Being Proactive Versus Reactive: The Key To Employee Motivation

A few years back, I remember reading in the Harvard Business Review the results of a survey involving 1.2 million employees at 52 Fortune 1000 companies.

The survey found that 85 percent of employees experience a "sharp decline" in morale after their first six months—and that the situation "continues to deteriorate for years afterward."

In referencing the results, a number of measures that companies could take to counteract the morale problems were prescribed, .

This included understanding and responding to what the survey's author's referred to as being the "three key goals" that most every employee has in terms of their work.

Upon first read, these suggestions seemed to offer both a reasonable and effective approach.  But it got me to thinking.

Why do the majority of employees so soon after they start, lose that spark of excitement relative to their jobs?

I also wondered whether or not it would be more effective to proactively assess an employee's motivation prior to coming on board, as opposed to retroactively trying to get an existing employee back on track.   

Proactively Assess Motivation?

When I use the term proactively assess motivation, I am talking about the steps leading up to and including when a new employee is hired.

This is a process that minimizes the risk of a type of buyer's remorse for employees setting in, once they have joined the organization.  Specifically employees who, after landing the job, discover that it wasn't what they had expected or even wanted. 

For everyone seeking  a position with a company, how many consider the quest to hear the words "your hired" to be the ultimate goal?  

Based on experience I would have to say that a reasonable majority fall into this category. Or to put it another way, being able to do the job is not the focus but, getting a job to pay the bills and pursue one's passion elsewhere seems to be the norm. Work then becomes a necessary evil as opposed to the realization of one's dreams.

Within this context, it is no wonder that 85 percent lose that spark of enthusiasm for their job within such a short period of time.

So what is the answer?

Recognizing The Right Employee

Taking a page from my book, and in particular the section Always Look For Ways To Earn Your Place In The World, I write the following"

Think back to when you were actively searching for your present job.  Did you research the companies with whom you hoped to work?  While far too many people make the mistake of looking for a job or position as opposed to seeking out the “right fit,” you probably targeted those organizations for which you could provide a needed expertise.

In your efforts to select a company, did you seek to understand the challenges that you could address?   Were you effective in explaining how you could deliver a solution based on your skills and value?  Were you convinced that your expertise and ability could best serve the company’s future vision?   Were you confident that your boss would value your passion, respect your ambition, and become your sponsor for moving up?

When an employee takes the time to assess how their passions and abilities align with the needs of a specific company, that company has found the right employee.

While they may not possess as high a level of formal education as some candidates, nor the experience of others, they do possess the one key trait that cannot be measured . . . a desire to do a particular job and do it well!

This means that they are already motivated for the right reasons coming in, exemplifying that old adage if you do something you love, you will never have to work another day in your life.

This brings us back to the HBR survey.

While we know that 85 percent of employees lose their motivation after a short six months on the job, what about the other 15 percent?  

I think it is safe to say that these are probably the individuals who know what their passion is, and have found a way to live it through their employment with the company that hires them.

The True Win-Win Scenario

For those seeking employment, don't compromise.

Know your strengths and recognize the abilities that you alone possess.  Then seek out your special opportunities with the right organization.

For employers, look beyond the resume to see that the spark within a prospective candidate has already been lit.

When these two elements are in alignment, you will not have to look for the three key goals because they would have already been jointly recognized, and mutually acted upon.    

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