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Ten El-Cheapo Ways to Motivate People

December 14, 2004 

1.      "Celebrate the completion of outcomes.

A victory unnoted might as well not have happened.

2.      Keep outcomes short-term.

That way you have plenty of opportunities to celebrate.

3.      Show off for the big boss.

The more important the audience for a presentation, the more mileage the team will get from the success.

4.      Hand out mugs with the team logo all around.

That will keep reminding people where they belong.

5.      Give some comp time.

Everyone likes comp time.

6.      Lunch together.

(Assuming you like to eat with each other).

7.      Bring in celebrities.

There's nothing like a show to acknowledge work well done.

8.      Hand out gift certificates.

It doesn't take much to make a great low-cost reward.

9.      Advance via retreat.

A weekend in the woods is nice.

10. When all else fails…Krispy Kremes (Robbins & Finley, 2004)."

Reference:  Robbins, H., & Finley, M., (2004).  The accidental leader:  what to do when you're suddenly in charge.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What are you doing to motivate the people with whom you work?

The Accidental Leader is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource please go to the resource search page http://140.254.85.212/winnebago/search/search.asp?lib

If this is the first time you have borrowed resources from the OSU Leadership Center, please contact us at 614-292-3114 and we will register you in our library system.  Once you have been added to the system, you may request resources via the website.

Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is strengthening tomorrow's leaders today at http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

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Created: 2008-04-02, Updated: 2009-01-15