I am excited to share that this week, as a faculty member of the US Chamber's Institute for Organization Management, I will be teaching over 30 enthusiastic nonprofit leaders on a subject close to my heart: "Managers Who Motivate."
With over 12 years of experience in training and facilitating, I understand the profound impact that effective management and leadership can have on an organization. Throughout my career, including my current role as Executive Director of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber and my work with Harrington Brands, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of leadership in motivating teams.
This week's course will focus on three primary objectives:
Developing Your Personal Management Style: Helping participants understand their unique approach to management and how to leverage it effectively.
Setting Expectations and Coaching Your Team: Educating participants on establishing clear expectations and providing the necessary support and guidance to help their teams succeed.
Managing Conflict and Change: Assisting participants in navigating the inevitable challenges of conflict and change with confidence and competence.
A key theme of our course is trust. To motivate, you must start with a foundation of trust. Authentic trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. As Stephen M.R. Covey writes in The Speed of Trust, "There is one thing that is common to every individual relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world. That one thing is trust." Trust is built on two fundamental pillars: character and competency.
Character: Involves keeping commitments, being honest, and aligning actions with values.
Competency: Includes demonstrating integrity, showing continuous learning, delivering results, seeking feedback, maintaining open communication, admitting mistakes, showing vulnerability, and practicing transparency.
We will explore what motivates and demotivates us at work. Using tools like Herzberg’s Theory on Motivators and Demotivators (Hygiene) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, attendees will reflect on their motivations and how they can cultivate a motivating environment for their teams. One practical exercise involves creating a "T" chart where participants list their motivators on one side and demotivators on the other, helping them gain clarity on the factors that impact their work satisfaction and performance. This exercise often highlights that motivators are intrinsic—things that make us feel good inside—while demotivators are often external and out of our control. As leaders, we have the power to adjust both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to support our teams.
In the classroom, we aim to bring people from a base of knowledge and tried-and-true theory to direct application—the actual “how do I do this” portion. Understanding the CAMP Method—Competency, Autonomy, Meaning, and Progress—is crucial for identifying what motivates individuals and providing a tool that attendees can use daily:
We will highlight the following as builders of motivation through the CAMP Model of Motivation, developed in our book Survival of The Hive:
Competency Builders: Provide educational opportunities, set up experiences, connect them with mentorship, and provide ample time for social learning.
Autonomy Builders: Grant decision-making authority from the start, emphasize responsibility, and give them space to grow.
Meaning Builders: Ensure they understand their role's significance in the larger process, provide examples of organizational values and impact, and allow time for social responsibility.
Progress Builders: Offer clear, actionable career plans, checkpoints, rewards, and praise.
If time permits, we'll delve into the stages of employee development in a model I call the Employee Development Tree, which parallels a tree’s development stages to how employees develop:
Seedling: A new, young tree and employee require resources, energy, and supervision. A new employee comes with high attitude but low aptitude. Supervisors should teach, explain, clarify, and direct.
Adolescence: As the tree and employee grow, they become “teenagers” with all the quirks that come with adolescence, such as testing boundaries. These employees have some aptitude but low attitude. Supervisors should coach, discipline, goal set, and maintain consistency.
Disgruntled: Without corrective and coaching measures, trees become overgrown with vines, weeds, and disease. Similarly, employees with years of experience but variable attitudes may become disgruntled. Supervisors should support, listen, troubleshoot, and ask questions.
Mature: With proper care, both trees and employees can become mature, high-functioning individuals. They possess high aptitude and high attitude. Supervisors should empower, delegate, connect, and foster growth.
Through this workshop, we aim to shape the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit space regarding motivation and employee development. Effective leadership is not just about managing tasks but about inspiring and nurturing our teams to reach their full potential. Our role as leaders extends beyond setting expectations and managing performance; it's about creating an environment where trust thrives, and individuals feel motivated and valued.
How do I get Matt to speak at my organization?
