can be happy and work really well or unhappy, and work just as well. The four ‘no cost’ and ‘low cost’ motivators are:
Meaningful work - research has shown that most people are motivated if they find the work that they are doing is meaningful in itself e.g. working in the open air, getting the training you need to do a good job and seeing results at the end of the day. I spoke to one of the top
cricket groundsmen recently and he confided that he wants to spend more time working on the grounds. Administrative tasks now dominate his personal work schedule and it is just not as rewarding for him. He may not be the only one who needs to set himself a goal to get a better balance in his work, perhaps delegate more of the administrative tasks to other people. If you are an older person it may be meaningful for you to set yourself a goal to leave a legacy to future groundsmen and greenkeepers by coaching and mentoring them so that the profession itself gets the benefit of your wide experience. If you are a younger person doing a lot of boring or dirty jobs then set yourself a goal to stop waiting for the perfect boss (I waited 20 years and he never showed up). Try to be positive about yourself. Perhaps take the initiative and tell your boss privately that you are interested in a career and that you are looking for more demanding work. In the meantime you could ask him/her just how valuable (and meaningful) all those dirty jobs are and what would be the consequences if they were not done well or not done at all.
Recognition (Please see ‘Check Your References’ above). I once had two very competent people working for me. One was ‘high maintenance’ and wanted a little recognition most days I saw him and the other was ‘low maintenance’ and only wanted praise when his work or effort had been exceptional. By carefully meeting both sets of expectations I was able to get good work from both, particularly in very challenging circumstance. Time-wise the difference was negligible from my point of view - it only takes a few seconds to pay a compliment after all. Perhaps you need to set a goal to ensure that you get the recognition you need to maintain a good standard of work.
Feedback - Research has shown that most people are better motivated when they know where they stand at work. If they know their work is satisfactory or
unsatisfactory they can do something about it. If no one says anything they may not know the difference. They tend also to work better if they know what their colleagues (including their boss) think of their work. They work better if they know how well the grounds department is rated by other departments. If they are highly regarded, they take pride in maintaining a high standard of workmanship. If there is constructive criticism, they will pull together to change people’s perception of their department’s performance. They even work better (when they are not kept in the dark) and they know how the organisation itself is doing in the market place or the wider world.
Most Head Groundsmen have indicated that keeping people in touch in this way is the thing they have most neglected in the past, mainly because they did not realise its significance. Perhaps you may need to set a goal to make sure your boss keeps you better informed.
Autonomy - Finally it is important to note that most people are better motivated if they have the right level of supervision. Do you work better if you are left alone - even when doing completely new tasks? Or do you prefer fairly close supervision even on familiar tasks? You may find that the level of autonomy you prefer will change over time. Whilst less experienced people want clear direction they want to be left alone so that they do not feel so self conscious. Many older workers like the autonomy to choose their own methods of working because they feel they are experienced enough, and it shows a lack of respect to not trust them to do a good job. Again if this section raises issues for you then you may need to set yourself a goal to communicate your expectations to your boss and perhaps help him/her to become the best boss they can be. I suspect that they will not be able to manage this feat without your help.
You can catch up with Frank Newberry at Harrogate Week from the 24-2
26 January. He
will be in Hall Q at the Careers Fair coaching people one-t
to-
one on CV content, job seeking ideas, interview techniques and salary negotiation skills.
26
www.pitchcare.com/re
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76