Page 212 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

the eight principles model � 191

You wouldn’t try guessing what your customers’ needs are, would
you? In fact, you probably spend a lot of time surveying your cus-
tomers, conducting focus groups, tracking their buying habits, and
gathering any kind of information you can to determine what will
motivate them to purchase your product. Why wouldn’t you put the
same effort into understanding what would cause your employees to
buy into your leadership, your vision, and your company?
That’s the reason this principle is so important: it leverages ev-
ery other motivational decision you’ll make. Spend time here and you’ll
know what kind of work your employees enjoy, what kind of goals will
excite them, what kind of rewards are most meaningful, and how far
they can stretch without giving up. Come up with a generic motiva-
tional plan and, sure, you’ll do better than if you didn’t have one, but
you will leave so much potential on the table.

principle three: Caring—the more you Care, the more they will Care
Caring has been studied in the fields of nursing and education but less
so in the field of management. Caring, like trust and understanding,
has an effect on every other motivational principle. When your em-
ployees believe that you care about them, they believe that you have
their best interests at heart. They’re more likely to want to work for
your company, even if they don’t have to.
But what does it mean to be caring? Clearly, it is more important
to actually care than just to go through the motions, but there are
some important competencies managers can develop to demonstrate
caring. Co-author Michael Kroth and Carolyn Keeler recently de-
veloped what they call the Recursive Model of Manager-Employee
Caring. Caring managers, they say, exhibit four important behav-
10
iors. First, they Invite employees, by being receptive and fully avail-
able to them. They pay attention, they show interest, they accept the
employee, they’re open to new ideas and possibilities the employee
suggests, and they’re empathetic.
Second, caring managers Advance employees. They have a real de-
sire to help employees succeed. They are real advocates for employee