Press
Rochester, NY Business Alliance - HR News
The Road to a Passionate WorkforceAt a recent Rochester Business Alliance Friday Business Briefing, author Andrew Harrison shared what he has learned as he traveled over 40,000 miles of the United States and interviewed over 110 people about the power of motivation. Because of the comments and interest we received from this event, we are sharing a synopsis of his presentation.
Traveling the country interviewing people excited by their jobs, Harrison learned that passionate people produce incredible results. At the same time, he learned the U.S. economy loses over $300 billion each year due to unmotivated workers (the employee quits, doesn’t tell anyone, and still comes to work every day). This staggering statistic shows that there is a disconnect in the motivation equation.
During meetings with various American business leaders, it became evident that companies in tune with motivating their employees are also in tune with making profits.
Motivated Employees lead to Motivated Customers which lead to Profits
It doesn’t matter what product your business makes or what services you provide, if you have motivated people, they will produce desirable results. There are numerous companies in Rochester that have acted on this basic but hard to implement equation. Those companies thinking about motivation have seen amazing results in growth, profitability, and visibility.
The first step in the motivation process is to truly believe, especially as a human resource professional, that employees want to be motivated. Part of human nature is the drive to be successful. Part of the company’s job is to help spur on that drive.
The most important factor in the motivation equation is the immediate manager. Harrison has been told, “People don’t quit their company, they quit their boss.”
The old school management philosophy of, “You will do your work because I told you to do your work,” is not effective. It may get the job done, just barely, and it saps the effort out of people. It turns them into zombies, coming to work each day, but only doing enough to get by. They are working solely for the paycheck. Where are the productivity, attention to detail, creativity, and innovation in that process?
A motivated workforce is a win for all involved. It is a win for employees because they actually like their jobs and companies. It is a win for managers because motivated people are more productive. It is a win for customers because they have better quality products and services. It is a win for companies because they have satisfied customers and employees working smarter, which means a stronger bottom line.
You can learn more about Andrew Harrison’s interview experiences in his forthcoming book and at http://www.iamontheroad.com/engagement.asp. Check our website www.rochesterbusinessalliance.com under Business Information for future Friday Business Briefing topics.