Here's a real life situation of a manager providing general praise to a team member.

Manager's email to team member:

"Good job Jordan. Keep up the good work!"

Team member's verbal response to the email:

"Shut up jack a$$. I'm not on your fifth grade soccer team. I'm a professional."

Have you ever wondered what is motivating to your people?

It's important to know, because as leaders, we need to tailor everything we do based on our team members' preferences and priorities.

I was in a team building workshop last week, and one of my participants asked, "...but how do we know what motivates our team members?"

I simply replied, "Just ask."

Here are some questions you might ask your team members and co-workers to better understand their needs and aspirations.

1. What two or three aspects of your work do you enjoy most?

This is the fourth post in a 4-Part series. To get the scoop in why recognition is important, see Part 1. To understand some of the myths about recognition, see Part 2. To learn about the 4-level framework for a recognition program, see Part 3.

In Part 1 of this series we talked about the "case" for recognition. In Part 2, we have debunked some of the myths around recognition, the next steps are to put a framework in place for an effective recognition program.

In The Carrot Principle, the authors outline a four-level approach to recognition that is straight forward and easy to implement.

The Manager who approached me in Part 1 of this series had used his original question of 'Sal, why do I have to give people recognition for doing their job?' to set me up.

He was persistent and continued, "I don't give people recognition for just doing their jobs. That's what they get paid for."

The conversation went on, and he justified his position of not giving people recognition by saying that he had high standards. Hmmm. High standards, I thought. What does that have to do with it?

One of the fastest ways to get a new team member "up to speed" is to make the process intentional.

In many companies, HR plays a key role in "onboarding" new employees. But more must be done at the team level (from senior leadership teams to functional teams) to help new team members get acclimated to the culture and its unwritten rules (that aren't documented in employee handbooks), and to truly understand roles and accountabilities (that aren't usually accurately captured in a position description).

When teams formally spend time orienting new team members it...

Ahhh overwhelm. It's that moment in time where you feel stuck. Where there is so much going on you don't know where to start.

The stories that play inside our heads are ones that sound like:

"I have too much to do. I'll do it (the important thing) tomorrow."

"There are no jobs out there."

"I don't have time to develop knowledge about new topics, ideas, and legislation"

"I'm not experienced enough for that role"

"It's faster to do things than to train others to do it"

One of my best clients introduced me to a book last year by Brian Tracy called Eat That Frog. It has some great ideas to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. And, now it's out in its second edition.

I was just reviewing his chapter on "Motivate Yourself Into Action"and thought I would share a passage.

"It turns out that optimists have four spcial behaviors, all learned through practice and repetition.

Hello Everyone

I wanted to wish you all a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving for me is a time of reflection and a time to come back to the present. It is a time for me to be grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life.

Ah the holidays. A time to enjoy family and friends, perhaps some time off from work, and even a chance to reflect on the year's past and what's to come.