Dear colleages,

Here is my first take on those who responded to my survey last week.  Note that most of these were received within 24 hours of sending the question.  I would not say this is a scientific study.  This is just an initial sense of the responses.  More time will allow me to better categorize the and analyze the collected data.  But I did want to get back to you.  Note on bottom of this page, the mix of those who responded.  There were a little over 100 respondents.  I did not see many initial differences between non-profit and for-profit folks or even consultants who work alone.  

I would love your response or thoughts on this.    I am looking for a few organizations who would like me to do this just for them (their entire staff)  to see if different organizations have differences in responses.  I will certainly share the results with the organization.

Thanks,

Stephen


Here are the questions and the top 11 answers to each question.


List three things that spark your energy and passion as you go about
your work from day to day?

  1. Working with Motivated and Talented People                                          42
  2. Creative work that generates new ideas and doing new things              42
  3. Being appreciated, respected and trusted to do your job                        41
  4. Helping others and having positive impact on others                                40
  5. Solving problems and being challenged by deadlines                                 24
  6. Doing something that makes a difference                                                      23
  7. Personal Breakthroughs                                                                              17
  8. Getting some balance beyond work                                                            15
  9. Professional Development and learning on the job                                    13
  10. Having Clear Objectives with a clear end                                                    8
  11. Having Lots of interaction with Others                                                         6

2)  List three things that drain your energy and passion as you go about
your work from day to day?

  1. Working with Incompetence – including micro management and breach of ethics                             38
  2. Working with complainers, whiners and negative people                                                                   35
  3. Unrealistic Expectations  and insufficient resources to get the job done – money, time and people    29
  4. Lack of interesting work or lots of repetitive work                                                                              24
  5. When turf and walls inhibit  work  -- egomania – personnel conflicts                                                  23
  6. Lack of appreciation and feedback                                                                                                       20
  7. Paper Work, budgets, excessive Email and bureaucracy                                                                    18
  8. Meetings – especially ineffective and poorly planned meetings with no purpose                               14
  9. Working with shallow thinkers who follow rules for no reason                                                            10
  10. Working with distant  and power hungry management team day-to-day                                            8
  11. Doing something where I have no value or control                                                                       8



Roles of respondents:
Non profit mgmt  or employees                  41
Consultants                                                 34
For Profit employees or mgmt                    14
Academic                                                    5
Gov’t employee                                            2
Teachers                                                      2
Lawyer                                                        1

So, what should we do?

Create a learning and every changing workplace with interesting and motivated people who provide appropriate feedback and appreciate those around them.  Challenge people and give them a chance to make a difference.  Give people the room to have some balance outside of work by providing the necessary resources to do their jobs at work.  Abolish all wasteful bureaucracy, paperwork and meetings that have no purpose or effective motivating elements.  Get rid of incompetent, negative, whiney, unethical, turf building and power hungry employees — especially managers.  Also, hire motivated and interesting people.

By doing all of this you will have a dynamic, energized, motivated and vibrant employee base that will be dedicated to your vision and make things happen.

Don’t I make it sound so simple.  

Enjoy the data.

Regards,

Stephen

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--------------------------------------------------

Stephen Brand
President and Chief Imagination Officer
The New Enterprise Factory
1799 Akron Peninsula Road
Akron, OH 44313
330-864-1518 phone
1-702-995-6894 fax
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www.enterprisefactory.com

TEC Chairman-NE Ohio #490 and #1180
Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEO's
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