Is Humiliation Successful to Motivate People?

Is Humiliation Successful to Motivate People?

2018 (c) SH Singer Communications 

This blog will cover a number of different topics, most sales and business-related, some more personal. Let me know how they connect with you. The business posts, as well as others, are purely my views, based upon over 30 years in both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses, both as a manager, and as a salesperson.  And, more importantly, a few years as a person. This will be a forward-thinking series, not "Gee I wish this was 1995 again." Let's hope not!

I observe behaviors and have noticed what has worked and what hasn’t. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but do have suggestions, for those who can relate to my experiences.

I have made a lot of mistakes.That's how we learn, after all. And, hopefully, through those mistakes, I learned some things that might be helpful for others. Often, I buck the prevailing trends, but I do so, in favor of human nature and what I’ve noticed works better for humans (and sometimes, pets). With that, here is a viewpoint: 

Is Humiliation Useful to Motivate? Does anyone really improve performance when challenged, ridiculed, or pushed? 

Let’s ask it another way. When you tell your significant other that they put the dishes in the dishwasher incorrectly, how does that go over?  When you “suggest” that your significant other needs to exercise more, or not eat that ice cream, how does that work? I suspect, not very well. When you say loudly, “we’re running late!” does that make them move faster, or just get mad at you?

Well, the same is true at work. Work and personal life actually do reside in the same universe. 

If you’ve hired well (and hopefully you have), your people probably generally do a good job. Right?  When the pressure comes from ‘above’ that you need to do more – hit that “stretch” budget, call more people, write more reports. Or else. 

What does the manager do? 

Sometimes, they let that pressure go right through them, and onto staff. They might:

• Put up a "Results Board," visible to anyone in the building, but specifically directed to those who are "under-performing," updated regularly so everyone sees who is selling and who isn't.
• "Suggesting" more calls, more appointments, better closing techniques, especially to veteran salespeople.
• Threats - either in one-on-ones or, better yet, publicly in your sales meeting - that the employees could lose their job or privileges.
• Yelling / Shaming/ Humiliating/ Bullying - in front of everyone
•  Ongoing, daily pressure - It's never good enough, even if they are ahead of last year or on budget already this year.
• A "game" with a declared winner (this can sometimes work, but it depends on the attitude of the manager - If the goal is a veiled punishment for everyone else, the staff will read this, and you won't get the desired affect -  more on this in a different post)

What does staff do in response to tactics like these? 

1. Some take it personally. They’re not good enough. And, they work to prove they are better. This has a short-term result with some people, but is not healthy in the long run. They will burn out or feel resentful. And, if the goal is unrealistic, they still might not succeed, which just makes them feel worse.
2. Others say, S…w You! And they either make up call reports/meetings, or go get a massage.
3. Still others get mad at you, and start bad-mouthing you and the company.
4. Finally, there are those who simply ignore it all, and do whatever they want. They let it roll off their backs for now. They don’t improve your numbers, but they aren’t any worse off.

None of these solves the problem, does it? In the long run. Even #1, who does amp it up in the short term, will leave, burn out, turn it back on the manager in some fashion, or give up, eventually. If management doesn't care about the salesperson's success, long term, then a dedicated salesperson won't want to work there for long. 

I’ve seen these reactions in all generations of salespeople, by the way. Some things are generational. Human nature isn’t. The way your significant other or your teenager reacts to your attempts at changing behavior is probably reflected by your staff. It's human nature. And, even when we think we're different outside the office, we can't help but react with human nature unless we meditate - a lot!

What does work? It's individual to the staff and also to the salespeople involved. However, here's one idea: instead of beating up on everyone, handle problem staff in one-on-ones. Don't punish all for the one or two who aren't performing. As long as everyone is held to the same standards, this has a better chance of succeeding. I've never understood the rationale of punishing everyone when it's clear to the whole staff where the problem children sit.

Note: If your whole staff is "under-performing" or your turnover is high, the problem may not be them.  I know, harsh. But, do you want to get mad at me for pointing this out, or fix the issue, turn things around, and be a hero? A review of company tactics, the goal itself, the criteria you use to hire salespeople (and others), your work flow/processes, amount of support you provide, etc. should all be analyzed. Again, more on this in another post.

OK, enough about the problem. 

If you want to treat everyone equally as a group, give the group a goal, with each member of the staff having an individually derived minimum goal to reach on behalf of the group, based on their level of expertise and potential. Make it a positive carrot, not a blanket stick.  And, make it fun inter-generationally. 

One sales contest that I know worked, is this: Every salesperson has a goal for the quarter, half-year, or year (if longer, there needs to be additional smaller incentives and successes to keep people on track). If each individual hits their goal, they get a gift card to spend on a specific present for themselves, which they name, in advance, to the sales manager, so that the manager can help positively motivate along the way.  If the goal is important, then the incentive should have significance, whenever possible. Salespeople are typically motivated by winning, often by money.  Otherwise, why would they face rejection, the "no's" they will inevitably get, in order to eventually win? A coffee card just won't cut it when the stakes are high, unless you are a nonprofit or mission-based company where the staff has a lot of buy-in to the cause. 

When we did this contest at a radio station, I said I'd buy a new computer if I hit the goal (we had nice incentives there). Another salesperson said she'd buy a small fur. We obviously had different internal motivators, and the times were different. And that's the point. Whether of different generations, genders, or interests, incentives work best when they are individualized. And yes,I made the goal and bought the computer. Both the sales manager and I celebrated that win.  And yes, the team made budget. 

Budget for your team's success from the start, so that you're not scrambling later. You'll have the best place to work, and everyone will want to work for you, so you get to pick the best people in town.

That’s a short example of what this blog will cover. Sometimes it will be short and sweet, sometimes it will be a rant (sorry in advance).

Hope you find these reflections useful or thought-provoking. 

So...Is Humiliation Useful to Motivate? Share your thoughts.

Till next time,

SH Singer