Giddy Up!

Sparkplugging is continuing our tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week we’re Sparking an Idea About Motivating Others

As Directors, Managers, and Team Leaders one of our many responsibilities is to motivate our teams (to sell, recruit, or earn a trip, etc.).   To motivate also means to actuate, incite, move, prompt, or propel.  You’ll notice that all verbs mean some form of forward movement or action.  I know you’re are thinking of some of your team members and uttering, “Easier said that done” right?

I am reminded of my own children who ride horses. As I sit on the bench as a spectator, I listen to their instructor give direction on how to motivate the equine to move in a forward motion.  There are three main tactics that can be used.  Consider how they can relate to you motivating your team members.

1.    Verbalizing. Horse riders can use words like “Trot” or “Walk with me” to propel a quarter horse forward.  Trot is used to get the horse to move in a quick clip (average 8 mph) and Walk with me would be used when taking the horse back to the stable.

The words you use will depend on whether you’re trying to motivate your team to “trot” in order to meet a particular deadline or milestone or if you wish to merely walk with your consultants to show them the way to a particular goal.  Regardless, some utterance will be necessary.

2.    Squeezing. By squeezing the thighs together, the rider can motivate a mare to move forward.  Keep in mind that a young foal isn’t born knowing what a gentle squeeze means.  She needs positive reinforcement and practice.

A squeeze in consultant language could be asking open-ended questions.  “Did you get any fall vendor events scheduled?  Did you read the team newsletter on tips to book your calendar?”  Sometimes gentle nudges are all it takes to motivate team members.

3.    Bumping. One of the horses that my daughter used to ride named Mo wasn’t very motivated.  She’d “cluck” to him (click click mouth noise), which often motivates some horses to propel. No go.  She’d say “trot” while squeezing her legs. No go. As a last resort she would bump Mo, which meant she’d take the heels of her boots and bump them into the horse’s barrel (sides) and eventually with that prompting, Mo would move forward. It wasn’t a hard strong jab, but it was forceful enough to wake him and alert him that it was time to Giddy Up!  Bumping worked short term.  Then slowly Mo would taper down to a walk; and then if not monitored carefully, he’d almost come to a stand still. Note, that if you bump too hard, you could send the horse into a canter (10-17 mph), which, in this case was not the objective for Mo.

Bumping your team would be the equivalent of cheering on the side of a track while your horse is nearing the finish line. As you hope for a Trifecta, you shout, “Go! Go! Go! All Out! Go For It! You Can Do It! Woo-hoo!”  Both the jockey and the horse leave it all on the track and cross the finish line. Though, be careful not to bump too hard or your team members could likely up and quit on you.

So while I am not suggesting that your team members are Thoroughbreds, I hope the above illustrates that different individuals and different situations call for different tactics of motivating others.

Whoa little, filly.  Great ride today.  Have a carrot.