Jan 12, 2022
Dr. Bob Nelson is one of the
world’s leading authority on employee recognition, motivation, and
engagement. He has personally coached Marshall Goldsmith - ranked
as the world’s #1 executive coach. Listen in as Bob shares how to
make work fun again, and discusses how to hire better, how to make
people feel valued, and how to retain workers in an increasingly
competitive market.
Key Takeaways
[5:10] People do better when
they’re recognized for their good work. However, managers have a
horrible time giving recognition to their employees.
[7:55] You need five good
praises to make up for every one negative action.
[10:10] Companies will spend
millions of dollars on how to get better at recognition, but won’t
ask the employee directly what makes them feel valued.
[11:00] No one feels special
about going to the holiday party. That is not a good way to
recognize the individual employee.
[12:30] How companies treat
their employees when they’ve made a mistake is a great indication
of whether they are good at recognizing the good work the employee
has done or not.
[14:55] People don’t want to go
back to work because they’re burnt out and the health risks far
outweigh the financial reward.
[16:20] People are convinced
that employees aren’t coming back to work because they’re on
unemployment benefits. Actually, that isn’t true. Dr. Bob expands
on this.
[18:00] Fun has to be part of
the mix at work. However, a foosball table in the hall is not what
Dr. Bob means by making work fun.
[19:20] The worst thing you can
do is to assume you know what’s important to your employees without
asking them.
[21:335] Dr. Bob worked closely
with NASA recently and he shares what NASA does differently and why
it’s ranked one of the best places to work within the federal
government.
[28:10] Motivation is a moving
target. It’s hard to measure and it’s very specific to the
individual.
[33:35] Companies want people
back in the office for the collaboration and culture, but as work
colleagues become reunited in person once again, nothing has
changed to facilitate that more effectively.
[35:05] Listener challenge:
Don’t be fooled. These things sound easy, but it takes consistent
and conscious effort to implement.
[36:45] Dr. Bob has a special
gift for you!
Quotable Quotes
- “Recognition makes people feel special. The
stuff companies are doing isn’t making people feel excited and
special about what they personally did.”
- “Leaders are way too quick to blame things on
money.”
- “Get out of your own way. It’s not what you
think is important. It’s what your employees think is. Have that
conversation.”
- “It’s getting out of your own skin to value the
other person. If you do that as a leader, by serving them, they
will serve you.”
- “Fun is frivolous… unless you want to attract
and keep good employees.”
Resources Mentioned