Once upon a time, people’s work was their life,
and everything revolved around the job and the next
task that needed to be done.
You got up in the morning,
went into the office at 9 and
went home at 5 before getting
up the next day to do it all
over again.
Times have changed, however, says Lou Cardinale, and
CEOs who don’t change, too,
will find it tough to develop
and maintain a healthy work
environment.
“Work today is viewed differently,” says Cardinale, owner
of Express Personnel Services
in Parma, which posted 2006
revenue of $5.2 million. “In
the older generation, work
was the total focus of your
life. For the younger generation, it’s important, but they
want a life that is more balanced.”
Incentives can be an effective way to motivate your
employees. The challenge for
you as the leader is to figure
out just what it is that your
employees want and which
incentives will be most effective at increasing their productivity.
“The biggest mistake that I
believe companies make is
they think the same thing
motivates everybody,”
Cardinale says. “In my experience, that isn’t the case.
Some people like money,
some like recognition, some
like time off and some like
trips.”
After struggling for the first
five years he was in business,
Cardinale set the goal for his
company to earn an award
for achieving excellence
from its parent company, Express Services Inc.
After discussing the goals
with his team, he posted a
board in the office laying out
what needed to be done to
get the award and what
could be achieved by each
employee if these goals were
met.
“I realized right then the
power of sharing rewards
with the team,” Cardinale
says. “Everyone was focused
on the same goal as a team.
We’ve had those boards
every year. Every week, we
mark on the board what our
progress is. I’m a visual person, and I think it always
helps to keep the goal in
front of you of what can happen and what goal you can
attain.”
Communication is the key
to getting a sense of what
your employees want, especially when you have people
on your payroll who come
from different generations.
“I don’t care what age you
are, every person wants to
feel valued,” Cardinale says.
“I seek advice from everybody in our group. Everybody has a talent they can
contribute. A lot of times,
the senior people have a lot
more to bring to the table
because they have seen a lot
more in their life. It’s a nice
blend.”
Sometimes, it’s not a bonus
or trip that gives an employee a boost. Cardinale
recalled a recent situation
where he was trying to
develop a large graph and
chart for a presentation he
had to make.
“I’m technically challenged,”
he says. “My payroll person,
she loves technology and
challenges, and she says,
‘How about if I try it?’ I said,
‘Sure, great.’ She and other
team members worked on it
and created this spreadsheet.
She felt fulfilled and valued
because we all gave her
recognition for doing a great
job.”
The old adage that little
things mean a lot also rings
true in the workplace.
“A pat on the shoulder or a
little note,” Cardinale says.
“It doesn’t have to be a big
thing. When we have a team
meeting, I’ll recognize somebody who did something
above and beyond the call.
Try to do the compliment or
the reward right after it happens.”
Talk to your people
Group meetings can be helpful
in learning about your employees, but nothing beats a one-onone session in terms of generating useful dialogue, says Lou
Cardinale.
This becomes especially
important when trying to figure
out what motivates your
employees, says Cardinale,
owner of Express Personnel
Services in Parma.
“Some people are less vocal
about what it is,” Cardinale says.
But the idea of motivating people is really more complex than
just saying, ‘Do this and you’ll
get this.’
“You really can’t motivate people,” Cardinale says. “They have
to be motivated internally by
themselves. By talking to them
individually and seeing what
motivates them, you find out
what those motivators are for
each person.
“If it’s something they really,
really want, they are going to
work harder for it. That’s the key.
They have to buy in to it. If it’s
something that they are lukewarm on, they’re not going to
buy in to it as much as they will
if it’s something where they are
really excited.”
Since you, as the CEO, may
not always have time for one-on-ones with your employees, it is
critical that you train your managers and supervisors to maintain open lines of communication with the people who report
to them.
HOW TO REACH: Express Personnel Services, (216) 459-2800 or parmaoh.expresspersonnel.com
