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Hi and welcome to this article on Motivation.
I'll start off with a simple but very true point- "You cannot motivate people"
Yes I'm making sense, especially when I add the ending - "You can only create environments where people Choose to be motivated"
As a manger it is 100% your responsibility to create this environment. Motivation is most effective when it is an indirect effect and a by-product of the atmosphere and mentality you create by setting example through your own actions and through the creation of a team environment.
Simple direct motivation attempts such as offering incentives, such as spivs, are often not of any particular interest to staff. Have no doubt they will take whatever is going but it won't actually solve any underlying issues or promote any long term loyalty. It is a very, very short term solution to any issue you are trying to solve if it even works. If you already have a good atmosphere and team spirit you wont actually need to do any of this anyway so watch out for signs and resist the temptation to throw money at a problem.
In fact, I left my last job due to what I'd describe in general terms as, motivational issues. When I gave notice, I was offered a 20% pay rise as incentive to stay. Now this may seem excessive on their part or a win/win situation where I'd obviously say yes and be happy and work hard and they would keep a senior member of staff that knew their systems and culture. But the truth is I was not happy with a lot of issues concerning treatment of other staff and company attitude. I took a job with "slightly" less pay and better treatment and feel I am better off.
So Motivation as a process needs to focus on a slightly larger picture. One where some of the actual desires and life issues of staff members are taken into account and blended with the Company Goals and Objectives. Now this does not have to be a formal appraisal type interview, that attitude may actually hinder the process if there is a suspicious atmosphere in existence and asking staff to write down their 5 year plan is more depressing than helpful. Keeping ears open and making notes informally works best here. When it comes to setting targets and appraisals (and you must do this) this "insider information" can appear as though you have an actual interest in the person and in effect will become a motivation in itself.
A SUGGESTION: A workshop type activity where you work as a group with staff to find a way to achieve a company objective. Involvement in such management activities even on non critical issues can create such a bond and motivate staff to exceed their "job description" into taking on responsibility to GET THE JOB DONE when it gets hectic. It will help also to change this "Group" into a "Team" which is when you will see real results and productivity. Make it culture to solve problems this way and watch your workload reduce also.
An example of this in action on a small scale - A former staff member "Ciaran" wanted to be a manager in one company I managed. He was young and inexperienced but had the most important attribute needed to lead; He wanted to be a leader. I gathered through light conversation that this tied in with his life goals and personality type. So in his daily work he was given some responsibility, asked for his opinion on decisions and left to learn from mistakes now and again, I involved him in meetings where possible and asked his opinion, even implementing his suggestions on occasion.
The result: He began coming in on his day off to check up on projects he was involved in. He was constantly a top performer in sales and began taking on the attributes of a manager. He is extremely motivated and works FOR the company. I never once heard the words - "Sorry, I just work here" from him as is often common culture these days.
The point being If you treat your staff as individual PEOPLE with more going on in their lives than the eight hours you see them every day then you will get a lot more back than is in their contract. You will receive Quality AND Quantity in workload and not just the usual going through the motions that keeps somebody in a job.
So here is a few motivation guidelines:
1. Be on time always - A simple suggestion but there are so many managers that are casual about time keeping. Its not that staff follow in your footsteps, they are adults after all, it is simply that as the manager your standards are the company standards. If your standards are low you cannot honestly expect staff to try to be better than you. If you do and complain to them about time keeping - Expect them to be DE-Motivated by this.
2. Work Hard and Smart - Creativity is admired by all. Showing creative ways to solve problems will inspire anyone, Ive seen and put this into practice - IT WORKS
3. Involve, Involve, Involve - If they are part of the structure of the place and there is a sense of achievement then equally there will be a sense of loss if things don't work out. It is no use blaming staff for shortfalls in efficiency if they had no input into how things where done except to show up and no eye on the prize!
4.Communicate - I've seen and worked for managers who sit in an office all day and don't communicate. This touches on involvement and setting standards. You cannot be respected if nobody knows you. You cannot know where your company is truly going and how it works if you don't know the staff. The STAFF are the company. Getting to know them will provide you with resources you didn't know you had.
