Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Hub You - Creativity and Motivation: Traits From Within
The typical American business comes in all types and sizes. In fact, one might argue that there is no such thing as a “typical” American business. The business community in this country consists of multinational corporations having tens of thousands of employees, countless small sole proprietors with just a single employee and virtually everything else in between. One thing that almost all of them have in common is that they must deal with the responsibility of paying employees and complying with numerous payroll related tax and regulatory obligations. This can be an especially burdensome task for small business owners. Larger companies can afford to have full time staff dedicated to managing payroll issues as well as keeping up to date with the frequently changing payroll laws. This is seldom the case for owners of much smaller companies. So exactly how does a small business owner go about
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking
You would think experience, frequency of service, and the importance of repeat customers would create an expectation of quality. But you would be surprised if you thought that.Recently I met with a client for whom I have done a number of programs. We have a routine for our programs, and as always we maintained our routine. We meet at the same hotel. The starting time is not too early, but also not late enough to take away the participants’ entire day. Management provides donuts and bagels. The staff graciously shows up on a Saturday morning for sales and service training, without grumbling -- in fact, eager to be here. Says something about the quality of the staff! The CEO opens the meeting with favorable comments about the positive accomplishments the staff has performed since our last training session a few months back. And off we go to learn how to do it even better.We check our pla
The "entrepreneur" is one who creates a new business in the hopes of making a profit. If this is a valid definition of the term, then it is essential that businesses today utilize "entrepreneurial skills" in order to compete against rival corporations and small businesses that have become an even greater threat than before.
Akio Morita is known to have said that initially Sony had three years of competitive-free sales before a rival came up with a product that bit into their margin but near his retirement, that "window" had changed from three years to three months. As the time to market is decreasing rapidly due to the increase of global competition and other powerful market forces, companies can no longer follow their traditional ways of product development. All businesses that wish to do more than just survive must think like the entrepreneur.
Listen to marketers
Marketers know that it takes a tremendous amount of time, money and effort to create new customers compared with keeping current customers. They know that their most valuable asset is the customer they already have. Following this logic, does it make sense to invest a huge amount of time and money to hire on a bunch of "avant-garde" thinkers to create explosively innovative products and services when the resource may already be within the company's ranks? Can businesses in these lean times afford to do so? I do not think so. Those that are best suited to create new and valuable products which are in harmony with the business plan and goals are those that are already in the system; the employees.
It doesn't end with creativity
Entrepreneurism does not end with creativity. Many people can create amazing concepts. Those concepts then need to be turned into products and services which meet the needs of the market and are PROFITABLE for the organization. What good is an idea with no reality? It has little value. In order to succeed, organizations must have the creativity as well as the ability to act upon that creativity in order to bring ideas to market profitably. This is the power of the successful entrepreneur.
Valuable traits
What kind of traits do these individuals usually possess? The entrepreneur is often seen to possess a:·
Desire for responsibility·
Preference for moderate risk·
Confidence in own ability to succeed·
Desire for immediate feedback·
High levels of energy·
Future orientation·
Skill at organization·
Ability to see value in achievement over money
If companies want employees to possess these kind of traits, they need to develop the environment that fosters such. How can they do this? I believe that if we look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs we can find the answer.
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking a
So... how have you been building your brand lately?Now, I'm writing this in my best Barry White voice... "How's your Brand Lo-o-o-o-o-ve, baby?"It may sound obvious, but increase Brand Love by branding better.Branding your business better will help you increase awareness, attractiveness, and affection of your prospects (so they become customers), current customers (some people call them clients), and employees (yup, they need to be sold on you, too).“Huh? I’ve heard of brand awareness, and brand attractiveness I understand, but affection? Brand Love? Is this guy smoking banana peels?”OK, I admit, that term may be hard to take-- at first. But, haven’t you expressed to someone that you love something? “I love that soda.” “I love their pizza.” “I love that store.”See? You’ve been enamored with a brand before. And there’s a very good chance you still ar
Listen to marketers
Marketers know that it takes a tremendous amount of time, money and effort to create new customers compared with keeping current customers. They know that their most valuable asset is the customer they already have. Following this logic, does it make sense to invest a huge amount of time and money to hire on a bunch of "avant-garde" thinkers to create explosively innovative products and services when the resource may already be within the company's ranks? Can businesses in these lean times afford to do so? I do not think so. Those that are best suited to create new and valuable products which are in harmony with the business plan and goals are those that are already in the system; the employees.
It doesn't end with creativity
Entrepreneurism does not end with creativity. Many people can create amazing concepts. Those concepts then need to be turned into products and services which meet the needs of the market and are PROFITABLE for the organization. What good is an idea with no reality? It has little value. In order to succeed, organizations must have the creativity as well as the ability to act upon that creativity in order to bring ideas to market profitably. This is the power of the successful entrepreneur.
Valuable traits
What kind of traits do these individuals usually possess? The entrepreneur is often seen to possess a:·
Desire for responsibility·
Preference for moderate risk·
Confidence in own ability to succeed·
Desire for immediate feedback·
High levels of energy·
Future orientation·
Skill at organization·
Ability to see value in achievement over money
If companies want employees to possess these kind of traits, they need to develop the environment that fosters such. How can they do this? I believe that if we look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs we can find the answer.
