Get Your Team Motivated Today

This article was originally published in the Lancaster Physician Magazine (Winter 2024). ?

“Clean up the Matchbox cars right now if you ever want to play with them again!”?

I have five small kids. Sometimes I nicely say (OK, yell) those words at the end of a long day. It’s a classic example of the “carrot-and stick method” of motivation. If you do this, I will reward you and if you don’t do this, I will punish you.?

For centuries this has been the go-to business method used to motivate employees with external forces such as rewards and punishment. The problem? Research shows it doesn’t work for complicated industries such as healthcare. What works? Tactics that kindle internal motivation.?

I went to experts, WellSpan Health colleagues, to learn how they use this method.??

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“I establish clear, well-defined goals.” - Megan Lecas WellSpan senior vice president of service lines.?

Creating and communicating clear goals is a pivotal initial step in motivating our teams. These goals allow each member to take ownership while giving them the autonomy to accomplish those goals. Too often we overlook the decision-making abilities of our team members by micromanaging their work.??

Leaders need to give clear descriptions (like a picture) of what a completed project looks like. They also need to clearly define expectations for members individual roles and how they function together.??

If you are unsure how to communicate the goals of your team, consider using the SMART framework. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.??

Etsy is an ecommerce company that allows small merchants to sell handmade goods via its website. In 2017, the company was on the brink of failure. More than 2 million people were using their platform and over 800 different projects were in the works to improve their revenues, but the company still was struggling financially. That is when a new CEO, Josh Silverman, stepped in to set specific goals and expectations to turn the company around.??

Silverman instructed his teams to focus only on projects that would have a financial benefit within 60 days. His team delivered by improving Etsy’s website search function, employing artificial intelligence to provide better recommendations, and beginning holiday promotions to return to profitability.?

I love his quote: “If you give a team of talented people clarity on what success looks like and what the constraints are, it’s amazing what they can do.”??

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“Storytelling is my most powerful and motivating tool.”- Dr. Ericka Powell, MD MBA WellSpan vice president of medical affairs at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital??

Humans are hardwired for stories. We spend most of our time with friends and family telling and listening to stories. In our professional lives, however, we often ignore the power that stories hold to convey a message.??

Dr. Powell notes that stories illustrate how we are together on a shared journey. They add compassion, kindness and thoughtfulness to our work. They give us purpose.??

Purpose is a powerful motivator because it shows how we are contributing to something greater than ourselves. It's knowing that the work we are doing is helping others or advancing a cause. In healthcare, it's easy to know in our heads that our jobs have purpose, but we need stories for us to believe it in our hearts.?

Here’s an example of the power of storytelling on motivating teams from a 2007 study by Adam Grant. They studied the University of Michigan's fundraising call center. The center was staffed with student employees who would contact alumni and ask for scholarship fund donations. They followed a strict script and were typically met with rejection.?

The researchers brought in previous scholarship recipients to tell the workers their stories about how the aid had helped them to achieve their goals and dreams. Now, they had a face and a story attached to what they were doing, resulting in a greater sense of purpose. Just one month later, these now highly motivated workers were bringing in almost four times as much money per week compared to before.?

One of the easiest ways to use storytelling in healthcare is to ask patients and other community members to talk about their past experiences with your health system. You want to hear from people who had both good and bad experiences.??

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“Motivators can be and should be honored for their uniqueness.”- Ashley Zinn, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-CP WellSpan vice president of human resources.?

Most organizations use standardized external motivators because they seem simple, fair, and spreadsheatable (my word for things that look nice on a big color-coded spreadsheet). Pick a few parameters to follow and dish out the cash to people who hit the goals.??

So, what's wrong with that? The factors that motivate one person may demotivate another. Plus, research shows those across-the-board financial incentives almost always fall short of inspiring change.??

What can leaders do???

Even if you have no power over changing reward structures, you can unlock internal motivation in your team members by assigning them tasks or projects that bring them joy and awake their passions.??

Google has famously capitalized off this with their “20% Project.” They allow their employees to use 20% of their time to work on side projects that can benefit the company. This has resulted in innovations such as Gmail and has been a powerful motivation tool seen by the increased engagement scores.?

You can do something similar by giving your team members assignments or projects that they personally care about. To do this you have to know your team members. What are they passionate about? Why did they come to work at your organization? What do they do in their free time? You can try questionnaires or playing team-building games, but the way to get to know others is spending time with them. Even if your team members only spend a small amount of time each week on these projects, they will likely be more motivated in all aspects of their job.?

When you are looking to motivate your team. Try these methods that kindle internal motivation.?

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