If you’re thinking about purchasing a copy of Motivate Like a CEO, now is a great time.  We have a special offer on starting April 23rd, 2009.  These are truly valuable gifts.  See the list of offerings below.  Even if you already have a copy of the book, you may be thinking of ordering some for friends, colleagues, clients, or for your organization.  These are great gifts that will help you build skills in communication, presentation and leadership.  The offer is good through May 15^th, 2009.    

·         Purchase from 1 to 10 copies of Motivate Like a CEO and receive a valuable CDs mailed to you at no cost. (see below the programs you can choose)

·         Purchase 10 copies of Motivate Like a CEO and receive the “Make a Name in Business Toolkit,” a workbook and 4-CD set designed to help you achieve greater personal visibility!  (Click here to read about the “Make a Name” set.)

·         And, if you’re looking to provide your staff or team with a valuable book…Buy 100 copies of Motivate Like a CEO and receive a complimentary 2 hour coaching session.

To collect this gift, please make your purchase by May 15^th, and then:

·         Email Meredith O’Connor: moconnor@bates-communications.com

·         Include your full name, company, address, phone number with your order so we can contact you and send it directly to you

·         Copy and paste your confirmation number from amazon into the email and let us know how many copies you purchased.

·         We will send you your gift upon receipt

Complimentary CDs

By purchasing one copy, and up to ten copies, and notifying us using the process above, you’re eligible to select from one of these CDs:

3. “Books, Blogs, and Newsletters: Easy Ways to Write Your Way to Fame”

4. “The Power of Adversity: Connect with Customers During Challenging Times”

5. “How to Cultivate the ‘It’ Factor: The 7 Elements of Executive Presence”

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Why is a well articulated theme or vision so essential to greatness? Many years ago, Microsoft, founded in 1975 when computers took up entire rooms, said it wanted: “a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software.”  This was unimaginable at the time, and yet, today the personal computer has revolutionized and defined how we work and live.   

Big, exciting visions for a company allow people to see how to organize their activities and contribute.  As I write in Motivate Like a CEO, people long to have a purpose and are energized by challenges.  This is what motivates them.  Leaders connect people with purpose and passion toward a common goal.  Without this connection between the employees and the mission, an organization cannot succeed or thrive.  In today’s economy, as you look at how to move your organization forward, it’s obvious you must have a motivated, inspired team of people who are working together on creative ways to grow and be profitable over the long term.

Recently, I was asked by CIO Leadership, a U.K.- based resource for executives in the information business,  “What is the secret to effectively communicating this exciting theme or vision?”

The answer is to have a powerful vision and strategy, and then make communication of that priority one.  People who work in your organization, to a person,  should be able to repeat back to you the most important points of your vision and strategy.  In other words, if asked what your mission is, and how you’re going to get there, everyone should be able to say it without prompting.  This is because when they can repeat it, they can organize their activities around it, making them more efficient, productive, and motivated.

In order to be very good at communicating your vision and strategy, you must invest in your own professional development.  We often work so hard that we just get by on the skills we have, too busy to take courses or get coaching, not realizing how important it is to raise the bar on our own performance.  To motivate and inspire others is the highest definition of leadership.  The challenge for many busy executives is to take this seriously when they arrive in a leadership role; to embrace the idea that they must inspire their teams toward a vision.

If you would like to read the full text of this article click here to go to the article page on CIO Leadership.  

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As millions of Americans cope with job losses and struggle to make ends meet, the media continue to report on what they perceive to be excessive bonuses.  Michael Brush at MSN Money reports “There’s been only a little belt tightening in the corner offices.”

Despite terrible performances that cost lots of jobs and produced huge shareholder losses, hundreds of CEOs pocketed millions in bonus pay last year — thanks to good friends on company boards.

One example he cites is Ryland Group (RYL, news, msgs) CEO whose bonus went up in 2008 compared with 2007, though more than a third of the homebuilder’s employees got the boot. Or the Honeywell International (HON, news, msgs) chief who missed the benchmarks for his annual bonus — and got $3.5 million anyway.

Here are the facts about compensation as reported recently by MSN. 

