Motivation on the Run

I am always interested in what motivates people. Management has its opinions and the incentive companies have theirs, but I’m interested in what you have to say.

From my experience in sales, the incentives were always the same. Oh, the prize would change, or the trip location would move, but trips and prizes were the top two for long term motivation. Contests would run anywhere from one to three months with some criteria to judge the winner.

Money came into the picture for short term. It usually happened when the boss noticed the numbers lagging for the month. He would walk into the bull pen and raise a one hundred dollar bill and shout, “Who wants a hundred bucks?” The response better be loud and in the affirmative. He would then lay a few ground rules for determining who would win the cash at the end of the day. First call with a sale, biggest sale of the day, most appointments set to take him on, etc. You get the picture.

In thinking about the different incentives I have been involved with, I put this list together.

Sales

1. Money
2. Prizes (dvd player, tv, etc.)
3. Personal goals
4. Trips
5. Encouragement (pat on the back)

I don’t know if I ever heard of the office personnel getting incentives like these, but thought some form might be used. Since the measurements are more difficult, I’m not sure how these are applied, but I have some ideas of my own.

Have any of you been involved with office personnel incentives? How about these?

Office Workers

1. Encouragement
2. Personal goals
3. Incentives

Personal goals made both lists, because for me, it is what drives me. Money has never been a big motivator for me, and neither have prizes. I’m not saying they had zero effect, but they are not my main motivators.

I did go all out for a trip contest once, and the Redhead and I really enjoyed our trip to the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio (on the River Walk). My personal goals drive me harder than incentives from management ever will.

What about you? What gets you going every morning when it’s time to get productive? Let me know in the comments.

[tags]motivation, incentives, prizes, personal goals, trips[/tags]