5. Be A Leader - You are NOT one of the lads anymore. You are the boss. Set the standards and live by them. Set the course and steer the ship. The staff which as the engine room will get you where you want to go but you must be the captain, communicate and involve.
If you can do this you will be a successful manager. You will achieve good figures and it will be noticed. Mark my words it has happened for me and it works.
Good luck
Phil Winston
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It is a dreaded cliche - 'Be yourself.' This is supposedly the key to getting people to like you. Besides, it is so much easier not to act like someone you are not.
Unfortunately, people take this to mean that one must be complacent with the person one is. Instead of taking charge of one's life, 'being yourself' would entail resigning one's self to having certain flaws or inadequacies, "because that's how God made me."
When people are told to show confidence in dealing with women, the more meek would remark, "But that's not myself. I can't pretend to be confident when I'm not." And there is our problem. What ever happened to self-discovery and self-growth?
Meeting a special girl has different effects on different people. Some give up before the fight is started, thinking that the girl is out of their league. Others would want to work on their personal issues, but feel that to act confident is being artificial and phony. "I want her to love me for who I am!"
And still others, a minority as far as I am concerned, may still have their own issues to deal with, but do not take this to mean that that is how things are going to be forever. "Being yourself" becomes a mission. In order to be yourself, you have to discover who you really are behind the insecurities and brainwashings since childhood.
In this journey, one finds that one's 'self' is actually something to be proud of. One finds that one has a right to exist, and want things. One has a right to happiness, through interactions with other people, including the opposite sex. No longer does he think that a woman is too good for him. No longer is he worried that he would say the wrong things at the wrong time. Whatever he says, he apologizes to no one.
Some may think it cruel for society to still be based on a lot of power play, as with the animal kingdom. In a pride of lions, there is a king. Anyone who's seen 'The Lion King' knows that. In a community, there is no need to be assigned the title of king, to act like one. One shows one's power not by biting the head off some dead animal. Civilization has remarkably more subtle ways of displaying such power.
Wouldn't it be great for the discovery of yourself to be this way? Once you get past the hippie propaganda fed to you since birth, you will indeed find self-discovery to be this way. I would probably rephrase the famous adage, "Be yourself," to something more proactive: "Become yourself."
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Many little boys love the Hulk. Ever since the new movie came out, there has been a resurgence of popularity or this brutish green hero. Boys love how strong the Hulk can be and they wish to be just like him. If your son likes this classic action hero, then he will likely be very interested in making crafts and projects based on it. There are many things that he can do, and he will likely have a lot of fun doing them. Not only that, but it will mean you'll have quality time together and it will keep him busy.
The main theme of the Hulk is his green skin. A good way for your boy to feel connected to his favorite action hero is to emulate him. Pick up some green face paint and let your son turn himself green to match his hero. Also, you can up the ante by cutting one of his old shirts in such a way that it looks like he just became large and enraged, just like the Hulk. This is an especially good project for a Halloween costume. For an added affect, pick up some green spray hair color at a local drug store. Don't worry, it washes right out!
Coloring has been a fun activity for kids to do for decades. They like to use the colors to be creative and have fun. You can find coloring pages on the internet that have a Hulk theme so that your son can color them in. You can also make coloring pages yourself if you have drawing ability.
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The Incredible Hulk is a really popular super hero these days. Although it first became popular decades ago, it is now regaining popularity from the recent Hollywood movie. Now kids all over America are clamoring for anything that is related to this action hero. If your kid is among these children, then he will likely be very interested in doing crafts that are centered on the Incredible Hulk. After all, when kids really like something, they tend to want to do anything that has anything to do with it.
A good project for your son to do is to make his own Incredible Hulk picture. Give him some creative items, like construction paper, regular paper, markers and colored pencils. From there, he should have free reign to make an Incredible Hulk of his very own. Once he is finished, have him cut out his creation and stick it to the wall. You can also put it on the refrigerator to show how much you liked his creation.
