Incentives always work if they are attractive to those who receive them, and if they are structured to motivate the exact behavior you intend. And that is sometimes difficult to assess, until you watch how people view them. What is surprising is that even small incentives can be very productive and create a fun team atmosphere.
Many businesses use small incentives such as branded tee-shirts, restaurant gift cards, shopping gift cards, coffee gift cards, and other small gifts to provide small rewards to recognize team members who accomplish targeted objectives. These small incentives can be very positive in motivating a team and getting them to focus on achieving their objectives. Celebrate success with your team by providing small incentives to recognize smaller milestones that help you achieve your bigger goals.
Big incentives also work. Some companies work with their teams to establish what are called Big Hairy Audacious Goals, (BHAGs) a term coined by author and business expert, Jim Collins. BHAGs create momentum to do something great as a team. Deciding to put a man on the moon was a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. They can include a long term vision for the company, or a sales goal that seems almost un-achievable, that if accomplished would be an exemplary achievement for your team.
Setting big goals and providing a big incentive to those who accomplish them, can be very powerful to a team. Some companies have established sales goals that if achieved made the company extremely profitable, and they share the results with their team by taking them and their significant others to a popular destination such as Las Vegas or DisneyWorld. The team knows that a reward like that is exceptional, and they can create significant excitement towards achieving some sigificant goals.
Whether you decide to provide small incentives or big ones, use them to help create a fun team atmosphere and to create focus on accomplishing objectives that help grow your practice.
