The topic of motivation has always been a difficult one. After all, what is the perfect way to motivate employees? An online article by Inc. argues that motivation is not a science, but rather an art. There is no precise formula. Successful managers must truly understand what interests their employees and figure out ways to use it as motivation.
I completely agree with Daniel Duncombe’s post on the effectiveness of yelling. He states that the organizational culture of a sports team is significantly different from an investment bank or law firm. This is extremely crucial for managers to keep in mind. The first person that came to my mind was John Tortorella, head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. During his tenure with the New York Rangers, Tortorella was notorious for yelling at his players, and more specifically, young rookies. This eventually de-motivated them and stunted their development.
This is the perfect example of a manager who clearly believed that there was only one method of motivation, and that he must stick to this method no matter what the circumstances may be. This proved to be unsuccessful, as he was fired by the Rangers in 2013. After accepting a job with the Vancouver Canucks, Tortorella announced that he had changed his philosophy. He would begin yelling less and focusing more on how to motivate individual players.
References:
http://www.inc.com/guides/hr/20776.html
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21589866-firms-keep-grading-their-staff-ruthlessly-may-not-get-best-them-ranked-and-yanked
Picture:
http://gcaggiano.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/rangers-reward-coach-john-tortorella-with-three-year-extension/