Usually, when kids like a character such as the Incredible Hulk, they like to wear clothes that represent this fact. Many fabric stores sell special fabrics with the Incredible Hulk printed on them. From this fabric, you can make pajamas for your son. It's even better if he helps with this. He will like the fact that he had a hand in the making of what he wears to bed. He will also like that his favorite super hero is represented on these new pajamas.
Putting together one of the best comic collections in America has always been a family affair for Gary Keller.
It began with visits to his grandparents' home when he was a boy in the 1960s. "They lived near Larry's Comic Book Store, which was on Devon Avenue in Chicago," Keller says. "I spent a lot of time there and that's what kind of got me going as a kid, just spending time in an old, damp, dusty, musty comic book shop and loving every second of it."
It helped that Keller's father liked comics as well, and often joined him on trips to the comic store. "My father was absolutely a comic collector," Keller says.
Nearly five decades later, Keller's collection is one of the best in the hobby. "From doing business with Gary over the years, we know he has an eye for quality," says Ed Jaster, vice president at Dallas-based Heritage Auctions (HA.com), which specializes in comic-book auctions. "But the other secret to his collecting success is support from the folks back home."
Growing up, Keller bought comics wherever he could find them. He picked them up at drugstores, but also sent away for the famous back-issue lists of vintage comic pioneers Robert Bell and Howard Rogofsky. In a stroke of collecting luck, the last book Keller bought off the stands before "discovering girls and other things" was 1974's Incredible Hulk No. 181, a favorite among collectors for its first full appearance of the popular Wolverine.
Keller returned to collecting in the late 1980s and by the late 1990s, success in business allowed him to take his comic interest to the next level. He expanded his focus to Golden Age comics and began snatching up Mile High pedigrees. "Since 1999, I have 'collected hard,' " Keller explains. "I bought books that were previously holy grails and unattainable. You get your hands on one of those Ernst Gerber Photo-Journals and tell yourself it would be cool to have this and this and this."
Now married with four daughters, Keller's support on the home front remains strong.
"My wife in particular is very understanding," he says. "Most wives' toes would curl if they knew their husband was spending these amounts on comic books. All I needed was a little bit of a green light! I got it, and I was off." On top of that, "All my daughters are heavily into comic books. Spider-Man and Captain America are their favorites."
Selections from Keller's collection will be featured in Heritage's vintage comics and comic art auction scheduled for May 20-21, 2010. Some of Keller's comics, such as DC's Adventure Comics #67 from 1941, graded in near-mint/mint condition, could fetch up to $45,000.
Although he's parting with some of his prized comics, including Golden Age Adventure Comics and Flash Comics, Keller says his collecting days are far from over. He's just focusing on his world-class toy and muscle-car collections, with full support from the wife and kids, of course.
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Born in Calgary, Alberta in Canada on March 16, 1961 Todd McFarlane has had a meteoritic rise to fame and fortune, all thanks to a comic book character.
McFarlane has been in the news a lot recently with several new ventures ranging from a new take on the Wizard of Oz classic, to the latest Microsoft MMO game Halo 3 and his new Studios 38 venture with ......... and .......... That has the gaming industry buzzing with speculation.
But who is he?
He spent his early childhood in Southern Californian but returned to Calgary at the age of 14.
During his high school years, like many teenage boys, he ejoyed reading comic books and bought as many as he could afford. A few of his favourite artists were John Byrne, George Perez, Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden, Art Adams and Walter Simonson.
Although he was a keen artist and spent a lot of his time reading and drawing comic book heroes his ultimate dream was to be a professional baseball player.
McFarlane's passion for baseball continued through his high school and college years and he was awarded a baseball scholarship to Eastern University.
Despite the scholarship and in order to finance his education he worked as a janitor in a comic book shop. He was also recruited by a local Seattle Mariners scout to play on a semi-professional summer team at Kamloops, British Columbia. Here was here that he met and became inseperable friends with Al Simmons.
