The Intelligent Motivation System (IMS)

By Jim Cathcart

Intelligent Motivation(tm):

is determining what is important, 

identifying what action is needed and 

doing what is necessary to generate and 

sustain that action. 

Conscious, Intentional & Relentless Action 

Firm Standards, Clear Agreements, Meaningful Work, 

Accurate Measures, Appealing Rewards 

The more I work on "Intelligent Motivation (tm)" the better shape it takes. 

There is now a System to bring it together. Whenever I consult with a client organization these are the areas upon which I focus. 

• Firm Standards 
• Clear Agreements 
• Meaningful Work 
• Accurate Measurement 
• Appealing Recognition & Rewards 

In order to truly motivate people there needs to be a comprehensive approach to the task. 

Motivation requires "Motives" and for people to have the right motives we must assure that they understand the purpose and value of what we are asking them to do. 

When people find meaning in what they do they tend to add more value to what they do. 

Firm Standards: 

If you study the world's most impressive and successful organizations you will invariably find that they have high standards and they stick to them. At Disney, Hallmark, Four Seasons Hotels, and many more top companies the insistence on high quality work and adherence to rigid guidelines is NON-NEGOTIABLE. You either do it their way or you find somewhere else to work. Period. The same is true for the U.S. Marines. 

"If you don't belong here, see ya'. "

These high standards are what allows the organization to produce a consistently high-quality result. If they were to relax the standards to accomodate some less prepared or under-privileged person then their product would suffer and ultimately, so would their reputation. On some things we can never afford to compromise. On others, discussion is still open. 

Clear Agreements: 

A familiar organizational problem is Missed Expectations. 

Someone did what they thought was expected and found that their leader was expecting something else. Why? Because people don't often clearly communicate their expectations. 

How many times have you heard these words, 

"But I thought that's what you wanted me to do?" 

What an avoidable problem! There are proven ways to avert this and to develop better communication processes. One of these is the use of "Role Agreements." 

A role agreement is similar to a job description except that it doesn't describe tasks. Instead it defines three items: 

1. What the person is paid to accomplish. 

2. An overview of their areas of responsibility. 

3. A description of what you expect from them and of what they expect from you. 

This is not "given" to them, it is created with them so that they own it too. 

When expectations are clear, problem solving is easier. So is performance evaluation. 

Meaningful Work: 

People need to understand the value of doing a good job. They need to see how their work will make a difference to someone somewhere somehow. Without this they are just a machine producing "output." That is a pretty depressing role for anyone. 

"Does this really matter to anyone?"

We, as leaders, need to define the meaning in every aspect of our operations. All employees and participants need to see the value they are passing along. This gives them a sense of purpose, and purpose is motivating. When we talk about how our customers benefit from our product or service, when we tell stories of the value we provide, our people take more pride in their work and feel more dignity in doing it. 

Accurate Measures: 

Things that are measured tend to improve. Whatever you measure becomes real and tangible. People start to take it more seriously and they can see the relationship between actions and outcomes, causes and effects. If I know that you are measuring the times I arrive at work each day then I'll pay more attention to being prompt. If I don't think you measure the cost of goods used in producing my work then I'll probably have more waste than the person who closely monitors the cost of goods. 

In sports the statistics are pure gold. Batters know how success they have been against left handed pitchers in the first 50 pitches versus the last 50. Golfers and runners keep statistics to see whether they are on target or getting off track. 

Winners keep score...of everything! 

We can practice Behavioral Economics in many areas beyond the usual statistical reports and balance sheets. I believe we should be seeking to quantify everything reasonable. For example: we can measure the number of compliments we hear on the job each day, the frequency of do-overs (more than double the cost of work done right the first time), the number of new ideas we get in a given month for process improvement, the amount of time we spend helping others solve problems, etc. Everything we track causes us to notice more about it and to make better decisions related to it. 

Noticing More: The person who notices more see more options and possibilities, and that person has an edge over others. 

The more you notice, the more you know. 

The more you know the more options you see. 

The person with the most options usually prevails. 

