Welcome to the August 25, 2004 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Special News!  Business Values and Motivators Make News On CN8 Money Matters

1. My Brain Was Smokin' - What I Learned in CriteriaOne Training

2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #231 to #235

3. Best Practice Tips and Resources

4. Hire High Motivation Employees like the Experts

5. Employee Motivation: It Takes Two to Tango...and Tangle

6 . Exploring Generational Differences and Interview for Success

7 . Fall Workshop and Speaking Schedule

8 . You don't need a huge budget and staff to hire the best employees?

9 . Thousands of Small Business Owner Now Build High Motivation Teams Who Never Thought They Could

1.  My Brain Was Smokin' - What I Learned in CriteriaOne Training

By Marilyn Walker, Director of SPS Assessment Center

It was Wednesday morning at 8:45. I was sitting in a meeting room with eight women representing industries from food processing to banking.

We were all there - eager to learn how to hire and promote the right employees. The workshop leader, Ira Wolfe, started the training by asking us what we thought was an easy question - to describe the traits of our "ideal" employee:

Without hesitation, my counterparts for the next few days started calling out the following descriptors:

• Team player
• Reliable
• Creative
• Loyal
• Self-motivated
• Passionate
• Good communicator
• Ethical

We then kept adding to the list:

• Friendly
• Visionary
• Strategic
• Goal-oriented
• Tenacious
• Fun
• Global thinker
• Change agent
• Participatory

That was easy. We all knew what we wanted. Well - we thought we did. The next part got a little harder. It became painfully apparent that we weren't going to agree on what these descriptors meant.

It started with words "team player." To some of us it meant an individual who "got along with people" while to others it meant someone who helped his team to "win." As I looked around, I noticed a few eyes roll at the suggestion of the word "win". "Why does everything have to be about winning," one participant said later. "Team playing is about sportsmanship." Good point. That was the first clue that the next three days could prove to be mighty interesting. Without clear definitions and expectations, something as simple as misunderstanding what we meant by team player could cause a lot of stress in the workplace

We then moved on to what did "fun" mean? How complicated could describing fun be? While everyone agreed having a sense of humor was important, a few of us thought a "fun" individual might be susceptible to goofing off or playing practical jokes - and that wouldn't be tolerated in some of our businesses. So much for fun. We moved on.

What stopped all of us in our tracks was "self-motivated."

While all eight of us agreed that self-motivation was a required trait for our ideal employee, we each had a different vision about what a motivated employee looked like - excited, engaged, hard-working, supportive, driven, urgent, energetic. Ira then asked us how we would differentiate between the upbeat, enthusiastic, pencil tapping, leg shaking, continuously-in-motion individual and the less emotional, more reserved, but highly committed and competent candidate. We must have looked like deer caught in the headlight.

That is when all of us recognized that there might be a humongous difference between an employee who is energetic and enthusiastic and one who is productive. The wheels began to turn. We were beginning to see why each of us had misjudged the commitment and competence of a few former employees before and after we hired them.

It was just 9:30 when Ira introduced us to what became one of the highlights of the training - the concept of the Quality of Motivation. Ira definitely had our attention.

We first learned that everyone is motivated. What we didn't realize that not all motivation is positive. By positive, Ira explained that we had the motivational skills (yes - motivation is a skill) to acquire and keep things that bring us pleasure and to avoid and escape those things that bring us pain.

It was easy to understand that attainment (getting what I want) and maintenance (keeping what I have) are positive motivators. Ira gave a great example about how this fits in our workplace. Many people have the motivational skill to go out and get a job but fewer people have the motivational skill to show up on time. But most of us hadn't thought that avoidance (staying away from discomfort) and escape (getting out of pain) were also positive motivators. But this started to make sense. To become self-sufficient, we each need to be motivated to achieve new things, maintain what we have, avoid unnecessary pain, and escape the pain when we do experience it.

Our society places more emphasis on "thrill of victory and agony of defeat" and overlooks training the skills of maintenance and avoidance. Just think about life today. If something breaks, throw it away and buy newer and better. What motivation is there to maintain anything. And don't bother to avoid unnecessary pain - there is a pill or surgery to fix whatever ails you. We have become a nation of pleasure seeking escape artists.

The good news is that positive motivators are life skills. Once we learn them, we have them. When we use them, we have the ability to enjoy long term positive results.