Unable to find any Major League teams willing to sign him or offer him a position when his baseball college eligibility expired he continued drawing comic book characters.
Determined to find work Todd began submitting his artwork to comic book editors across the USA and Canada and as a result amassed a collection of more than 700 rejection letters.
But still determined, and not one to give up Todd continued to submit his artwork until eventually he accepted an offer from Marvel/Epic comics in March of 1984 to pencil "Scorpio Rose" which was an 11 page back up story in the Coyote comic.
In July 1985 he married his high school sweetheart Wanda and they moved to Washington where Wanda completed a biology degree. The young couple then moved to a suburb of Vancouver in Canada.
Todd continued working with Marvel comics and also accepted some assignments from DC Comics including penciling several issues of The Incredible Hulk, the Batman title Detective as well as two issues of Batman: Year Two.
Todd McFarlanes dedication, hardwork, unique style and meticulous attention to detail and quality saw him rise to the top of Marvel's artist roster.
His big break came with his pencils and covers for Amazing Spiderman that helped to take the title from its' previous number 9 spot to number 1.
McFarlane enhanced Amazing Spidermanman with his unique style by transposing the characters body to spidery positions, adding spider looking eyes, and popularizing a new way of rendering webs.
As a result of his success on this title Marvel eventually gave McFarlane his own title he could solely write, pencil and ink, Spider-Man.
Spider-Man issue 1 shipped in September 1990 and became the biggest selling comic of all time with more than 2.5 million copies.
In 1991, when his first daughter was born, he took a six month hiatus to help care for her and frustrated with the mainstream publishing companies he began to make plans to form his own publishing company.
A few months later he and his family moved to Portlan in Oregon. Meanwhile he continued his plans to create a publishing company that would allow artists more creative freedom and control over their own creations. After speaking to several over prominent artists at Marvel he learned that many of them felt the same way.
After months of discussions and planning seven of Marvels hottest and most prominent artist announced their departure. These seven artists included Todd, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio and the group formed Comic Images, the parent company and publisher for each individuals own comic book company.
This meant that although they published together under the parent companies name each retained the control of their own characters including all licensing and merchandising rights.
It was only with the creation of Comic Images that Todd felt that he could finally publish his comic which he had created nearly 10 years before.
And so Spawn was born.
The first issue of Spawn, shipped in May 1992, sold 1.7 million copies making it the best selling independent comic to date Spawn has continued its' success and still remains to be a top selling title in both the US and around the world. Spawn is now sold in 35 countries and is translated into 10 different languages.
As well as the main core Spawn comic book several other spin off titles have evolved from it including Sam, Twitch and Hellspawn.
With the characters continued success Todd began to draw the attention of several potential licensees including toy companies, movie studios and television producers.
Keen on the idea of seeing his character take form as a toy or figure McFarlane began to approach several toy companies with his proposals only to be disappointed by their unwillingness to grant him any control over the process.
As a result he decide to form McFarlane Toys in order to guarantee his fans a quality product that he personally had approved. With their intricate detail and excellent articulation Spawn action figures have become some of the most sought after toys on the market.
In 1997, after being perused by all the major studios, McFarlane signed with New Line Cinema to make a Spawn movie. Spawn the Movie opened in August 1997 and grossed $37 million in its first ten days and $50 million in its first 19 days.
In the same year HBO showed the first six half hour episodes of Todd McFarlane's Spawn, an animated series based on the comic book character. Another six original episodes was debuted in May 1998 with a third series of six shown in May 1999, with plans for a fourth series currently being discussed.
Season one was released on video in August 1997 and became HBO Home Video's top selling original programming video of all time. McFarlane was rewarded with an Emmy award for the animated series and a Gold DiVi award for the Spawn motion picture DVD.
Not content with his comic book and budding toy and film empire in 1998 he bought a minority ownership in the Edmonton Oilers NHL hockey team and in 2001 he co-designed their third jersey which became the biggest selling third jersey in NHL history.
