Monday, March 9, 2009

Fix CPI: Motivation

I don't think I'm being too reductionary when I say that the motivation to do well at Sears Portrait Studio is that you get to keep your job.

If you do poorly then you're out the door. That goes without saying at any job, but the problem is how doing poorly is defined. Have a bad week due to some 9.99 coupons dragging your average down? That's a write up.

Really if you ask me, the main problem is at SPS, there's no such thing as a good week. There are weeks when you do ok and therefore made your numbers and then there are bad weeks where you didn't make one of your numbers (be they sales numbers, five star photo numbers, labor numbers, telemarketing numbers). I didn't see much of any positive recognition (not counting the very forced "let's talk about what you did well" before the "let's talk about where you are doing horrible" potion of meetings) while I was at SPS. And, numbers aside, staff often sees their schedules change the day before they're supposed to work: days added, days lost, frantic calls asking someone to work. People switch their life around for the job because they feel they have to or they won't be a "team player" aka "someone with a job"

What's the best way to make staff feel motivated to do their best without putting their jobs on the line? How can you make the staff feel appreciated and valued?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its awful hard to make them feel appreciated and valued when you yourself dont.

Anonymous said...

As a manager, it's tricky because of the way PRS fluctuates. One week you could be praising an employee and then the next week you're doing a summary of conversation. It isn't like that at other jobs.

Anonymous said...

The oxymoron in this post is " C.P.I motivation "
I'm wandering what motivational semminar teaches threats as the motivational tool of choice. I will skip it!

Instead....If you are asking my genuine opinion, As the manager it is your job to provide an up-beat fun place to work! Is it hard? uh...yeah. But the upside is that you care enough to help them be great at what they CAN do. Everybody wants to succeed. Teach them to be great at what they got into the job for! Photography! Have you tried " The best photograph of the week compitition? " The sales will go up just from that alone.