Appealing Rewards: 

When we design an awards program or a recognition system it should be comprehensive and tailored. Comprehensive enough to utilize all of the available forms of recognition and reward, yet tailored to the unique interests, values and personality of the person being recognized. 

This requires some creativity and empathy. We must get to know each other better and we must think beyond the usual "box" of rewards. 

"But that's not what I was working for."

John may be very motivated by a trip to Hawaii and Janelle might find it unappealing. She, however, might respond well to a scholarship for advanced learning while Jason might not. Some people love plaques and certificates, some don't. Some get turned on by the offer of a bonus check while others respond better to a pat on the back and a sincere thank you. 

The system we design for motivation needs to incorporate all of the foregoing elements. 

This needn't be daunting. We can keep it simple and systematic so that nobody has to go back through intense training just to get this done. It is just a matter of making everything work together for the good of the Cause. 

Give me a call and let's see how your own Motivation System can be made more Intelligent. 

Intelligent Motivation: 10 Qualities of Keepers (tm)

By Jim Cathcart

"Keepers" is the term I've applied to Productive Employees. These are the folks that you love to have in any company, whether you are a coworker, a customer or its owner.
Keepers are people who you want more of. You want to work with them more often, and you want keepers in every role in the organization. If you could find enough people like them you could change the world. 

Here are a 10 traits that define Keepers:

• Proactive: They exert initiative; when they see a need they just fill it. They don't wait for others to take action. 
• Honest: They tell the truth. In business the only news that is useful is the truth. And if it is bad news it is vital that you learn it soon. 
• Problem Solver: They get the job done. They don't just "try" to do things, they actually do them. Effort isn't worth much if it doesn't produce the desired outcomes. 
• Self-Reliant: They address their own needs. If they need information they go and get it. If they need resources they find them. If they need rest they pause and refresh. If they need assistance they ask for it. 
• Cooperative: They reach out to others. They realize that none of us is as smart or as capable as all of us so they think in terms of the entire team, not just their own ego. 
• Grateful: They appreciate others and are grateful for the "blessings" they have. Keepers are constantly thanking others for the jobs they are doing, thanking their bosses for the support and benefits, thanking their customers for doing business here. Others want to be around them because they exude gratitude. 
• Positive: They think optimistically. They look for solutions not just problems. They assume that "somewhere, somehow, there is a way." This causes them to see opportunities that others overlook. 
• Growing: They look for ways to become worth more to their customer and employer. Lifelong learning is their commitment and they don't wait to be sent to a seminar when they can get the information on their own. They realize that anyone who has stopped improving is now slowing dying. 
• Contributor: They don't waste time waiting to be told what to do. They look for productive ways to fill their time at work, ways to "move the ball closer to the goal." And they suggest improvements. 
• Curious: They want to learn not just how things work but also why they matter. It is said that, "The person knows HOW may have a job, but the person who understands WHY is their boss." 

Keepers are the people who make this world a great place to be. The more productive employees a business has; the more customers it will have and the less employee turnover. 

Other people like to work with Keepers. 

Atmosphere Matters 

Keepers go nuts in a bureaucracy where there is all process and little production. They need a sense of meaning and purpose, so they constantly seek to make a contribution or produce an outcome. When the boss is unappreciative of their work, they tend to look elsewhere. 

Two things that keep people productive are: Meaning and Appreciation. 

The more meaning we find in our work, the more value we will bring to it. 

The more appreciated we feel, the more we are motivated to earn even more appreciation. 

A business owner friend of mine once said, "I don't give my employees much feedback unless they are on the wrong track. Then I correct them. They know when they are doing right because I don't say anything." 

I told him, "If I worked for you I'd shrivel up and die! I NEED acknowledgement and feedback." So do most people. 

Two things we all want to know are: 

1. Does what I'm doing really matter? 

2. Does anyone here care about me? 

When we get good answers to those questions our world turns bright and our work usually shows it. 

Systems Matter 

The smart companies put systems in place to assure that people always see the value in what they are doing and realize that they are valued by their company and coworkers. 

