Goal achievement as an effective Motivational tool

Do you use goal setting to motivate your employees? 

To continue profitable operation every business organization has its own organizational goal/s that it wants to achieve and infuse inside the psyche of its employees. This is done as often as possible to inspire the employees.

The best method to achieve the goal is by presenting data that would clearly show what the organization wants to achieve for a specific time period. For example a sales or manufacturing business would usually present goals (thru figures). That it needs to achieve for a specific time period, this will now therefore serve as the Motivational tool.

The question now is how you can make this a reality and not just a goal on paper that could easily be forgotten by employees.

Here are the following steps that you may want to use to ensure the achievement of the goal:

1. Always remind your employees about it as often as possible.

2. Offer your wholehearted support logistical, moral and financial. (Your constant reminder is useless without your support.)

3. Check on the progress of the goal periodically.

4. Update them on the progress of the goal.

5. Always have an open line of communication.

6. Repeat steps One to five as needed. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

On egocentric Leaders and Managers

Are we very particular with our reputation and our standing in the organization? For example when we are introduced during programs or meetings, do we always want our important personal background to be mentioned along with it?

There are managers/leaders that are very much particular about their standing in their organization. For example a hard working former rank and file employee is promoted to a middle level managerial position. 

Suddenly, there is change on his job title and his peers thought that it was only the change on his job title that would be affected. They hoped that there would be no change on his part as far as his behavior towards them is concerned.

However they noticed that his change of job status has gone up to his head: from a very friendly peer he suddenly became detached from them. He chose to transfer to a roomy place in the office that isolates him from his former peers. He now suddenly wants them to address him as sir rather than his nickname, just like when he was still one of them. In short, this man who was suddenly promoted became egocentric; the sudden change of job status went to his head instead of going to his heart.

There are some of us who behave like this newly promoted person, we become self-centered by the sudden change in our job status/title. We suddenly want respect which is not bad, but we must not overly concern ourselves with this sudden appendage in our job status for the reason that it will detach us from our peers and subordinates.

 Thus, it will surely affect our image as a member of our organization. From a team player we unknowingly might become a dictator or an autocratic manager/leader which is actually a very bad behavior for a manager/leader to have.

It will not do us any good if we become egocentric. We need not worry if we want respect because it will come the moment we know how to respect our peers and subordinates. As they say: Respect begets respect. Our co-workers will respect us the moment we respect them immaterial of their position.

So this question comes up: Does it pay to be overly egocentric about your status in your organization?

No it doesn’t pay! We must always remain humble and a team player. Job position/title is simply a name that is given to us, we must not allow ourselves to become swell-headed because of it. We must always remain humble and simple no matter how high we go up in the organizational hierarchy. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

The importance of Job orientation and Role definition

Do you properly orient your newly hired employees or you immediately brief them with the job that they are going to handle in your organization?

Upon employment in an organization the first agenda for the newly hired employee is to familiarize him with the critical role that he is going to take part in the organization. This is usually facilitated by means of a clearly defined job description and thru job orientation.

It is important for an organization to orient the newly hired employee about the limits as well as the whole scope of his role. Yet, this is sometimes inadvertently forgotten by management. So when there’s an inadvertence the employee is suddenly given a job that he was not expecting to do for the reason that he was not properly oriented or told about it.

Unknown to management this pieces of inadvertence creates dissatisfaction within the newly hired employee and it slowly shows on his job performance. Eventually his motivation to do his job well suffer until such time that he drifts away from his job.

To avoid role ambiguity and demotivation management must early on be cognizant of the importance of properly orienting their workforce about the roles that they are supposed to do in the organization. If there shall be some more workload to be assigned it will not do us harm if we will bother to orient them about it.

Let us be aware of the importance of clearly defining the roles of our workforce and let us not carelessly assign them workload without competently orienting them. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reinforce your worker’s Work Ethics through Mentoring

Work Ethics are values of employees based on the moral virtues of hardwork and thoroughness some of these values are obtained through the environment where the concerned employee grew up. For example if the employee grew up in a family with a disciplined work and family values. It is predictable also that when this person will be working in the future he will be able to carry those ethical work values to his workplace.

However, not every worker has a good work ethic. There are those who just work for money they only treat their jobs as part of their routine. Here lies the problem for managers: How could they inculcate work ethics to their subordinates?

One effective way of inculcating work ethics is thru mentoring. A mentor is a character model who guides another employee by sharing valuables insights on work behavior and ethics. Mentors educate, counsel, tutor, support and encourage their subject mentee. The mentor will teach him/her proper work ethics and values for this will eventually help him advance in the organizational hierarchy.

