QUOTATION 46

TOM PETERS ON SELF-MOTIVATION

Use this to remind you of the limited, but vital, role that managers play in motivating staff.

Tom Peters (b. 1942) worked as a Kinsey management consultant before becoming a hugely successful and influential management guru and best-selling author of several management books. He likes to think outside the box and argues that only people can motivate themselves.

The common wisdom is that … managers have to learn how to motivate people. Nonsense. Employees bring their own motivation.

Tom Peters

Peters’ stance is part of the long-standing argument about the nature of motivation: i.e. is motivation intrinsic or extrinsic? Assuming he is at least partially right in his belief, what should you do?

WHAT TO DO

  • Don’t abandon entirely your attempts to motivate staff. Follow the advice of Fredrick Herzberg and create the conditions in which people can motivate themselves (see Quotation 45).
  • In your career you will have come across people who are clearly self-motivated. Usually, the problem you have with them is controlling and channelling their energies. Others seem to believe in a fair day’s work for a week’s pay. To avoid this problem, you need to be able to identify the signs of self-motivation, especially when you are appointing and/or promoting staff.
  • All selection processes, including interviews, are a poor predictor of how well a person will do in a specific job. The risks are reduced if it’s possible to promote from within. By doing so, you reduce the risk of appointing someone who has the motivation of a sloth on a rest day. You already know the person, you know what they can do and, based on that, you can make an informed prediction of how well they will perform when promoted.
  • Whether you appoint an internal or external candidate, ensure that:
    • S/he has personal pride. Such people are generally their own harshest critic and have high standards. They won’t want to let themselves down and, by extension, you.
    • The person is self-motivated. This is almost assured if the candidate has high standards, as they will continually want to maintain and exceed them, if possible.
    • The appointee is enthusiastic and trustworthy. Enthusiasm should be on display in how they answer your questions and engage you in conversation about the organisation. As for trustworthiness, you’ll need to obtain references for external applicants and a line manager’s report for internal candidates.
    • They can see the bigger picture. This is the prime indicator of a person’s suitability for senior management posts. Executives and others must be able to leave behind their own professional training and socialisation and see issues in organisational terms and not as an accountant, engineer or marketing manager.
  • Finally, look to see whether they possess common sense. As we all know, it’s the most uncommon trait of all but is also the foundation of good management and all that goes with it.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • Do I think that people motivate themselves or do I believe that I have to motivate and drive them?
  • If staff do motivate themselves, what impact would my driving them have on how they feel?
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