Motivate, Not by Posters, but by Actions
I was wondering how I could motivate my family to observe an electronics-free Sabbath, when the Lord answered my thoughts.
“Sam, you never know until you ask. Just ask them. You would be surprised. I am sure you will have a more than convincing argument. That is that I asked you and them to be holy and follow the Bible. Maybe you can share with them a motivational poster. I love those motivational posters I see at some workplaces. They are cute, especially that one with the cat hanging on a wire with the caption, “Hang in there.” I have always been a cat person. Oh! Don’t print that—I do not want to upset the dog-lovers out there. I love some of the well-known motivational quotes. One that really stands out is from Mary Kay Ash who said, ‘Sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise.’”
Up on the screen popped millions of motivation posters. I did not know there were that many of them out there.
I remembered a saying that provided: people often ask for constructive criticism, but they are really hoping for praise and when they do not receive what they hope for, they receive what they earned. I don’t recall where it came from, but it stuck with me over the years.
“Sam, when providing motivation, it is important to be done as soon as possible, in a public way, and be done in a very personal manner. Thus, when you ask your wife and kids to observe my Sabbath, honor and praise them Saturday night by taking them out for dinner and a movie. Reward their action…or in this case their inaction. When my champion Pinchas jumped into action when he killed the Edomite prince. I rewarded him immediately with the mantle of peace in front of the nation. Recognition and praise can go a long way.”
Up on the screen popped up all these small little trophies. They were for every kind of sport. The Lord pointed to them and said, “Participation trophies are such a joke. They reward some for showing up, but praise should only be given for true accomplishments. Praise needs to be earned and genuine Sam. Once a reward is given, it might be expected thereafter. Thus, care needs to be taken to make sure that a reward is treated as a onetime occurrence rather than a right. Every time something good is done should not mean that a prize is given. People are not mice in a maze. But when it is really earned, it needs to be given.”
The screen reverted to more motivation posters and quotes…and all of them were different than the other ones which had just been on the screens. There are so many ways to motivate. I wondered if they were effective.
“Sam, yes, those posters can be motivational, but they have to address the right motivators. One of the best motivators is people’s desires to associate with others. That is the beauty of religion and numerous other groups. People love being part of a group, a clan, a tribe, and if they know they are helping others they might be more motivated to give their A game. The concept of workplace spouses can be used here. People sometimes have someone so close to them in the workplace that they can be just as close as a spouse. Instead of rewarding only one, why not reward one employee and their chosen best friend in the workplace? That is the ultimate twofer for motivation.”
I remembered that my best friend at work, Phil Johnson, and I ate lunch together almost every day. We talked about so much and we got our families together all the time.
On the screen popped up an image of me…and Phil receiving an award. We had not already received it, so this must have been one of the Lord’s glimpses into the future. I wondered if it was a Noble Prize or maybe the Pulitzer Prize. I knew the Lord would not say. Of course, God knew Phil was my closest friend in the workplace and if he won an award. he would try to share it with me, and I would likewise do the same with him. What an idea. I loved it.
“Sam, you will have to wait to learn what the award is for, but you will deserve it. Another great motivator is a wonderful story. In fact, the entire book of Deuteronomy is a story that Moses was recounting so the people would remember all the prior stories. The key is remembering, because just having history is not enough. Both you and I have been using the word remember throughout this interview. There is no true Hebrew word for history. The closest one is an Anglicized version pronounced ‘historia.’ Other than that, there are chronicles and then memories as the closest Hebrew equivalents to history. It was Moses’ charge to push his people as a teacher not to forget all the stories. The stories are the Israelites’ history. To this very day during Passover the Jews are supposed to feel as if they were the ones to leave Egypt- they are still living a story started thousands of years ago. That is developing more than history, but a passion that will endure and will always be remembered.”
The Lord continued. “Actions speak louder than words. When the Israelites were about to cross the Sea of Reeds, they were waiting for a miracle from me…I was waiting for them to act on their own. That was hard for them since they had been under an oppressive ruler for close to 200 years. However, the advancing Egyptians put fear into them that they acted. Sometimes a little fear can be the best motivator.”
I knew the fear of not meeting deadline was one of my strongest motivators…but I hated having to work under the gun as I did not produce my best work.
“Sam, another way to motivate is through love. One of the most famous prayers in Judaism is the Shema, which states that Jews should love me with all their heart, with all their souls, and with all their might. Love is critical to a relationship and appears 42 times in the Bible. Through love we can get so much done. You take out the trash because when your wife asks, well you want her to be happy because you love her. Love, while great, might not be enough. You need more than just love. You need to have a framework around it to help it flourish and grow. When a manager develops rules in the workplace, they should be developed with love. So many rules are focused on punitive measures or to prevent problems versus rules to help foster love and understanding.”
“Lord, it’s like in a ‘loving’ relationship, one party could instill all these rules to try and prevent someone from cheating during their relationship. Then the partner wouldn’t cheat to avoid the punishment: divorce. Others might still cheat because the only thing keeping them in the relationship is the fear of possible punishment. In contrast, when a relationship is built on love, there is no need for threats of punishment because love and trust become the bedrock for that solid relationship.”
“You got it, Sam. A framework based on trust and love will have boundaries, but people want to follow those boundaries not out of fear, but out of loyalty. The more rules that are developed with an emphasis on love the better. Will there be those who abuse some rules? Yes. There will always be people who want to take advantage of others. The question is not how to develop rules to minimize these abuses, but rather how to connect with the right people from the very beginning. Love is a two-way street. Love is a great motivator and serves as the best framework for motivating others. Many people will do almost anything for love. I know you will, Sam. Because I’ve seen how much you love others.”
