Marissa's Amazing Blog

How many times have you started reading a business book - and after the first chapter, you’re like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get the point? And, then you kick into high-gear speed-reading (aka skimming) because, well, the author was worried that you might not “get it” after the first 30 pages or so. I’m not saying that you can’t get significant value out of these books, but I’d argue that most of the value is in the first 30 to 50 pages, and maybe the last 10.

I’m happy to say that this is not the case with the latest book I’m reading: Carrots & Sticks Don’t Work by Paul L. Marciano, PhD. He turns the topic of motivating employees on its head and proves to us, page by page, that conventional motivation techniques like reward programs and often ill-conceived comp plans don’t really work. He theorizes, and I agree, that they can get individual people to be productive for a period of time, but often to the detriment of teamwork and real organizational advancement. He recognizes that there’s a deeper, more human level to management which so often gets missed (and i have my theories on that, which can probably fill a book).

He argues that cause & effect motivation tactics typically benefit the people who are already productive and may marginally move the less productive people to try a little harder for a period of time - until they realize that they can’t touch the productivity of the highest performers.

What we all really want to do is engage people in the advancement of the organization and to do that means harnessing people’s strengths and passions  (which is why hiring well is key). He believes that the path to true engagement follows his RESPECT model, with its clever little acronym (the below list copied from Amazon description):

1. Recognition and acknowledgment of employees’ contributions
2. Empowerment via tools, resources, and information that set employees up to succeed
3. Supportive feedback through ongoing performance coaching and mentoring
4. Partnering to encourage and foster collaborative working relationships
5. Expectations that set clear, challenging, and attainable performance goals
6. Consideration that lets employees know that they are cared about
7. Trust in your employees’ abilities, skills, and judgment

Sounds easy, sounds intuitive. But, as anyone who has worked with other people -  whether it be one person or an entire organization- can tell you, doing these things requires a daily, conscious commitment and thoughtful effort.

Turns out, I read EVERY page of this book - because I want to reinforce in myself the constant need to recognize the unique value that each person brings to work every single day. Yes, being part of a group of truly engaged people all working toward the same goal gives us the best chance of achieving success - however it’s defined for your organization. And, it’s way more fun.

Is everyone’s first blog post about blogging? Well, mine is. And, technically, this isn’t my first blog post - in fact, I’ve written for the GigMasters blog for quite awhile. I’ve enjoyed writing from the comfort of a company blog - with it’s target audience, defined purpose, etc. I never really felt the need until now to have my own blog. After all, anyone who cares (or doesn’t) about what I have to say has probably already heard it.  There’s not much lag time between my opinion and my mouth.

So, as many blogs are, this is a selfish blog - where I’ll chronicle the stuff that I find interesting. If nothing else, it will be a great way for me to keep track of the things I learn along the way - the things that shape who I am today: mom, marketer, manager, aspiring yogi…