Morning Minute: 7/25/23:
“Fear, Logic, or Habit?”
Regardless of the outcome of someone’s actions, they were most likely motivated by either fear, logic, or habit.
Let’s examine some situations.
An awful auto accident just happened in front of you. You fear being hurt or damaging your car. Logic tells you that nothing good happens if you wreck your car. Earlier you took a safe driving course where you practiced accident avoidance. Instinctively, you apply the brake firmly and turn hard left to avoid the collision. Did fear, logic, or habit control your reaction?
You are an excellent salesperson. Your GM asks you to take on a new responsibility as sales manager. You may fear the unknown since you have never managed others. You may fear that by not accepting accept this promotion, you may never get this chance again. Logic may tell you that the previous manager was never properly trained. So, if you accept this assignment you may fail as well. Possibly, your GM may appeal to your logic by assigning you to participate in the next manager training session. Or, because your sales success is due to your great habits, you may not want the extra responsibility. Will fear, logic, or habit determine your decision?
You are your team’s leader. A team member is not performing well. You know that corrective action is necessary. Are you afraid that the team cannot achieve its goals without her improvement? Or, are you afraid she might resign and leave you shorthanded? Is it logical to assume that if you don’t get her to improve, the other team members may slack off because they think you don’t care? Or, do you habitually allow the team to sort out performance issues themselves, without any action by you? What will motivate your decision: fear, logic, or habit?
As the leader, you instruct a subordinate to solve a problem. Do you know if they will use fear, logic, or habit to complete the task? Which of these action motivators is best for this situation? Would it be better to cover all three of these motivators with your team member prior to their decision on how to approach solving the problem?
Finally, when analyzing your team, is it helpful for you to understand which motivators they respond to as they complete their tasks? Would fear, logic, or habit be the best way to encourage better performance and higher productivity?
“Fear, Logic, or Habit?”
That is today’s Morning Minute.
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