
What’s the first thing Roger, your brand
new project manager will hear when he
gets home that first night? “How was your
first day, honey?” Now if Roger spent the
entire day filling out a three-foot stack of
forms, ordering his own business cards
and had to eat lunch by himself, he might
answer, “It was boring. It was like I wasn’t
even there.” In other words, Roger’s first day
sucked. This means Roger’s wife Cheryl is
already down on you and your company.
She’s not in any mood to encourage Roger
to do his best or think outside the box. You
just ruined her celebratory dinner. But what
if Roger had an exciting first day, a day he
could hardly wait to tell Cheryl about when
he got home?
Over time, I developed a foolproof way to
get employees – and their partners – excited
about working for my company from day
one. First, we had a welcome aboard party,
complete with a cake, balloons and a gift.
I (the boss) would spend the entire day
with the new hire, talking about his life
and giving him deeper insight about my
company and our industry. During this
time, I find out what and who mattered
most to him. Then, at least 10 of us
would go out for lunch to honor our new
colleague.
At the end of the paperwork-free day (all the
forms were taken care of in advance), we
would hand our new very important team
member gifts to take home for the family –
an Xbox game for the kids, a gift certificate
for a spa treatment or golf lessons for the
spouse – gifts I knew they would want
because I’d taken the time to learn about
them earlier that day.
So, what if Roger came home with a great
story about his amazing first day, and a
sweet little gift for Cheryl? Well, I will
tell you what would happen. Realizing
your company is like no other and Roger
probably will never find another fantastic
opportunity like this again, Cheryl would
become your staunchest ally, Roger’s
ultimate motivator.
Now I realize this strategy may seem old
fashioned. Maybe Roger snuggles up with
Dave at night; maybe he’s single (or soon to
be). There are many definitions of family.
It’s your mission to find out who makes up
Roger’s support system and give accordingly
– perhaps a gift card for a night out with his
best pals or a matinee with Mom.
When your employees hear daily words
of encouragement from their closest
confidantes like, “I can’t believe how lucky
you are to be working for that guy!” that
brings their motivation to levels you’ve
never tapped before. It worked for me, in
all of my companies. And even if you can’t
afford more than a Duncan Hines cake and
a couple of thank you cards, giving your
employees their best first day on the job ever
is the key to keeping them motivated for
years to come. +
Mike Michalowicz is the entrepreneur
behind
three
multimillion
dollar
companies and is the author of Profit First.
He is globally recognized as the guy who
“challenges outdated business beliefs” and
teaches us what to do about it. To learn
more about Mike and get access to a
treasure trove of entrepreneurial tips, visit
MikeMichalowicz.com.
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