What motivates people

Different things motivate people differently. Some people value and respond positively to monetary rewards, others like and expect public appreciation and recognition, others are happy with flowers or chocolates, while others treasure a written note, and others simply, a sincere, heartfelt ‘thank-you’. Over time, the smart manager will get to know individuals’ preferred form of showing appreciation. Being thanked, however, will continue to be an accepted form of motivation, as this story illustrates.

Irving Berlin's way of saying 'thank-you'

In 1966, Broadway star Ethel Merman appeared in the 20^th-anniversary revival of Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun. Berlin knew that the singer was notoriously allergic to flowers, so he opted for a personal gift that he knew Ethel Merman would appreciate. His choice was an expensive personal gift accompanied by a witty poem.

On opening night, Berlin arranged for a package from Tiffany’s, the high-class New York jewelers, to be delivered to Ethel Merman’s dressing room. Inside was a miniature flower—made of gold. On his personal stationery, Irving Berlin penned the following lines:

'A sweet-smelling rose 
Starts a run in her nose. 
So—a metal… 
Petal… 
For Ethel.’

Thank-you lesson

Saying thank-you has been called the neglected art. It is not unfamiliar to hear a manager, spouse, or friend say, “She knows I appreciate what she does: I don’t have to say ‘thank-you’ to her for her continuing efforts”. What ego-centred nonsense!

Clearly, this was not the case for Irving Berlin. He knew the value of expressing appreciation in ways that were valued by the recipient. Similarly, for us, a few, simple, well-placed thank-yous can also do wonders for improving the performance of staff and others with whom we come in contact.

Let these four points guide your behavior.

1. Say thank-you only if you mean it—not just because you’re expected to. Routine expressions of thanks often lack any real impact.
2. Speak up. Don’t cheapen the value of a thank-you by mumbling the words. Think about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it.
3. Be specific. Don’t leave people unsure with vague sweeping thank-yous. Pinpoint the reason for your appreciation.
4. Get to know the different ways individual friends and colleagues like to be thanked. Remember that Irving Berlin knew Ethel Merman would appreciate an expensive personal gift and witty poem. Your task is to find out what ways your people want to be ‘thanked’ and cater for those individual preferences.

Dr Neil Flanagan believes that management know-how and skills are often best grasped by means of humor, anecdote, quotation, and immediate access to simple, step-by-step solutions. You’ll find that www.management2go.com puts you just a mouse-click away from just about everything you need to know about motivation.