There’s no “I” in “team”

Tim says:

03:31pm | 04/05/12

Inappropriate Touch Tuesdays is my favourite.

subotic says:

01:08pm | 04/05/12

Agreed Scotchy.

Ms Furtner is extremely easy on the optic nerves.

She could write the alphabet backwards in Chinese and I’d still be interested!

Fiddler says:

01:27pm | 04/05/12

correct. He might have the shits because he spends his day working, whereas the rest of the office spends their day networking, shifting blame from their fuckups to others, robbing credit from other people and not actually having a clue how to do the job they are paid to do

nihonin says:

10:34am | 04/05/12

lol I like this.

TracyH says:

10:54pm | 04/05/12

WHY WHY WHY do work places have these bloody days when it’s clear NO-ONE WANTS THEM, or finds them motivating?? Sorry for the caps but seriously, WWHHYYYYYY???!!!!!!

hot tub political machine says:

01:54pm | 04/05/12

Thatmosis – finance is a motivator short term for most people but long tem for only a very small portion of the population.

In the end, if it’s the only/near only motivation your company offers you eventually get the right people for the job because – they are the type motivated by money. But their impulses are a specific character trait not shared by the general population. Of course one problem with a closed system of people who’ve been there forerver/lack of psychological diversity is the law of entropy. New stimuli is necessary for the workplace system to truly thrive.

egg says:

12:09pm | 04/05/12

@thatmosis, nobody in their right mind, apart from managers & executives, wants or expects ridiculous motivational speakers to be brought into their workplace. I have never in my working life heard one of my colleagues state “wow, so unmotivated… just want to sit in a room with an overenthusiastic wanker for 4 hours and learn nothing”.

It’s patronising at the best of times.

jase says:

11:38am | 04/05/12

Money has always been the strongest motivator, people just associate financial motivation with negative examples such as corruption, bribes and other illegal activities.

I find that clear, well defined and slightly ambitious targets are the most effective as its unlikely that the full target is going to be achieved but it forces the individual/team to push themselves to their maximum potential. Bonus paid based on performance reviews are rubbish, HR induced nightmare where the manager has too much sway in the outcomes.

A says:

11:09am | 04/05/12

So true. If only we could say this in an interview when asked “why do you want the job?”

hot tub political machine says:

01:23pm | 04/05/12

It can’t be a coincidence that only the just left school folks will put up with that crap though. By twenty most people have learnt either:

a) The spine to
i) Simply refuse to go to the wankfest
ii) Get a position where they aren’t subjected to this crap

or

b) The cunning too

i) arrange some urgent task out of the office on wankday
ii) sleep with their eyes open

marley says:

08:46am | 04/05/12

Yeah, it’s a real problem when the boss wants the employees to do what he asks.  How dare he.

Fred says:

08:57am | 04/05/12

I did enjoy that job, for the most part. One of the reasons I enjoyed it was because I didn’t have HR propaganda forced down my throat.

Nobody ever said “there’s no I in team” in order to further themselves, and I bet if you went back even further in time, you’d be able to punch someone who said that in the face.

Macca says:

08:07am | 04/05/12

If you have to do something, surely that something could be something you enjoy? Finding people you enjoy being around is a little harder.

Sam says:

02:23pm | 04/05/12

That was the second record I ever bought!

MattyC says:

02:09pm | 04/05/12

One of them was a bit bitey

adam says:

12:47pm | 04/05/12

and dogs can look up

subotic says:

10:01am | 04/05/12

You’ve got red on you Shaun.

Rossco says:

09:47am | 04/05/12

Cornetto!

Fiddler says:

09:12am | 04/05/12

That’s very bad, very bad intelligence

subotic will never die says:

08:12am | 04/05/12

Spotswood: There is no “I” in Team America.

I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.: Yes there is…

Macca says:

05:00pm | 04/05/12

I should clarify my point around money. The purpose of remuneration is to pay people so that money is not an issue. That’s why you have annual remuneration reviews etc to ensure there is a fair system to reward people financially.

