Even though I now watch far less Television than I used to – I still sit down to watch a good movie or good drama like the Sopranos or the West Wing. Over the years I have become used to ignoring the commercials and with the 10 million channels available it is a good time to flick around to make absolutely sure there isn’t something even better on another channel. However from time to time I am exposed to the commercials and one lately has drawn my eye.
There are a number of commercials which get my goat but for some reason I am irked most by cosmetics. I am flabbergasted by commercials that say things like buy this and your eyelashes will point upwards more or spread this on your face and that wrinkle behind your ear will dissappear. Its the intensity, the primetime slot and the overall motive of creating a need where none exists (or should). However one that has been on lately has really, to coin a phrase “put the tin hat on it”. Its a commercial about cream that you put on those unsightly cracked heels. You may be wearing sandals or low cut shoes and someone might see your heels! And the skin might not be perfect!
In a world where we have a myriad of problems, from poverty to global warming, the fact that someone is paying prime time rates to advertise this stuff says something but thats for another discussion – what I want to talk about is the company that makes it – I wonder how they motivate their staff?
If your role in life is to manage a team that develop and sell something as vacuuos as skin cream (and you know it) how do you motivate your staff. Its an interesting question to touch on motivation itself.
As we know money is not the issue when motivation of staff is concerned – its a demotivator if there is not enough or its unfairly distributed – but in general the key motivating factors are being appreciated and having a say in how things are done. So that being the case perhaps the task or the role is superfluous? Not true – the vision for the group must be strong so decisions can be made and so direction is clear.
So its made into a war – and the groups competition in the VP (vacuuos product) segment becomes the enemy. Then the group, instead of focusing on what they are doing, are focusing on how well they are doing it – and score is kept in dollars or euros.
When I worked at Philips Medical Systems in the 90’s the vision was clear – the company made (and still makes) Imaging and Treatment systems such as Linear Accelerators and Multileaf Collimators – and we were improving peoples lives and life expectancy. Each department was involved with the vision and contributed to the companies objectives and their implementation through regular feedback. While the company was of course focused on the competition – this vision was always at the forefront of our minds.
The us and them vision is something I see when there is little cause or “perceived” benefit in the end product of the groups labours. Is it any wonder people in business are questioning whether “there is more to life than this?” Perhaps its a moral instinct that causes this.
So two things to ponder?
In a bureaucratic institution like some of the public bodies we all know about, where the product is mundane and meaningless and no competition exists, where is the motivation coming from? I have been thinking recently that lack of vision and the lack of competition mean that Management becomes the enemy?
And – the second thing – in a world gone mad looking for niches in which to sell new products, whats next? Is their some point that we will call a halt to VPs like heel cream and magazines for dog fashion?
Heres hoping…….
Aidan Higgins
First posted 2007