When does a motivational program become demotivating?

If you stage contests or internal competitions and the same two or three superstars win all the time, think how the rest of your employees feel. They’re less engaged than ever. And they resent their stellar peers for hogging the spotlight.

I’m not the first person to point this out. Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, told Personal Selling Power magazine years ago, “In some of the companies I was in, there was always a first, second and third prize, and invariably there was always three hot shots in the company who would win those. So what’s the use of trying?”

Experience taught her to take a different tack when she became the boss. She built her business by giving everyone a chance to win a prize based on exceeding individualized production goals. That way, as she put it, “you don’t have to step on anybody to get the reward.”

Even with all the collective wisdom available to today’s managers, it’s amazing how many fail to appreciate the motivational power of customizing incentives—of giving every worker at every level a chance to reach for the stars and reap the rewards of superior achievement.

If you really want to light a fire under your team, skip the silly contests where only a handful of people win. Instead, create opportunities for everyone to win.

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Tags: motivating employees