Fruitful Inspirations

Start each day with vigor and excitement and hope that others will be energized by your positive spirit. Everyone who attended Jason’s college graduation ceremony witnessed the excitement on his face when his parents proudly announced that he had accepted a job with a Fortune 500 company in New York City. Jason smiled from ear to ear, but it made him wonder about the journey ahead. Would he be able to take his classroom theory and put it into practical application? Would he get clear direction from management in order to perform at a level exceeding departmental expectations? Should he be concerned about the company’s vision, mission, goals, and values or should he just go to work, do his job, and figure out how to move to the next level internally or externally? Jason’s thoughts seem quite normal because beginning a job of any kind can be overwhelming. As one enters the workforce, statistics show that employees want to perform competitively, contribute collaboratively, and develop intellectually for heightened job satisfaction. Therefore, Jason is not alone in this thinking process. Many employers wonder what type of people will actually show up for work and become employees. Peter Drucker, the Father of Modern Management, once said that employees are hired but people report to work. It is expected that these people will enter organizations and actually become committed to the goals and objectives outlined in the companies' strategic plans. Since the Industrial Revolution, companies have hired skillful workers, and getting these companies to focus on human resource management has been challenging. If companies want to survive, they must empower these people to transition from being workers to becoming employees who are engaged in all aspects of the work environment. Chris Musselwhite stated in his article entitled "Motivation = Empowerment" that workplace empowerment generates and equates to workplace motivation. Early in Jason's career, he appreciated the extrinsic rewards, like bonuses, vacation, and the day off for his birthday, but he has benefited in other ways by having the empowerment to achieve productive and meaningful work. Jason also believed that his exposure in the workplace added value because he was seen by his co-workers as a responsible, committed team player, who accomplished his tasks from beginning to end. Jason reflected on the theoretical application by recalling what he learned in his business classes about Frederick Herzberg, the Father of Modern Motivation. Herzberg's emphasis on job satisfaction caused Jason to get excited about gaining self-accountability and especially self-motivation. He was taught the Hierarchy of Needs Theory created by Abraham Maslow. This theory helped Jason to understand the order of importance in satisfying one's needs to fulfill the desired level of potential. Additionally, this theory is based on Theory X and Theory Y, which are theories of motivation developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X assumes that individuals need much supervision; they lack ambition; and they avoid work, responsibility, and commitment. Theory Y characterizes individuals as ambitious, task-oriented, responsible, problem-solvers, and self-directive. When Jason analyzed the Maslow's Hierarchy Needs with the Theory X and Theory Y, he concluded that one has to evolve into these levels based on personal growth, achievement, affiliations, and attitude. Jason had to really grasp the concept of his responsibility in the workplace to energize himself. He sought the recognition of his management and co-workers to give him that extra boost, but at the end of the day, this energy had to come from within; yes, this was an attitude adjustment! Employees can breed a contagious attitude among themselves – positively or negatively. Just like companies utilize the situational analysis, also called the SWOT Analysis to help determine their revenue and economies of scale, employees can analyze their Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats to decide on areas of self-improvement. As demand increases, it is the desire of the business for supply to increase as well. In order for that to happen, employees must be in a place to produce the widget for all parts of the puzzle to fit. This is where Jason and other employees fit in the puzzle using the SWOT Analysis. Consequently, these companies can look at the SWOT Analysis on an individual basis; the advantages of this scrutiny can be the following: • Identify one’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats • Align goals and objectives to the company’s strategic plan • Train internally and externally to ensure work functions can be performed at their maximal level To solve the puzzle, Jason and others can use the SWOT Analysis outcome to influence other co-workers in the business. Knowing oneself can be instrumental when businesses are assigning personnel, determining projects, and when deciding to transfer or even resign. Thus, energizing employees brings excitement and enthusiasm into the workplace!