Here's the thing about motivational speakers

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“$100,000!” I repeated in awe. “What did the company get in exchange for this investment?”

“We got a virtual keynote presentation,” he reiterated, confused by my lack of understanding.

My friend had served on a committee that planned a virtual meeting at his workplace that was attended by every level of employee. His task had been to collect bios, presentation topics, and fees of various speakers. He shared several names from the list, all names you would recognize. People like to quote their aphorisms on social media. There were no speaking fees lower than $75,000. 

“Yeah, I get that, but what kind of support did you get as follow-up to ensure employees were able to apply what they learned?” I clarified. 

“Follow-up?” He appeared even more confused. “Management wasn't interested in that. They just wanted to give employees something nice to feel good about to help bolster morale.”

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t feel too good about spending $100,000 without a reasonable expectation of return. But maybe that’s just me.

The Problem with Encouragement
Encouragement without empowerment is a waste of time; yet empowerment without engagement is impossible.

Simply telling someone “You can do it!” without also providing them with the knowledge, skills, resources, support, and opportunities to “do it” is a recipe for false hope—a “good-lie” with a hollow sense of security and lulled complacency.

At the same time, unless we understand what’s at stake, no amount of knowledge, skills, resources, support, and opportunities will suffice, because no one is listening and no one cares, and therefore nothing is retained and nothing can be transferred.

Three Motivators of Change
Ultimately, no one follows through with change until three drivers move them: pain, knowledge, and support.​
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1. Pain. People tend to go to greater lengths to avoid pain than to obtain pleasure, which is what makes pain one of the greatest motivators of all. In other words: No one will change until they hurt enough that they want to change.
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2. Knowledge. The mere pain of desire is never enough without the support of relevant knowledge and skills, making it a critical asset for those hoping to make positive changes. In other words: No one will change until they learn enough that they know how to change.
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3. Support. What you know and what you can do is meaningless without the support of relevant resources and opportunities to transfer your knowledge and skills. In other words: No one will change until they receive enough that they are able to change.

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Final Thoughts
As for my friend and the company he works for, they had plenty of pain and plenty of knowledge, but with a woeful lack of support.

They had knowledge, because they had a $100,000 speaker deliver a slick presentation of pithy aphorisms to boost employee morale.

They had pain, because in the days following the presentation, entire teams and departments were eliminated, effectively making the content of the presentation irrelevant because the cornerstone of morale (trust) had been violated.

And they had a woeful lack of support, because without follow-up, no one was held accountable for applying and transferring what they learned beyond the meeting, making the investment meaningless.

Well, that is except for the people who were let go. They learned how to apply for new positions and transfer to new companies—perhaps companies that actually care about the people who make it all possible.

Perhaps.

(Insert your own aphorism here.)

Reflection
What’s motivating you today? Pain, knowledge, or support?

Your Next Step
As a storyteller, magician, musician, and facilitator of fascination, my mission is to help individuals, teams, and communities experience abiding joy—at work, home, and wherever life takes you.

When we work together, we complete a step-by-step process that starts with engagement and empowerment (for knowledge and skill building), and concludes with encouragement by providing the necessary resources, support, and opportunities to achieve results by design.

Connect with me today to discuss your challenges, goals, and obstacles and begin the process together.

With Joy --
Jonas

P.S. If you’d like to work together, here’s how:

• Buy a book.
• Enroll in an online course.
• Attend a workshop.
• Book me to speak with your group.