There are unlimited advantages when we Mentor our employees. Just to name a few: It fosters loyalty to the organization, it implants a strong impression of importance. It gives them an impression of a clear career pathing upwards the organizational hierarchy.

It fuels their desire to work much harder for the organization. And it creates a lasting impression to the employee that the organization where he belongs is a caring and competent organization. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Should a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) believe the rumors coming from the grapevine?

The story is told about a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who had been hearing rumors from the grapevine that their workers were formenting labor unrest. Since the information was not valid in terms of its line in the formal communication process. He just shrugged it off as nonsense and not worthy of his time.

As months passed by he noticed that their workers were often clustered into groups and they were often silently talking and he said again to himself: Ah their talking nonsense again it’s not worth my time. Then, one morning when he was about to enter the company premises he noticed that their employees were outside and were carrying placards denouncing him and his company’s unfair labor policies.

Seeing this he immediately alighted from his car and talked to the employees. And calmly asked them to go back to their work but the workers did not relent they stayed and continued their denunciations of him and their company.

Grapevine is an informal communication structure that runs through every organization. It silently exists within the organization. One of many factors that incubate grapevine communication is unfair labor practice and many more anti labor policies of the organization. Such as unhealthy working conditions, low wage, nonpayment of their health and social security contributions and the like.

A very good CEO must stop, look and listen to the ramblings of the grapevine. He must be sensitive to these rumors coming from the grapevine. He should give ear to the grievances of his employees and learn to immerse himself with his employees. By doing so he’ll get a first-hand knowledge of everything that deserves his listening ear.

Therefore, he avoids further trouble that may give impetus to labor unrest and other issues inimical to the well being of his organization. -Marino J. Dasmarinas

Organizational Goals and its Relevance to the Levels of Management

Does your organization have a goal aside from earning profit?

An organization that advances the use of Organizational Goals in its organizational system has a lot of advantage over those who do not. Goals can influence increase of performance. It can also increase human resource’s motivation. It also gives positive direction to an organization.

There are three levels of management in an organization the highest is the Top Level Management. In a corporate set up this is composed of the following top-level company officers. Board of Directors, Company Presidents, Vice-Presidents; Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers and the like. Any organizational position that has a policy making power is included in the top level management. These company officers are in charge of achieving the strategic goals of the organization.

Strategic Organizational Goals are initially hatched at this Top Level Management it normally occurs during planning sessions that take days to complete. The life span of the goals depends upon the outcome of the planning sessions.

After the goals at the Top Management level had been set; it goes now to the next lower level which is the Middle Level Management. Each functional area or strategic unit of the organization is given their assigned goals that would contribute to the realization of the strategic goals. These officers are composed of the various department managers. Their main responsibility is to see to it the organization's goal/s are successfully implemented and achieved.

The last organizational level that is involved in the achievement of goals is the First-Level Management these normally are the supervisors. Their task is to operationalize the strategic goals set by Top Level Management. Under them are the operational workers who do the leg work and make things happen for the organization. They are the foot soldiers so to speak.

Regardless of their level; all of these organizational goals must always have Specific, Measurable, Attainable and Realistic time table. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

The critical role of an Effective Manager/Leader in an Organization’s Behavior

It is an accepted fact that Organizations Behavior is always contingent on how a Manager effectively practices his leadership and his management functions. For example, if a Manager/Leader is lackadaisical on his function as head of an organization we must also expect an easy-going Organization Behavior. An easy-going OB is an organization that doesn’t achieve its goals and an organization that is undisciplined.

Let us take for example ineffective and corrupt leaders of nations. What is the Organizations Behavior of a government bureaucracy if their leader is corrupt and ineffective? It follows that majority of those who are working for that government bureaucracy will also become corrupt and unproductive. If the leaders of these nations are not careful they may find themselves being overthrown by their people.

In a micro level for example, in a company setting if the manager is ineffective (Doesn’t know how to exercise his Leadership/Managerial functions) we should subsequently expect a chaotic company Organizations Behavior. So what must we do to address this problematic situation?

Of course the obvious action to do is to change our mindset and attitude towards our work. Otherwise if we will not change the organization will not think twice to separate us from the organization. For the simple reason that the very survival of the organization is at stake here.

Therefore the role of a manager is very critical in an organization. For the reason that in his hands lies the survival of his organization and his survival also in that organization. - Marino J. Dasmarinas