September 17, 2007
Are You Pushing the
Same Buttons?
I entered an office
tower the other day and headed for the elevators. No one was waiting
there so I pushed the “Up” button. The white button lit up and turned a
bright orange.
Then someone came up
on my left, looked at the elevators, looked at me and then pushed the
brightly lit orange “Up” button. He backed away and waited for about
three seconds. He then stepped forward and pushed the brightly lit
button again. Someone then came up on my right and headed straight for
the button. This time he pressed the button three times fast and parked
himself in front of it. Within two seconds, he pressed the button like
he was operating a jackhammer. You know the sound:
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah!
I have watched this
same scene thousands of times. But, here’s the question: “Does pushing
the elevator button numerous times and by different people help bring
the elevator faster? I called the experts to find out.
I spoke with the
service center at the Otis Elevator Company, one of the oldest and
best-known elevator companies in the world. I asked the question and
this is what I learned. Pressing the button more than once only wears
out the button! It does nothing to influence the movement of the
elevator. The Service Manager even told me, “Some people think they can
communicate with the elevator through Morse code. They can’t. It will
not come any faster because you pressed the button again.”
Now here’s the real
question, “Where else in our lives do we use this ‘push button’
approach?” Where else do we do the same thing every time even though it
doesn’t work?
If you’re a leader,
think about how you “motivate” your employees. What’s your “thing?” What
do you do that you think works? Now, go ahead and be bold. Ask your
employees if what you do really does motivate them. You’ll often
find your “thing” is as effective as pushing the brightly lit orange
button more than once.
Now pressing the
elevator button numerous times does not actually bother the elevator.
However, people do not like it when we repeatedly press their
buttons. They get annoyed, frustrated or simply bored with our
ineffective tactics. And while elevators don’t talk to other elevators
about our behavior, people do. They magnify our poor choices by telling
others.
Employees do not
respond to “tips and tricks.” They respond to your personal interest and
attention. They are positively influenced by you when they know that you
have their best interests in mind. They listen to you when you
communicate in a way that makes sense to them.
The good news is
that we can exchange our “button pressing” for more effective actions.
Just ask your employees what to do. Ask each of your employees what
motivates them. Ask them how they like to be recognized. Ask them how
they like you to share good news with them. Ask them how they like you
to share constructive feedback with them. Ask them how often they want
you to check in. Your time is best spent finding out what inspires each
of your employees, not doing the same old thing with everyone.
Watch the faces of
your employees when you ask these questions. They will be wide-eyed and
happy you asked. Act on their answers and really watch what happens –
you will be seen as a leader who inspires employees to achieve their
best.
So the next time you
reach to push the elevator button twice, let it remind you to check your
leadership and management habits. You’ll be happy you did, and your
employees will enjoy the ride!
David J.
Pollay
is a syndicated columnist, and an
internationally sought-after speaker and teacher on how to build
positive momentum in your business and life. Mr. Pollay
is the founder and president of TheMomentumProject.com, a
strengths-based leadership and consulting organization with offices in
Delray Beach, Florida and Washington, D.C.
Prior to founding The Momentum Project,
he held senior leadership positions at
Yahoo!, MasterCard, Global
Payments, and AIESEC. Mr. Pollay holds a Master’s Degree
in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and
an Economics Degree from Yale University. Email him your stories at
david@themomentumproject.com, or call 561.265.1165.
© 2007 David J. Pollay.
Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.
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