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking
With the technological and conceptual breakthrough that internet has offered, internet advertising has become a full time employment option not only for companies, but for persons like you and me alike. Because most companies choose to go online with their businesses, the immense market that online advertising offers is like a new gold rush.There are two primary ways to advertise on the Internet:1. Register your Web site with major search engines so Internet visitors can find you;2. Place an ad banner for your site on another Web site that has a lot of traffic (viewers).Ad banners allow viewers to link to your site when they click on the banner. Internet Advertising Advantages Relatively cost-effective. The costs can also be independent of the size of the audience. For example, a Web presence will cost the same regardless of how many viewers your site has. (You will, howe
It doesn't end with creativity
Entrepreneurism does not end with creativity. Many people can create amazing concepts. Those concepts then need to be turned into products and services which meet the needs of the market and are PROFITABLE for the organization. What good is an idea with no reality? It has little value. In order to succeed, organizations must have the creativity as well as the ability to act upon that creativity in order to bring ideas to market profitably. This is the power of the successful entrepreneur.
Valuable traits
What kind of traits do these individuals usually possess? The entrepreneur is often seen to possess a:·
Desire for responsibility·
Preference for moderate risk·
Confidence in own ability to succeed·
Desire for immediate feedback·
High levels of energy·
Future orientation·
Skill at organization·
Ability to see value in achievement over money
If companies want employees to possess these kind of traits, they need to develop the environment that fosters such. How can they do this? I believe that if we look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs we can find the answer.
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking
What will the advertising executives think of next? Many small businesses will try new forms of advertising because the Yellow Pages doesn't work. In fact one of the most interesting new ways to advertise is to buy a space above urinals and it was proven that that works five times better than yellow page ads.And if you have the stomach for it we have been told that advertising on the back of toilet paper and bars and restaurants works great and one industry survey said it works 10 times better than yellow page ads. Yes, advertising on the back of toilet paper can be very profitable and when someone is stuck in that stall and they have nothing to do they will actually read the toilet paper of course what they do with it next we will not discuss. But suffice it to say anything that works 10 times better than yellow page ads makes sense to me and it makes dollars for my company.I woul
Valuable traits
What kind of traits do these individuals usually possess? The entrepreneur is often seen to possess a:·
Desire for responsibility·
Preference for moderate risk·
Confidence in own ability to succeed·
Desire for immediate feedback·
High levels of energy·
Future orientation·
Skill at organization·
Ability to see value in achievement over money
If companies want employees to possess these kind of traits, they need to develop the environment that fosters such. How can they do this? I believe that if we look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs we can find the answer.
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking
What's Your Job Situation? If Bad, Is It Bearable or Unbearable?Money isn't the only motivator or de-motivator for employees. Lack of appreciation for your contributions can cause the same effect. It's not that you expect to get a pat on the back every time you do some little thing; it's that you quickly begin to resent being taken for granted when you're doing a lot more than that, and this can make you start thinking in terms of launching a job search to find a new or better job somewhere else.A tough job market or economy can definitely make matters worse. For example, over the past few years, companies have pared down their staffing to achieve leaner operations. Sometimes it's done just to stay in business; other times to increase the bottom line and maybe to remain competitive. Regardless of the reason, it results in employees being expected, not
Up your hierarchy!
Not everyone agrees with Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which states that every individual must have certain needs met before they can move up the hierarchy to the next level. To me, it makes perfect sense. We can look around the world at the starving countries and ask ourselves, "why do they pollute so badly? Why don't they care about the world?" The answer is that they are too busy trying to survive to think beyond. Once those survival needs are met, they can progress to looking at the world differently.
At the highest level of the hierarchy is self-awareness. Once employees have their basic needs, and other intrinsic needs met, they are able to begin to think beyond what they "want" and focus on other aspects. This is where creativity comes into play. We all know that extrinsic motivation rarely lasts forever. Look at weight loss clinics and network marketing as two good examples. After the top people give their pep talks, everyone is pumped. When they all return to their normal world, that motivation disappears. Look, however to those people that are motivated from inside themselves; they are the creators, the individuals that can come up with the most amazing things.
Reward is a key criterion
Companies need to create the environment that empowers the worker to that higher level so that they feel they are important in the organization. When they have self-worth, and confidence, when they are rewarded for their efforts, then the creativity will flow from the intrinsic motivation. Eisenberger and Shanock have shown that "when individuals believe they can obtain rewards by being creative, they become more creative. The expectation that creativity will be rewarded causes individuals to define the task as requiring creativity, to become immersed in it, and to search for novel ways of carrying it out." 1
By providing the tools required to get the job done, education to enhance thought processes, empowering workers to produce excellence and rewarding them for doing so, employers will not only develop their own employees abilities to create, they will improve their competitive advantage in the market by increasing the invaluable asset known as knowledge. By instilling in employees a healthy skepticism for conventional wisdom they will further enhance a creative orientation. 2
Creative tension is a key criterion
In addition to this, by fostering a creative tension that is not based on emotional or anxious pressures, people will begin to see the gap between what they want to get done, and the reality of the situation. They will then be able to focus on the gap utilizing energy to make it smaller until goals, visions and reality converge. From this creative tension will flow the motivation. Companies must foster this kind of environment. 3
Conclusion
If organizations want to succeed and excel at global competition, they need to push their employees to challenge conventional wisdom, and give them the tools and the autonomy to test out their non-conventional ideas. Thinking they need to go on a "search for creativity and intrinsic motivation" will hinder their need for spe
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.iadvice.info/article/16873/iadvice-Creativity-and-Motivation--Traits-From-Within.html">Creativity and Motivation: Traits From Within</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.iadvice.info/article/16873/iadvice-Creativity-and-Motivation--Traits-From-Within.html]Creativity and Motivation: Traits From Within[/url]
Related Articles:
Marketing To Teens & Tweens - The Big Payoff
The Online Education Experience
Bookmark it:
|