Motivation Through Management
Jon Gordon participated in an interview with About.com to flesh out important ideas about management and motivation and the roles of culture, communication, vision, emotion, and relationships in inspiring motivation.
Susan Heathfield: All of my readers have an opinion and a picture in their minds when they hear words such as employee motivation and employee engagement. Define what you mean when you refer to employee motivation and employee engagement so that we are all starting together with a shared picture.
Jon Gordon: Employee motivation is based on the culture management creates and what the leader or manager says and does to help employees perform at their highest level.
The goal is to motivate employees with the right environment and management practices that bring out the best in employees so they can give their best to the organization and customers. Employee engagement is how committed, excited, energized and passionate you are about the work you are doing and the organization you are working for.
Heathfield: What is the management’s responsibility in creating this environment for employees?
Gordon: I believe it is one of the most important things that a manager must do. They must create the right environment and culture that fuels people and their performance. Culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits, and habits create the future. As the leaders at Apple Computer say, “Culture beats strategy all day long”.