Todd has also turned his creativeness to music and has helped in the making of award winning videos for such groups as Korn and Pearl Jam. His animated video made with Eddie Vedder based on the Pearl Jam song Do the Evolution has won 40 International artistic awards and was nominated for "Best Short Form Music Video" in the 1999 Grammy Awards. He also produced the Freak on a Leash video for Korn which won a Grammy and two MTV awards.
In 1998 Todd McFarlane took his love for baseball to a new level when he purchased the Mark McGwire 70th home run baseball for a record $3 million. Not content with that he managed to collect another nine McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run balls from that seasons home run race.
Collectively known as The McFarlane Collection it has toured stadiums and special events across the country to raise money for charity and to date more than 2 million fans have seen the exhibit.
The late 1990's saw McFarlane Toys evolve from an independent toy company to make quality toys based on the Spawn character and related characters into one of the worlds biggest and most highly regarded toy manufacturers. In fact McFarlanes have become the benchmark by which many other companies and toys are judged so high is their reputation, quality, detail and value.
This reputation for a quality and highly detailed product at a reasonable and affordable price has resulted in McFarlane Toys producing figures in all genres of film, music, gaming and sports.
By 2002 McFarlane had secured licenses for all four of the US Major League sports which realized a long dream of Todd's.
Spawn and its related characters still remain the core business of McFarlane's with series 32 to be produced in Dec, 2007 based on the The Adventures of Spawn which is a new take on the Spawn mythos based on a more "anime" style look.
McFarlane also continues to work on films with several projects in the works including a new Spawn movie, a new Land of Oz movie and a deal signed with Universal Pictures for a collaboration with horror icon Clive Barker based on the Clive Barker's Tortured Souls line of figures which were a huge success for McFarlane's Toys.
McFarlane, his wife Wanda and their three children still live in Arizona were he still maintains a happy, if often chaotic, balance between famil life and business.
Todd credits his success to a little talent, being in the right place at the right time, a lot of hard work, determination and perseverance.
To sum up Todd says:
"My ability to deliver a good product is my strength, I'd like to be remembered as a guy who turned out some quality comics and toys, while doing a few different things even if it wasn't the easiest road to follow."
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Ask your parents how the human/like plastic toys were back in the late 70's and early 80's. They were just like an average man; medium muscles, sharp and exceptionally bold looking action figures. Just imagine that the action figure discovers steroid, and begins to take daily amounts of it to improve its look. The result? A monstrous and grotesque looking action figure, just like the ones available on any toy store's shelf. The truth is, action figures can't take steroids. Even if the drug was injected into the toy's insides, it still wouldn't make a difference. Of course, toys are mostly made out of plastic. Yet young (human) athletes and people who do not seem to need the drug (Nobody needs it really), are actually taking it.
Let's take the annual Mr. Universe Competition as an example. Most women admire those strong muscles when they're really made out of drugs. Most women dazzle at those humongous men when they're really not that strong and healthy. Almost every crowned Mr. Universe used steroids before its effects were scientifically proven. They followed a strict diet (More detailed and rigorous than South Beach Diet), worked out following a daily routine (They actually concentrated an specific amount of time for each muscle in the body) and kept 'healthier' than an average person. The visible difference? They took steroids. After their 'wonder years', these crowned and non/crowned steroid taking men suffered from cardiac arrests, liver transplants, kidney failure and an extremely long list of ailments including death. While keeping healthy is an important aspect of life, it won't matter a thing if steroid is taken.
Young athletes take steroids to prove to be the 'better' man or woman (in some cases). They actually beat records, win championships, brag about it at press conferences, challenge other athletes; yet they all end up confessing their mistake after years of 'hard' work. People need to know that steroid triggers depression in the brain, most of the times triggering suicidal thoughts on people. The media actually provokes the sport 'padowans' to introduce steroids in their fragile bodies. The action figures posing at toy stores push little kids to think the body is able to turn into a monster; into some Hulk(TM) or into some 'Thing' from Fantastic Four(TM). Critics and analyzers say think they have no choice, and most of time parents are not well aware of their son's steroid use. Then again, they leave the young generations vulnerable to media influence.