One of my friends who specializes in this area is John Schaefer. His company is called SRG: Schaefer Recognition Group. He talks about the Umbrella Strategy. 

This is where you take all, and I do mean ALL, of your forms of acknowledgment, reward and recognition and weave them into a comprehensive strategy for showing your people that you care. 

John stresses that recognition programs must be measured. There must be an orchestrated system and all parts of it should be trackable so that you KNOW what is working and how well. 

Why not do an inventory right now of your Keepers? 

Take a sheet of paper and just list all of the Keepers in your organization. Then study the list and reflect on it over the next week. See what you notice. 

I think you will find patterns in your Keepers that can be used to find future Keepers and to develop current team members to the Keeper status. 

If you'd like some help with this process, give me a call. 

In the Spirit of Growth, 

Jim Cathcart 

www.cathcart.com 

I'll share one of John's brochures with you so you can see the approach I'm recommending. 

Step Up and Make A Difference: Serve Others

By Jim Cathcart

"Service to Humanity is the Best Work of Life"

The last line of the Creed of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). 

On September 11th Senators McCain and Obama spoke about the importance of personal public service to our country and culture. They expressed support of the idea to make military and civilian service a priority. One of the fastest ways to cultivate a sense of commitment to your community and your country is by stepping up to serve others. The satisfaction, dignity and pride that emerge from this are substantial. 

I have served as both an enlisted man and as an officer in the Army Reserve and National Guard. And I've served my communities through numerous non-profit and charitable organizations. 

As a young adult I remember feeling that I was being selfish by not getting involved in serving my community. There was no specific stimulus that I recall, just a general feeling that I had a duty to do something for others. One night at my friend, Bill Gillespie's home another friend, David Puckett, asked, "Bill, didn't you once belong to the Little Rock Jaycees?" He said yes. And David said, "They are trying to form a new chapter of the Jaycees here in Pulaski Heights. There's a meeting this week, you should go." I asked, "Can I go?" He said, with a slight pause, "Sure, I guess so." So I went. 

The meeting was in the community room of a small local bank. There were only a handful of people there but I remember vividly that when Bill Patrick and Jimmy Wallace spoke of how satisfying it was to serve your community and how you could learn leadership skills by doing so, I felt compelled to join them. I signed up that night, paid my $10 or $20 and volunteered to help bring more people to the next meeting. 

Meeting number two was in Glenn Cox's barber shop. We had a room full of people and scheduled yet another meeting until we finally had our original 20 members that were required to charter a new chapter. I recruited 13 of those 20 people. 

When it was time to elect officers someone nominated me for charter president but I declined, feeling unsuited for the challenge. We elected Larry Peters and I was named "State Director" (that's the chapter's liaison to the State Headquarters). Then the work began. 

We needed a regular meeting place, a list of projects to do to serve the community, training for all of our new members and officers, and more. Our treasurer had to open a bank account for us, someone needed to learn how to run a meeting well. Feeling overwhelmed but ready to work, I immersed myself in reading the "Officers & Directors Guide" and the other publications put out by the Jaycees national headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In fact, I read the O & D Guide from cover to cover three full times in about a month! It was filled with great ideas and systems for running projects, leading meetings, motivating volunteers and more. 

I learned the fundamentals of Parliamentary Procedure and how to establish a constitution and by-laws. And, about every third day, I was attending or leading a meeting. 

Within three months I had done so much and learned so much that I was elected District Director (at that time they called it "State Vice President" and there was one in each district). This meant that I would be the advisor from the State Headquarters to the five new chapters in my district and any others that we chartered thereafter. Soon it was seven chapters and I found that I now had a new full time job (without pay) in the evenings and weekends after my regular day job. The Jaycees became my mission and joy. I was fully involved and loving the challenge and the feeling that what I was doing mattered to the rest of the world. 