But that is only half the story. There are four more motivators, called counter-productive behaviors. And many people are more skilled at using these counter-productive behaviors than they are at experiencing positive behaviors. Why is this so important to know? Because many of us as managers unwillingly end up trying to motivate employees and all we do is make things worse. The result is a short term positive outcome……with long-term negative consequences.

Let me prove my point. How many of us have gone to a one-day pick-me-up-rah-rah-feel-good seminar? Let's admit it, we all have at one time or another. We leave feeling upbeat, positive and ready to conquer the world. MOTIVATED. But something happens on the way back to the office. Reality hits hard when the mobile phone rings while we're stuck in traffic and your assistant calls to tell you that your computer has crashed and has a virus. We soon realize that life hasn't changed at all. For the positively motivated, you use your escape and achievement skills. For the negatively motivated, the worst is yet to come.

Research has shown that nearly two-thirds of the people who attend motivational seminars actually feel worse within seven days after the seminar than they did before they went in the first place. Morale and productivity now takes a dive. Why is that? When these negatively motivated employees think about the great day of escape they had and begin to think how everyone else is probably taking back control of their lives but they're stuck in this crummy job, with a crummy life, and a crummy boss, the last thing they want to face is to have a smiley faced, perky, positively motivated co-worker say, "Isn't this a great day"?

So what do they do? They fall back on their counter-productive motivators they are so good at using. Ironically this gets them motivated - not productive, but passionate and energetic at proving that they are worse off than the next guy.

Most people would label this type of individual as un-motivated or de-motivated, but that is not true at all. That is the mistake that many managers make. Negatively motivated people are very motivated and passionate about proving why the world is out to get them and why nothing will ever change. Their pain is always worse than your pain. They believe that while they are fighting for every penny and every breath of air, you are the lucky one because you are pretty or tall or smart or had rich parents or whatever. If you ever try to win the battle of the attitudes, you can't. Negatively motivated people are incredibly competent and very passionate about defending their state of hopelessness. Unfortunately they are good at winning battles by wearing other people down. Negative people are like a giant vacuum. They just suck the life out of a company.

The point finally hit home. Before these first few hours, we all believed what negative employees needed was a little motivation. We now knew this was like throwing grease on a fire. We learned something that will change the way we look at motivating ourselves and others. We need to stop filling the counter-productive buckets and start teaching positive motivators.

Our brains were starting to smoke and it was only 10:15 and we had two and one-half more days to go. It only got better as we learned five techniques to positively motivate employees.

Read more about Negative Employees.

How can you learn more about the tools and techniques used by our clients? See "Best Practice Tips and Resources" below.

2.  Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #231 to #235


Fact #231:   On the Road Jack No More - Truckers Short of Staff: Trucking executives are having a tough time filling jobs in the United States, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Competing industries such as construction are paying more, and driving 500 miles a day can be lonely and sometimes stressful. J.B. Hunt CEO Kirk Thompson says, "Growth is at a virtual standstill until additional truck drivers are attracted."

Fact #232: According to the Tulsa World, trucking companies are trying to combat the 105 to 110 percent turnover rates with higher wages and signing bonuses. But drivers are less concerned about money than about being treated with honesty and respect.

Fact #233: The Canadian Medical Association wants the government to provide $765 million (U.S. dollars) to address the shortage of doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals, according to the Associated Press. The money would be used for, among other things, workforce planning--such as forecasting the number of practitioners needed to reduce the waiting lines for medical care.

Fact #234: One in every 278 Americans now work for Wal-Mart (Source: Business Week)

Fact #235: More than 75 percent of the workforce must be retrained to keep the jobs they have.

80 percent of jobs will require some sort of postsecondary education

61 percent will require more than a high school education but less than a bachelor's degree. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor)

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - $7.95 includes no shipping costs for limited time only.

Get the forecast LIVE at your next meeting or conference. Now scheduling 2004-2005 keynotes - Ira Wolfe, What's Ahead In Hiring Trends or Generations in the Workplace - You can't work with them, You can't work without them.

3.  Best Practice Tips and Resources

Learn the secrets about how to match an employee's capability, motivation, and behavior to the core competencies required by the job:

TotalView Assessment System - Match an employee's abilities and personality to a specific job

Business Values and Motivators - What fills your employees' buckets (motivators)

DISC - How do employees respond to problems, people, pace, and procedures

Sign up early for our Fall or Winter hands-on CriteriaOne training. Learn
"The Best Kept Secret for Hiring The High Motivation Employee - Job Profiling".
Your fee of $1595 includes fees for two participants.

