In a study by William M. Mercer, Inc., and reported in Compensation and Benefits Review, 25% of the workers said they were capable of doing 50% more work.
So why don’t they? They lacked hope. They didn’t feel their contribution was wanted or rewarded. In particular, almost a third of the respondents gave three reasons for not doing more: 1) they weren’t involved in the decision making, 2) they weren’t rewarded for good performance, and 3) they saw no opportunity for advancement.
What’s it like in your organization? Is everyone filled with hope and enthusiasm? Or do you have some people that are just getting by? If you answered the latter, you may be in the midst of a hope crisis.
And don’t make the mistake of thinking those people are just plain unmotivated. No! People are always motivated …to do something … maybe not what you want them to do, but they’re still motivated.
If you ever think certain employees aren’t motivated, just watch them head for the parking lot at 4:30 in the afternoon or get up at 3:00 a.m. for a fishing trip. You’ll see lots of motivation. As one person told me, maybe there’s something to this reincarnation theory, judging by the way some people come back to life at quitting time.
Whether you lead a team, ONE OF YOUR PRIMARY FUNCTIONS IS TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE. In fact, hope is one of the main reasons people keep trying and trying to get better and better.