"People can't live with change if there's not a changeless core inside them. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value."
Stephen R. Covey
Now more than ever the ability to change is critical to business success. People are motivated to take the actions necessary to change by what they value. Often when you find an unmotivated person they are doing something that is in conflict with their core values. They are easy to spot as they will be in the "ain't it awful" club and what is worse, they will recruit others into this club as well.
In business this is why it is critical to the success of the entire organization that management knows the core values of every team member and accounts for them in their management. Knowing what motivates a person to be willing to change can mean the difference between a fully engaged, productive team member to someone that is difficult to work with, provides poor customer service and drags other team members down with them.
Values are hidden. Unlike emotions people don't wear them on their sleeve. A simple online assessment can help you determine your team members values. Having this knowledge you can adjust your management practices to appeal to what is most important to them with the result of more workplace engagement (and productivity) and less stress on the entire team.
Eric Langley, Sr.