Where can you receive more information about behavior and personality tests like TotalView and Business Values and Motivators, and DISC?

4. Hire High Motivation Employees like the Experts

It is finally here. After three years and hundreds of hours, The How to Hire The High Motivation Employee audio series is complete. Six 30-minute CDs - more than three hours of interviews - guide a manager through each section of the TotalView(tm) Assessment System, complete with examples and stories you can use to hire the right employee and build the best teams. Why TotalView? It is simply the best job matching and employee evaluation system on the market today.

The first CD begins with an overview of the TotalView(tm) Assessment System and explanations of each of the Abilities scales. The second CD focuses on Motivations and Interests. And CDs three through six discuss the four major personality traits and eight sub-scales in detail.

As a thank you for reading The Total View newsletter, we're offering the complete audio series for only $159 through August 31, 2004.

Order How to Hire The High Motivation Employee today.

5. Employee Motivation: It Takes Two to Tango...or Tangle.

Sustained productivity and profitiablity doesn't just happen. Employees have varied needs. Managers have preferred leadership styles. These needs and styles don't always match.

But managers and leaders can now get the results they want with a revolutionary new approach to leadership. It's called Strategic Leadership.

Strategic leadership gives leaders the knowledge and insights to adjust their approach to match the varied capabilities and commitment of employees.

To schedule Strategic Leadership training in your company for the Fall 04/Winter 05, contact us today.

New! Strategic Leadership Type Indicator.(SLTi)
Help leaders understand their own leadership habits and learn how they can respond more effectively in the future. The first part of the SLTi is a self-assessment that gives leaders feedback about their use of multiple leadership strategies. The second part guides them in selecting the best strategic leadership style to use, and the third part illustrates how leaders can develop their direct reports using these strategies.

View Brochure here.

Email for more details or pricing.

6. Schedule Your Fall/Winter Workshops Today

Exploring Generational Differences is designed to explore the differences between the four workforce generations and how to build bridges between them. If you've ever heard "what's wrong with the younger generation" or "I'm too old to learn this stuff", this is the perfect program for your workforce. Half-day or Full-day.

Learn more about bridging generation gaps


Interview for Success: This disciplined approach to interviewing candidates, identifying competencies and developing questions and target behaviors for specific positions, is nearly 50 percent more effective than traditional interviewing at hiring the right employee. Half-day or full-day.

Improve your behavioral interviewing skills.

Speak with Ira or Marilyn about scheduling Exploring Generational Differences or Interview For Success.

7.  Summer 2004 Workshop and Speaking Schedule

Just announced! Ira will be a presenter at the 2005 International Builders Show in Orlando, FL at the end of January. Watch for more details.

September 1, 2004 - Ethical Shenanigans: How Susceptible Is Your Business? Small Business Group Breakfast. To reserve your place, call The Lancaster Chamber at 717.394.3531. Speaker: Ira S. Wolfe

September 13, 2004 - What is This Thing Called Emotional Intelligence
….And Why We Need It In The Workplace?" Sponsored by Clemson University; Location - Harrisburg, PA. Speaker: Marilyn Walker

September 27, 2004 – Best Practices in Performance Consulting, Atlanta, GA. Sponsored by International Quality and Productivity Center. Speaker: Ira S. Wolfe. Ira will join leaders from Dell, Microsoft, HomeBanc, Harley-Davidson,Hewlett-Packard, Putnam Investments, EDS, Synovus and Internal Revenue Service.

8. You don't need a huge budget and staff to hire the best employees

Eliminate The Hassles and Headaches Associated With Screening Candidate with Total APS.

The Total Applicant Processing System enables the small and medium sized employer to do online recruiting and screen applicants with customizable and scorable filtering questions with a click of the mouse.

Use Total APS to recruit and screen applicants for your next job opening.

9. Wondering if you have the right people on your team?

Everyone wants to build the High Motivation Employee Team. Do it with team building activities packaged exclusively for small businesses and home businesses.

Contact Information:
Success Performance Solutions 2481 New Holland Pike, Suite 2, Lancaster, PA 17601

email: tv@super-solutions.com
voice: 717.656.4632
web: http://www.super-solutions.com