The Steroid Dollhouse has to shut down forever. A human body has a limit. A limit in which muscles, if worked out, grow to a certain size and guarantee a certain performance. A limit not attainable by meaningless action figures. This makes humans specially different from other beings; the limits are perfectly adjusted to our minds and bodies. Only a specific range of 'unidentified' chemicals entering the body. Action figures can't possible suffer from depression or stress. Action figures can't possibly die from an overdose of drugs. We are humans with limits; that's the inconvenient truth. Being dolls is a lie. Just go ahead an live your life to the fullest, naturally.
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This may sound strange to you but I can get sentimental over a piece of wood. As I
look at a specific piece of wood and think about it, it can actually bring tears to my
eyes. Its true.
I can almost hear your comments about what I just said. You're thinking: "Terry,
you are just a softy - you probably even cried the first time you saw the Dumbo
movie!" Not so.
During my last 78 years I've done some pretty macho things: As a teenager I was a
rough, tough Bos'n's Mate in the US Navy. Later I got into making cold sales calls
while trying to make enough money for my young family to survive. Believe you me,
that first sales call I'd ever made in my life was a hard thing for me to do and it took
a lot of guts! Later, I learned how to fly a Piper Cub airplane off of a grass strip
runway. Flying with the instructor aboard was fun. But then one day, after I'd made
a series of good landings, my instructor said: "Terry, I'm outta here, you take her
up, go around the pattern and land all by yourself. You don't need me anymore." I
can tell you, that first solo flight was scary! Then, when I was 70 I achieved another
of my dreams - I learned to fly a hang glider. What great fun it is to bank and turn
and soar with no engine, just like an eagle!
I tell you these things, not to brag but to let you know it can take an awful lot to
make a rugged guy like me - cry. So why do I cry over a piece of wood? Here's
why.
Years ago in the mid 40's, my family had a 34 foot wooden sailboat that was built
around 1900. Her name was: Severn. We sailed her on the Chesapeake, on Delaware
Bay and many other cruises up and down the Atlantic coast. We all had a wonderful
time as we sailed on her, together as a family. Eventually she leaked so much we
had to scrap her. One day, many years later. I drove to the boat yard to see if the old
Severn was still there. I found her off in the corner of the yard, but by this time she
was just a rotting hulk. Then, for old time's sake I picked up a piece of the wood
from her transom and took it home with me and stored it in my garage. That was
my first piece of sentimental wood.
Another time, after my favorite Uncle Earl's funeral, I asked if I could have one of his
crutches to remember him by. In his childhood, my uncle had been a victim of Polio,
infantile paralysis. He spent most of his life on those crutches while working hard
and later becoming a millionaire. I added that crutch to my garage's collection of
sentimental wood.
Back in '69 I built (from plans), in my cellar, a 14' Piver catamaran sailboat out of
1/8" plywood with Sitka Spruce ribs and spars. My sons and daughters and I had
great fun sailing that catamaran for many exciting hours out on New Jersey's
Barnegat Bay. Eventually she fell apart. But, you guessed it - I saved some of the
wood from the Catspaw and added it to that ever-growing sentimental wood
collection in my garage.
I've saved that pile of sentimental wood for many years with no real purpose in
mind. Recently, one of my sons has learned to use his woodworker's lathe to make
pens out of wood. So, on an impulse, I gave Dave some wood from the Old Severn,
my uncle's crutch and some Sitka Spruce from our now trashed catamaran and
asked him to use the wood to make some Sentimental Wood pens for me.
My plan is to give those pens to my kids and other family members. Together, we
can hold and look at and use those Sentimental Wood pens and - remember. Then,
as we think back to the events the wood in those pens brings to mind, all of us
tough old birds may even shed a few tears - together.
Terry Weber
http://www.originalsbyweber.com website
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