Friday Flair – On Performance & Expectations
Here’s a test which we clearly passed.
I have always taken pride in saying that money is not my motivator for work – ok – I stand corrected – prime motivator. I have always taken pride in doing a damn good job of anything and then getting paid for it. Unlike many consultants who claim to have had bad experiences with respect to payments, we have always been paid, sometimes a little delayed but always paid.
Well, just to test myself and the team – we did an experiment on ourselves last year. I wanted to see – if the quality of work that we turn out is directly proportional to the amount of money paid.
Here’s what we did. We pitched to a new client for a consulting project. The client was unsure about the value of the work. Instead of negotiating, we looked at it as a God sent opportunity to run an experiment on ourselves.
We told the client – to put a value to the work ..not at the start but …..upon completion.
We wanted to see – if the quality of our work was linked in any way to the amount of money.
Could we work without knowing how much we would get paid, if we get paid.
Have you ever thought of it – is money your sole driving factor ? How much money is enough money ? Well, there are multiple studies which claim one figure or the other.
If you were asked to do a project for 3-4 months without knowing how much you will get paid , not knowing even if you would get paid – what would you do ?
Well – here’s what we did – we worked day and night to help the client answer some of his most critical challenges. We covered ever single stone, every factor and every detail. We made multiple presentations , sent in review decks.
The result was – we outdid ourselves. We were proud of the work we did – I still open the deck every now and then – just to feel the sense of achievement and accomplishment of having completed something – with absolutely no expectations on the returns or ROI.
“A bad business strategy” – some of my close friends have said,” if the word gets out – you will be inundated with work and with no money”- that was their advice.
In the end, do you think we got paid ? What would be your advice as my friend ?
Unlike common perception, money is not always the prime motivator – a thought often forgotten during performance appraisal and feedback sessions.
We are running a workshop on performance appraisals and feedback in Mumbai & Chennai. Its a good way of getting your managers learn the skills of effective feedback; along with the ability to have tough conversations.
I am sure that after the workshop – your managers will be a tad wiser before blaming HR or organization and more importantly – they will stop pretending to be just a messenger of news. Do register for the workshop soon as we have very few seats left.
Warm Regards,
Smita Dinesh
