I Don’t have the Time to Motivate You….

Hiring a self-motivated staff is one of the most important things you can do as a business leader. Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, says that the companies that achieve the highest levels of performance focus on finding the right people before anything else. They build their team even before defining their business strategy, business goals, or tactics.

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In his book Full Engagement, Brian Tracy echoes this sentiment by attributing 95 percent of a manager’s success to his or her ability to select the right team members.

It generally doesn’t matter what kind of job self-motivated people are doing—they still do it well. Even prior to the Internet bubble burst of the 1990s, venture capital firms openly admitted that, in most cases, they invested in a leader or management team, not necessarily a business idea or concept. A well-put-together team with talented individuals can “pivot” and work out issues associated with a flawed product or business model. They rise above and come up with something that works.

All great ideas run into unforeseen road blocks and rely on superior execution. Weak management teams bank on great ideas, and strong management teams execute on plans and adapt to changing conditions.

A solid team gives your organization a huge competitive advantage. You are equipped with smart, hard-working people who can go wherever you need to make money.

If one business model is not working, turn on a dime and adopt a new model. Your staff’s internal desire to succeed changes the game.

Self-motivated employees don’t need to be prodded to take on new challenges. They take the initiative to learn new technologies and skills and apply them to make your company better and more competitive.

Jamie Troia is President of Greystack Digital Marketing and author of Stern Rules!