“So, if not bonuses, how do I get my team motivated to perform, to get the results we are looking for?” Alicia asked.
“It’s NOT your job, as a Manager, to motivate your team, cajole, persuade, or manipulate,” I replied.
Alicia was almost startled. “I’m not? It seems like that’s what I spend half my time doing?”
“Do you remember the contract that Joe has with his team?”
Shaking her head, she protested, “Yes, but that’s just a logistics crew. They drive trucks.”
“What’s the contract?”
“Joe’s contract? He just tells the guys, that he expects them to do their best. That’s it.”
“Yes, that’s the contract,” I confirmed. “Each day, they are required to show up for work and do their best.“
What if that was how everyone approached life, not just work?
Show up and do your best.
How many of us cede responsibility of our lives to others and then complain when things don’t roll how we’d like. ♀️