Incentive based systems of reward are only short term motivators that don’t engender good long-term performance.

I also agree with everyone’s points about being recognized for good performance. Ongoing Non-financial rewards are potentially more important in ensuring performance than token financial rewards

hot tub political machine says:

01:26pm | 04/05/12

Good points all in this miny thread.

And Adam C - I think we can name the negative of not paying people what they are worth. They leave.

AdamC says:

10:29am | 04/05/12

Macca, I agree with your points, and Marley’s additional one.

However, as Wayne Kerr notes, there is also the matter of recognition. That is where money can be important. Staff appreciated being, well, appreciated - especially when they feel like they have gone above and beyond. And, while a slap on on the back and a “well done, mate” is nice, people ultimately expect to be financially rewarded for their performance. So, while there may be limited upside to the more money approach, there can certainly be a downside to not paying people what they are worth.

sunny says:

09:38am | 04/05/12

@Macca When you find someone who really takes ownership of their job - i.e. the three things you listed -  you have struck gold. That person will be a huge asset to your company. It’s wise to pay them overs if you can, and at the very least pay them all their penalty rate entitlements and the full range of benefits. The last thing you want to see is your best employees become jaded by underwhelming pay and benefits. In that way money can become a long-term de-motivator and your good employees will eventually jump ship.

Wayne Kerr says:

08:45am | 04/05/12

I’d also add being appreciated for the work you do.

In most corporate (global) organisations you’re only as good as your last F### up. i.e nobody notices the 99 things you do well they wait to crucify on you for the 1 thing you didn’t do well.

In my last job we had an IT project where we were moving to a new organisation.  I was jumping up and down to my bosss who resided in the UK that one aspect of the project was not going to work and that the punters wouldn’t be happy.  He told me that the decision had been made and there was nothing he could do about it.  Ibrougt this issue up with him constantly.  When the project was implemented, the business started howling and finally the issue was rectified and what should have been done originally was put in place.

When my boss came to Aus and did my appraisal, I was being blamed for the whole fiasco and was asked “what could I have done better”

Rant over but I will say the above is not very conducive to motivating staff and unfortunately I have many more examples. Fortunatelly I was able to leave that organisation and found a business that actually does appreciate their staff.

Macca says:

07:58am | 04/05/12

Thanks Marley, I like that.

I don’t think it’s universal, as some people prefer working alone or independently, but generally I completely agree. I forgotten the term, but people will adopt the behavior of those around them to assimilate. Belonging to a engaged team breeds good performance.

marley says:

07:39am | 04/05/12

I’d actually add a fourth:  Membership.  A happy team is a motivated team.  If you like your co-workers, if you feel that you’re all pulling together to accomplish something, if everyone is contributing, you get a sense of belonging and that can do wonders for motivation, enthusiasm and sheer creativity.

SalC says:

10:44am | 04/05/12

Haha Tubesteak hit the nail on the head: “I like this job only slightly more than being homeless”

Tubesteak says:

08:50am | 04/05/12

I wanted to say that!

Oh well.

Employers are asking far too much for us to be motivated.

“I like this job only slightly more than being homeless” is the standard motto.

I turn up, I do work, I go home and expect a paycheque. That’s more than enough as far as I’m concerned.

“Born to fish (or play golf or whetever); forced to work”

nihonin says:

08:47am | 04/05/12

Tim says:

  09:12am | 04/05/12

  Nihonin,
  sorry but there’s no U in team.

I’ll give you an ‘A’ for contributing, but an ‘F’ for jocularity level, Tim.

gobsmack says:

08:15am | 04/05/12

And there’s a “u” in f@#k off (which is what I’d like to say to these “facilitators or whatever they’re called now).

Tim says:

08:12am | 04/05/12

Nihonin,
sorry but there’s no U in team.