Saturday, January 29, 2011

MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO PEAK PERFORMANCE

I'm taking a little break from practice and re-reading "Victory" by Brian Tracy.  It's one of my favorites.  Tracy gives proven principles used by the military that can help you become a better coach (among other things).

One of the segments is titled "Motivating People to Peak Performance" and has some important factors in getting players and teams to repeat what it is that you need for them to do in regards to execution.  Here is what Tracy writes:

There are three keys to motivation that you can practice with all the people who report to you.  They are Recognition, Rewards, and Reinforcement.  Practice all three of them with as many people as possible, as often as you can.

Most people are starved for recognition, especially recognition that comes from the important people in their lives,  In fact, the more important you are in the eyes of another person, the more powerful and influential are your statements to that person.

Praise and recognize people for little accomplishments as well as large accomplishments.  Find reasons to compliment them for their work or their achievements.  Smile when you see them, and treat them with respect and esteem.  Recognition is a powerful motivator for people at all ages and in all situations.

Rewards are a vital part of motivating people to peak performance.

"What gets reinforced gets repeated."  Whenever you talk about, praise, and comment on a particular behavior, the individual will be more likely to repeat that behavior in the future.  The flip side of motivation is that if you do not recognize, reward and reinforce a particular behavior, the individual may simply stop doing it.