One of my chapters was my own, The Pulaski Heights Jaycees, another was in the wealthier neighborhood, The Metro-West Jaycees, then there was the Southwest Jaycees and the East End Jaycees. The East End was in an all black neighborhood and some of the charter members had been active members of the Black Panthers. To say that my job was "interesting" would be an understatement. I spent my nights after work going to people's homes and holding meetings with all kinds of new people in the cause of community service and leadership training. I was selling the mission and systems of the Jaycees virtually every night. And it worked. We grew and thrived and soon were being acknowledged statewide for our successes. 

I'll save you the longer story, but suffice it to say, that I attended and participated in or led 400 Jaycees meetings in my first two years as a member. I worked on committees, moved boxes, cleaned floors, recruited new members, sold tickets, manned registration tables at Walk-a-thons and other fund raisers. I attended training sessions and led other ones. I read manuals, listened to tapes and guest speakers, helped people serve food, painted addresses on curbs to raise money, stuffed envelopes, made phone calls and much more. My wife and baby boy were present for many of these events and pitched in wherever they could. Our life now revolved around the Junior Chamber of Commerce and community service. It was as if I had been starving and recently discovered a cache of food. I couldn't get enough. 

Naturally, my zeal was noticed by others and I was offered more opportunities to serve. As I took on new duties I began to travel around the state conducting meetings and giving presentations or training at other chapters. Soon I was the state chairman in charge of Individual Development programs (leadership training). At the end of the year I won the award as the Outstanding State Chairman. There were thousands of members in a couple of hundred chapters in our state and receiving a big award at our state convention was tantamount to The Academy Awards (to me.) 

This was a whole new experience. I had never received an award before. Hearing my name called from the main stage in front of hundreds of my peers was enough to make me dizzy and shell shocked. I had joined to serve but getting celebrated by my friends was a bonus beyond my imagination! 

Since those days I've traveled to all 50 states, all provinces of Canada except one, and circumnavigated the Earth twice in one year. I've been the local president, national president, chairman of the board, event chair, and a committee member of more groups than I care to count. I've worked with The White House to train speakers for "Just Say No!", Parents for Drug-Free Youth as a strategic planning consultant, Quest Institute, International Youth Foundation, The Boys & Girls Clubs, Community Foundations, The Heart Association and industry associations as well. 

After the shock and terror of 9-11-2001 I decided to form the "101 Leaders Alliance" to get the non-profit leaders along the Highway 101 corridor (where I live) to join hands in the encouragement and training of more service leaders across all disciplines. We held our first Leadership Summit in 2006. 

From all of this experience the one thing I can tell you for sure is, the Jaycees are right, "Service to Humanity is the Best Work of Life!" 

Please find the causes you care about and get involved. The world needs you and your talents have a place in this world. Thank you for your service. 

Please let me know if I can help you motivate others to serve. 

NSA Rocks! 2000 speakers in one room...no listeners?

By Jim Cathcart

Right now I'm at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City with about two thousand other members of the National Speakers Association. This is our annual convention for this four thousand member association and as you can see about half the members spend the time and money to attend the five day annual meeting. You really ought to see this. 

There are authors, motivators, trainers, coaches, consultants, subject experts, media personalities, speakers bureau owners, celebrities and staff members who support them. The convention agenda itself is 40 pages long! 

All of this was started in 1973 when professional speaker Cavett Robert gathered a few of his colleagues and suggested that they work together to create a larger market for speakers, a "bigger pie" he called it. Well folks, it worked. Today the market for adult education, motivation and corporate performances is in the hundreds of millions. The meetings industry comprises numerous organizations that chose to join hands with NSA as each built their piece of the industry. 

As a past national NSA president and a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame I have a dozen official events to attend or preside over during this week, all the while surrounded by my "classmates" whom I've known for years and whose names have become household words. On Tuesday, August 5th I will be speaking at the United Nations for the first time. 

I'm one two US delegates to the International Federation For Professional Speakers and will be attending their convention and board meeting before and after the NSA events. Watch this site for more news on these programs. 

And if you are in NYC on Sunday night at 8pm, I'll be performing in the Astor Ballroom, 7th floor (guitar & singing) with a number of my fellow speakers. 

Rock on! 

Jim