Why Offering Incentives to Employees Fuels Performance

I am confident that if we all were asked whether or not we believed in the concept that people who are motivated adequately, perform better, the results would be an overwhelming YES. But somehow many of us lose sight of how true and how effectively it works in the real world. We erroneously tell ourselves that these employees in our stewardship, “are paid well enough, and should be motivated by that," and on and on.. Those who think like this are essentially displaying naivety towards human behavior and reality.

Let me explain. Who would agree that in any endeavor we engage in has a tendency to become boring and very difficult periodically? We all want to fight for a cause, feel important and possess a sense of purpose. When those are altered, motivation changes. Because the dynamics of the workplace change quite rapidly, subsequently, so does employees focus and desire to contribute. Individual internal motivation is oh, so delicate. And shouldn’t be handled with across the board waves of “just throw a party, they should be fine with that.”

Who of you out there watches sports? When your team is losing and appears to be giving way to full defeat, don’t we typically look at the coach and watch how they respond by giving out orders or “incentives” to the players to perform better? But you say, “they should already be motivated because they are playing on a big stage, in some cases well paid, well recognized, and doing what they are passionate about.” These players undoubtedly need something more during these times. What do they need? They need additional incentives and motivation. By whom? The leader they trust.

Let me give a recent personal example. A couple days ago I was at the park with my 6-year-old son trying to teach him how to better throw and catch a football. We stood about 5 feet from each other and for the first 10 minutes, in all honesty, he caught about 1 ball in nearly 30 light throws. I was getting frustrated. He loved playing with balls. He asked to go to the park and do something he wanted to do. Clearly this is something he was comfortable doing or attempting to do. I kept giving him advice, but to no avail. I figured he just didn’t care or wasn’t ready for it. Then the thought powerfully popped in my head. “Incentivize him!”

I told him that we should try to catch 10 in row, and if we did, I would buy him a drink and his favorite candy. Instantaneously, something remarkable happened. He literally caught about 15 out of the next 20 balls. We then caught 10 in a row, and then we set another goal to catch 15. We reached 25. Keep in mind this was only 5 minutes after I incentivized and motivated him. I reflected on the scenario for a few hours following our excursion to the park. I wrote down 4 major takeaways. The same can be applied in the workplace.

1. He needed a goal to chase (no pun intended).
2. He needed something extra and fulfilling, in this case a drink and candy.
3. He needed a leader he trusted to propose the opportunity AND help him accomplish with positive feedback.
4. He needed a custom incentive, one that I knew would motivate him

People need “goodies” to help them stay engaged. These goodies can be any number of things. If employees are underperforming or give you the occasional “deer in headlights” look at work, it’s absolutely necessary to learn what will motivate them to provide better output and fulfillment. But this principle also applies to obtaining “more” production out of already happy and “performing” individuals. Incentives don’t have to always cost money.

Sometimes it is as simple as setting a goal, giving a well-placed and timely compliment, or providing a healthy vision of the future. Don’t ever make the na?ve assumption that people are perpetually motivated because of perceived “favorable” circumstances. Everyone needs updated purpose, encouragement, and…goodies.

About the Author – Chad Gundry has spent several years in sales and marketing positions and has accumulated extensive insight that can assist in constructing transformational business strategies and living life more productively. He is not a “writer”, but enjoys sharing his views on a variety of subjects. Views posted here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Rakuten Marketing.