‘There is a time and place for everything’ does not hold true for lightning, inspiration and insights.
This insight hit me when I was conducting a leadership workshop for Sales Managers in Singapore recently.
I was taking a session on motivation. The slide containing the multi-coloured Maslow’s Hierarchy needs had been explained.
Suddenly a participant asked me “Does the pyramid of Maslow's hierarchy coincide with an organization’s hierarchy?”
For a moment I did not understand the question. Then it dawned. What was being asked was that does an individual's needs depend on the position occupied by him / her in the organizational hierarchy?
This hypothesis if true, would imply a junior manager's needs be more about food , shelter , clothing (Physiological Needs) and about providing security to family and self (Security Needs).
It would also imply that only the top management can enjoy the ‘perks’ of having the need for self actualization.
Ridiculous as it may sound, in most situations we design our motivational programs unconsciously following this hypothesis.
Entry level sales force motivational tools rely much more heavily on monetary gains and benefits. These are also focused on the end result. While the end result (Targeted sales) is vital , the process leading to the targeted sales needs to be oiled with appreciation (fulfilling the love and belonging need) as well as address the self esteem need of the individual (Esteem Needs).
In reality this often gets neglected.
Under no circumstance am I suggesting that monetary needs can be substituted by the other needs, but a right mix of the relevant motivational programs would give a higher engagement between the employee and the organization. We also need to keep in mind that the junior high performers are the most prone to be poached by rival companies by being offered higher pay packages. A higher engagement creates a buffer against poaching.
Self actualization is all about finding one's potential; irrespective whether the person is a CEO or a Sales Representative.
Not everyone becomes a CEO. This does not mean that this person has not found his potential. It is the mission of every single leader to help his team members to discover their own potential irrespective of the employee's position in the hierarchy.
After all isn’t this is also about finding a leader's potential?
Successful leaders will always strive unchain the Maslow’s Hierarchy from the clutches of the Organizational Hierarchy.
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