What Motivation Looks Like – Real World Example in HRevolution

I spent a rather chilly weekend in Chicago (don’t worry – I made it back in time for Mother’s Day!)  I was attending my second HRevolution meeting at the Catalyst Ranch (wonderful venue btw.)

The first HRevolution was last year in November.

For those who have no background on the event here’s a link to the initial post on how it started and why.

The attendee list was probably more social media savvy than your traditional HR conference (the stats for tweets using that hashtag as of 7:00 am 5-10-2010 are: 3,110 tweets, 388 contributors, 444.3 tweets per day.) For that reason I'm sure we will see a lot of blogs about the good the bad and the ugly of the conference.  

The conference was focused on practicing HR in the future and not being a practitioner I’ll leave the analysis of the conference content to those that have the chops and responsibility for the future of HR.  I’m simply one of the many moons orbiting the HR planet – having some influence on a semi-regular basis.

What I am going to talk (blog) about is motivation and influence as it relates to this event – which is fitting since I helped “referee” a session with Jason Seiden (@seiden) on influencing behavior.  While the session didn’t go the direction I wanted it to (a true hallmark of an “unconference” – and also the true value of it) the main thing that stuck in my mind is that many folks still have a real issue understanding how “motivation” works.

We still ask “How do I motivate someone?”

And –as I said at the beginning of my session – 

“You can’t motivate anyone.  You can only create an environment where the person decides to change.”

Motivation is Inside

Incentives, influence, rewards – all are outside the person and are part of the environment you create.  That environment will either be something the person wants to participate in or not.  You can’t make them.

HRevolution – This Is Motivation

HRevolution wasn’t started by a company looking for an audience to market to.

HRevolution wasn’t started by an individual looking to make money.

HRevolution wasn’t started to advance any one person’s gravitas or to gain recognition.

In other words, HRevolution didn’t occur because someone was influenced by an “incentive” to do it. 

HRevolution was started because a few people wanted to influence the future of their profession.

They were motivated.  We (meaning the attendees) are lucky the tools and the time were available at the time that these folks DECIDED to do something.

10 years ago this probably couldn’t have happened – the tools to communicate it, promote it, and operate it either weren’t there or were too expensive.  The desire to do it could have been but the environment wasn’t.  

The fact that HRevolution happened was all about motivation and an environment that enabled it.  It had nothing to do with “incentives.”  No one motivated it. It happened because of motivated people.

Keep that in the back of your mind when you’re thinking about your company goals and objectives.  

If a few people in different geographies can come together with nothing more than an idea and a desire to change something can convince over 130 people to spend their own money and their own time to get together to advance the practice of HR – imagine what you could accomplish by simply ensuring the tools and the environment are available for your employees, channel partners or consumers.  

Imagine what they could do for you and WITH you that could change your company or your industry.

Don’t try to “motivate” people – work on enabling motivation.  You’ll be surprised by the outcome.

Shout Outs

I would like to take the time to introduce you to some very, very important people – the folks that really made this happen.  They are the real igniters of this effort.

Trish McFarlane and Ben Eubanks – without them – this wouldn't have happened at all.  It started with them and by all rights they deserve the honors for breaking the inertia around this issue.  These are folks I aspire to be – manifesters of ideas.  (I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy.)

Joan Ginsberg, Crystal Peterson, Steve Boese, Mark Stelzner and Jason Seiden – who – by their own motivation – rounded out the planning and operations team that made this happen.

And props go to the attendees – who in most cases spent their own money and time to be part of this vision and I thank you for making me think, challenging my assumptions, asking me questions and allowing me to steal a little of your brilliance to light my own path.  Thanks to all of you.