• Among all the Fortune 1,000 companies, nearly 400 CEOs got bonuses last year, taking home $402 million in annual bonus pay, according to Equilar, an executive compensation research firm. Additional bonus pay figures will roll in as additional companies file reports on 2008, and we will see at that time whether the pattern continues.
• Fortune 1,000 CEOs received an additional $66 million in “discretionary” bonus pay. Annual bonuses are linked to some performance target.  Typically, boards can hand out discretionary bonuses for whatever reason they choose.
• Pay packages for CEOs at larger companies totaled about $10 million on average last year, according to Equilar.

How does CEO compensation affect employee motivation?  Employees are accustomed to bosses earning a lot of money, and most believe that when you have the top job you deserve to be compensated accordingly.  The problem is that as the economy keeps bumping along, and publicity about CEO pay reaches a fever pitch, people remain resentful about how much some leaders are taking in salary and bonus packages, at least at America’s top corporations.  

Employees know that it isn’t just the CEO who is making these decisions.  A strong perception has developed that the committees determining pay are rigging the game; setting up vague and flexible criteria that keep bonuses rolling no matter how badly a company performs.

The article quotes Timothy Smith of Walden Asset Managment, a social and environmental investment shop that monitors compensation, as saying, “Compensation committees are on automatic pilot.  They continue to reward top management while shareholders and employees suffer.”  In addition, the metrics used are being called into question — as more of an “excuse” to dole out a bonus, than a good reason.

As I’ve observed many times in this blog, there are thousands, hundreds of thousands, probably millions of CEOs out there who making major sacrifices for their companies, including their own compensation.   It remains to be seen whether the big corporations will begin to do the same.  Will they adhere to performance as the one and only metric for compensation?  If they do, it could mean a real change in perception, that would significantly enhance employee engagement and motivation.

There are few reasonable people who would argue that executives of major corporations should not earn a great living for their hard work - it’s simply that they lose risk losing credibility when they tie employees pay to performance, and not their own.

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According to new research, employee engagement decreased during the first year of the recession and has since bounced back. Modern Survey’s Employee Engagement Index found in February 2009, more employed American adults than in August 2008 said they take pride in their company, see a promising future there, and go “above and beyond” for the company’s good.

“It’s important to note that our survey only included people who haven’t lost their jobs and are currently employed,” said Bruce Campbell, a Senior Consultant at Modern Survey. “I think most people these days realize that there is nothing like a guarantee of job security anymore. Most of us know good, hard working people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Perhaps more than ever, employees are feeling a real sense of gratitude that they still have jobs, and have come to understand that the best thing they can do to improve their chances of keeping their jobs is to do whatever they can to contribute to the near-term success and long-term viability of the organizations they work for.”

Modern Survey says these results suggest that the majority of employees are motivated to do their part to help the organizations they work for survive the current economic crisis. That’s what I call a strong, common purpose.  They’ve rallied around their organization knowing that it may not survive without their enthusiasm, energy and support. 

As the survey authors report, that’s very good news for executives and managers in the short term. But looking forward, what can employers expect as the economy eventually recovers and employment opportunities begin to improve?

According to Modern Survey’s President, Don MacPherson, there has been a major shift in how people view their employment. “Right now many people feel very fortunate to have their jobs. A year ago the same people may have felt they were entitled to their jobs. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by a job cut or layoff. The surge in cuts and general employment uncertainty is real enough to change perceptions and behaviors.”

Because behaviors have been changed does not mean they will last. MacPherson says organizations need to pay attention to their employees now more than ever. “The last thing you want to do as a manager or senior leader is take your employees for granted now. Companies will have fewer people taking on greater responsibilities. Those organizations that neglect their employees by failing to provide recognition or developmental opportunities risk losing people as the economy improves and other opportunities present themselves.

“I can’t stress the importance enough of checking in with your employees throughout this downturn. No management team wants to struggle during these challenging times only to lose those people who got the company through it because they were ignored.”

When I wrote Motivate Like a CEO, we were at the beginning of a downturn that no one could have anticipated would be as deep, wide and painful as it has been.  Yet, it became clear that the principles of motivating and inspiring a team that worked in good times were even more important to know, in times of hardship.

If your employees are highly motivated now, will they feel as united and committed when the economy improves?  This depends upon how well you engage them.  Here is a brief on the eight principles of motivating through communication:

1.   It begins with you: your purpose and passion - a leader can only motivate others if he or she feels passionate about the work and the organization

2.   Communicate a clear powerful mission - beyond survival, what is the exciting vision you want your employees to embrace?

