I just finished reading “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us“, by Daniel H. Pink where he describes some new and not so surprising “truths ” about what motivates employees. Leaders take note! Here are the headlines:

• Your sales compensation plan may not only be driving the wrong behaviors, but may be costing your organization more money than the revenue it was intended to incentivize!
• The majority of your management team may be leading people based on a set of assumptionsabout employee motivation that are not only outdated, but that are likely de-motivating in the long run!
• If your company cannot point to any products, services, or activities that are socially redeeming and that contribute to “the greater good” of society at large, your employees are likely going to “underperforming”.
• If managers do not understand the difference between “carrot and stick” motivation and the intrinsic, deep-desire people have to direct their own lives and live a life of purpose, they will fail to realize the full potential of their employees, and companies will fail to realize greater productivity from those employees.

Pink hits a home run! Look at the success of Google, Wikipedia, Zappos, and other companies that have become enlightened to the notion of providing employees with greater autonomy and discretion in how they do their jobs so long as their work adheres to the value of contributing to the greater good!

One of the greatest examples offered is that of TOMS shoes. Every time they sell a pair of shoes to you or me, they give away a pair of shoes to a young child in a developing country! Profit and charity can live hand in hand, because TOMS shoes is a profit-making business by design.

Leaders take note! Your company is doing exactly what it was designed to do TODAY! Whatever results your company is achieving are results it was designed to achieve! If you want different results, your company needs to be designed differently.

Here are some questions for organization leaders to consider.

• Do your managers understand that their job is to understand employee motivation, and to create the conditions of work that will lead to a state where employees are not only productive but thrilled to be working for your company?
• Does your Human Resource department understand that its purpose is to advise leadership on how to lead, motivate, hire, develop, and compensate employees in a way that achieves a climate where intrinsically motivated employees can thrive?
• Is your leadership team aligned on the company’s strategy for leading, motivating, hiring,  developing, and compensating employees in a way that…..(ok, you get the idea……)
• How do you begin the “journey” to get your management team and employees “on board” with these powerful concepts and put them into action?
• What are the challenges your company faces in becoming a more “socially redeeming” enterprise?

I highly recommend this book for any organizational consultant, HR specialist or business leader.  And if you aren’t  an avid reader, listen to Pink’s TEDTalk on the surprising science of motivation instead.