Company Blog

Motivation

by Adam Zack — November 4, 2020

Hello,

Guest blog writer for this week here. My name is Scott Lawhon and Adam needed some help with this week’s blog since he’ll be away in Oklahoma visiting family. Some of you may know me as Adam’s oldest friend of 51 years or the guy needing the liver transplant, so, apparently, he thinks I have too much time on my hands. He’s right but don’t tell him that, he still believes he’s smarter than I am. Probably believes in Santa, too.

This week’s subject is about employee motivation and what to look for in each individual’s so-called “job language”. Like a marriage, or any relationship for that matter, a person’s “love language” is key in recognizing what our partner is motivated by therefore keeping the relationship happy and healthy. In the workplace, each employee may have a very different and separate job language from the others. One might be there just for the paycheck while another is there to feel part of a family while a third is there because they seek recognition. As a manager, you need to find each member of your staff’s job language and work at staying aware of why he or she gets up in the morning, puts on their uniform or apron, while making sure to leave the drama and outside issues at the door. Their goal is to make sure the customer is happy, store well stocked as well as continuing to be pleasant and helpful. We cannot always control the motivation behind each individual language, nor can we always succumb to that individual’s wants and desires. Our job as managers isn’t to control it but to understand and be aware of what affects each employee to find a way to apply their skill to a particular job and then utilize it to keep them motivated. We need to recognize our own job language, identifying what makes us get up, come to work and continue to do what we do and let it shine and be an inspiration behind the motivation.

In keeping the World Series championship alive a little longer, I would like to quote the greatest LA Dodger manager, Tommy Lasorda. He once said “Managing is like holding a dove in your hand. Squeeze too hard and you kill it, not hard enough and it flies away.” Now get out there and have a great day and thanks for letting me be a part of it.