3.  Learn what motivates people - after the economy begins to recover and they feel more secure in their jobs, what else will keep them as engaged as they are now?

4.  Make a personal connection with others - in times of crisis, leaders tend to retreat and carry the weight of the world on their shoulders but instead they need to reach out to others.

5.  Make the conversation about them - the easiest way to discover what connects people to your organization is to ask them.  Find out what they love and what they find rewarding.

6.  Praise, recognize and reward - a precision tool in leadership, which allows you to recognize the employees who represent the behaviors and values you want to drive through the culture

7.  Walk the talk - when people see the leader of their team or organization doing right by others, they are proud of where they work and try to emulate those behaviors and actions.

8.  Empower people - in a crisis - you’re looking for great ideas and give people latitude to execute.  Be sure you continue to show the same confidence in them when things improve.

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The turnaround is coming.  You may already feel it.  The phone is starting to ring. Customers are coming out of their caves.  They’re talking about new projects and purchases they’ve been putting off, things that they just don’t want to delay any more.  Yes, budgets are tight, but you sense things beginning to happen.  It’s in the air.  And, you may think you’re more than ready– it’s been a long, cold winter.  But is your organization ready for the upturn?  Are your leaders ready to lead in this new world?   

Let me give you an example of where some companies may get tripped up.  Let’s say you’ve completed anticipated layoffs but the restructuring is midstream; there is still a lot of confusion within businesses or groups, as people try to figure out roles, responsibilities and priorities.  Leaders who are new in their roles are just locking in on strategic objectives and have not yet communicated those to their teams.  

A round of musical chairs at the top – with new people in key positions, creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty.  If they were promoted from the ranks to take their boss’s place, they may have the raw talent, but lack the preparation and training.  Sure you can watch them sink or swim, but you need everybody swimming right now.  They have to be effective immediately.  This means learning to think and act strategically, and also being able to effectively communicate a plan and get people moving in one direction.

A leader’s role is really not to do the work, but to motivate and inspire others to do the work of the enterprise.  And these workers have been through the ringer over the past 12 to 17 months.   Many employees are still stressed out.  Their spouses may still be unemployed, they’ve taken pay cuts, their former colleagues and friends may still be out of work, and they may not be certain the other shoe isn’t about to drop. 

This means your leaders must manage the emotional side of their organizations, create a positive, productive atmosphere.  They need to listen well and develop a strong feedback loop so they know what’s really going on deep in their organizations, where the creativity lives.  They need to be able to cull the best ideas and energize their teams to innovate and find solutions.  This requires a level of communication skill that many leaders have not yet developed.  They’re excellent technically and have good business minds, but now they need to communicate as leaders.

In addition, there’s the issue of attracting and retaining the best talent.  If your company grew leaner over the last six months, that’s probably a good thing; however, if you had cut with an ax instead of a scalpel, you’ve had some brain drain.  This may leaves gaping holes that you need to fill – talent you need to hire.  That’s exciting.  But also daunting. 

One secret to attracting new talent is to have leaders in place who are known for their ability to develop people.  Talented young people want to go to work for leaders they admire and respect.  Knowledge workers and high potentials are looking for a boss who appreciates them, engages them and understands their value.  So getting ready for the upturn is something your organization needs to take seriously.  In the new world, leaders have to be very good at connecting top talent to the organization and creating a strong culture.  

We’re not there yet.  We’re poised for the return of the buyer.  The Business Roundtable First Quarter 2009 CEO Economic Outlook Survey found CEOs actually expect a decrease in sales, capital expenditures and employment.  However, it’s coming soon.  Harold McGraw Hill III, Chairman of the group, as well as Chairman, President and CEO Of the McGraw-Hill Companies, said, “Fortunately, both U.S. and foreign governments have recognized this need (for economic stimulus) and taken significant steps to spark demand. And while recently implemented Administration policies will take time to have an impact, they already have begun to restore confidence in our markets, which is a critical first step.”

Six months is no time…in business … everybody knows you need to be ahead of the curve.  That means preparing your leaders to lead.  There is nothing more valuable than the ramp up time you have right now to develop their talents and skills.  When business returns, the companies that invested in their leaders will be the ones poised to seize the day.    

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