11 Ways to Motivate Geeks - Tips from the book Leading Geeks
Every leader wants a motivated group, but many find that motivating technology workers is quite different from motivating other employees. Here are a few tips from the book "Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead People Who Deliver Technology":
1. Select Wisely. The most important thing a leader can do to encourage intrinsic motivation is to assign work to geeks who have an interest in the work.
2. Manage Meaning. The second most important thing a leader can do is to give a geek some sense of the larger significance of their work. Without a sense of meaning, motivation suffers, and day-to-day decisions become difficult. It is easy for geeks to become mired in the ambiguous world of questions, assumptions, and provisional facts characteristic of technical work.
3. Communicate Significance. It is very important for managers to be explicit about the role a new technology plays in a business; otherwise, some will misunderstand the centrality of their work, and others may develop delusions of grandeur.
4. Show Career Path. Many geeks have only a vague sense that there's more to advancing their careers than just acquiring new technical knowledge. Be specific about what competencies a geek must demonstrate to advance their career.
5. Projectize. Projects help turn work into a game, and geeks love games with objectives that delineate both goals and success criteria.
6. Encourage Isolation. While geeks need free-flowing communication within their own work groups, collective seclusion provides fertile soil for motivation, cultivating cohesion and concentration.
7. Engender External Competition. Healthy competition can enhance group cohesion.
8. Design Interdependence. When a colleague is relying on you to complete your work, it's much easier to put in the extra effort for them than it is just to meet some externally imposed deadline.
9. Limit Group Size. As group size grows, colleagues become less individuals and more an undistinguished mass of anonymous faces. The larger the workgroup, the less conducive the environment for developing intrinsic motivation.
10. Control Resource Availability. Whether thinking about money, people, time, or training, there's a delicate balance of resources that will encourage a group's enthusiasm. Too many resources or too few can diminish interest in the work.
11. Offer Free Food... Intermittingly. Never underestimate the power of free food. I can't offer any rational explanation, but for geeks, even those making sizeable incomes, free food offers major support to motivation development, far more than an equivalent amount of cash. - Paul Glen of C2 Consulting
From India, Bangalore
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6Every leader wants a motivated group, but many find that motivating technology workers is quite different from motivating other employees. Here are a few tips from the book "Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead People Who Deliver Technology":
1. Select Wisely. The most important thing a leader can do to encourage intrinsic motivation is to assign work to geeks who have an interest in the work.
2. Manage Meaning. The second most important thing a leader can do is to give a geek some sense of the larger significance of their work. Without a sense of meaning, motivation suffers, and day-to-day decisions become difficult. It is easy for geeks to become mired in the ambiguous world of questions, assumptions, and provisional facts characteristic of technical work.
3. Communicate Significance. It is very important for managers to be explicit about the role a new technology plays in a business; otherwise, some will misunderstand the centrality of their work, and others may develop delusions of grandeur.
4. Show Career Path. Many geeks have only a vague sense that there's more to advancing their careers than just acquiring new technical knowledge. Be specific about what competencies a geek must demonstrate to advance their career.
5. Projectize. Projects help turn work into a game, and geeks love games with objectives that delineate both goals and success criteria.
6. Encourage Isolation. While geeks need free-flowing communication within their own work groups, collective seclusion provides fertile soil for motivation, cultivating cohesion and concentration.
7. Engender External Competition. Healthy competition can enhance group cohesion.
8. Design Interdependence. When a colleague is relying on you to complete your work, it's much easier to put in the extra effort for them than it is just to meet some externally imposed deadline.
9. Limit Group Size. As group size grows, colleagues become less individuals and more an undistinguished mass of anonymous faces. The larger the workgroup, the less conducive the environment for developing intrinsic motivation.
10. Control Resource Availability. Whether thinking about money, people, time, or training, there's a delicate balance of resources that will encourage a group's enthusiasm. Too many resources or too few can diminish interest in the work.
11. Offer Free Food... Intermittingly. Never underestimate the power of free food. I can't offer any rational explanation, but for geeks, even those making sizeable incomes, free food offers major support to motivation development, far more than an equivalent amount of cash. - Paul Glen of C2 Consulting
From India, Bangalore
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It's great to see that you're seeking ways to motivate your tech team! Here are some practical ways to implement the strategies you've mentioned from the "Leading Geeks" book:
1. 💯 Select Wisely - When assigning tasks, consider the geek's skills, experience, and interests. This will increase their likelihood of being engaged and motivated.
2. 📚 Manage Meaning - Regularly communicate the bigger picture behind their tasks. It could be during team meetings, one-on-one sessions, or through newsletters.
3. 🗯️ Communicate Significance - Explain how their work impacts the business. This could be done through sharing business updates, success stories, and customer feedback.
4. 🚀 Show Career Path - Create a clear career progression chart showing the competencies required at each level. This can be shared during performance reviews or onboarding sessions.
5. 🔒 Projectize - Turn work into mini-projects with set objectives and deadlines. Use project management tools like Trello or Asana to track progress.
6. 🧖‍♂️ Encourage Isolation - Provide a dedicated workspace for your tech team. This could be a separate office, meeting room, or even virtual private channels.
7. 👩‍💻 Engender External Competition - Organize coding competitions or hackathons with other teams or companies. This will foster a competitive spirit and improve team bonding.
8. 🕋 Design Interdependence - Encourage collaboration by assigning tasks that require teamwork. This can be done through pair programming, code reviews, or shared projects.
9. 🤴 Limit Group Size - Maintain a small team size for better individual attention and motivation. If you have a large team, consider breaking them into smaller sub-teams or squads.
10. 🛠️ Control Resource Availability - Regularly check on your team's workload and provide necessary resources. This can be done through regular check-ins, surveys, or feedback sessions.
11. 🍕 Offer Free Food...Intermittently - Surprise your team with free food occasionally. It could be ordering pizza for the team, organizing a potluck lunch, or providing snacks in the office pantry.
Remember, the key is to keep communication open and regular with your team. Regular feedback and recognition will also go a long way in keeping your tech team motivated. Good luck!
From India, Gurugram
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1. 💯 Select Wisely - When assigning tasks, consider the geek's skills, experience, and interests. This will increase their likelihood of being engaged and motivated.
2. 📚 Manage Meaning - Regularly communicate the bigger picture behind their tasks. It could be during team meetings, one-on-one sessions, or through newsletters.
3. 🗯️ Communicate Significance - Explain how their work impacts the business. This could be done through sharing business updates, success stories, and customer feedback.
4. 🚀 Show Career Path - Create a clear career progression chart showing the competencies required at each level. This can be shared during performance reviews or onboarding sessions.
5. 🔒 Projectize - Turn work into mini-projects with set objectives and deadlines. Use project management tools like Trello or Asana to track progress.
6. 🧖‍♂️ Encourage Isolation - Provide a dedicated workspace for your tech team. This could be a separate office, meeting room, or even virtual private channels.
7. 👩‍💻 Engender External Competition - Organize coding competitions or hackathons with other teams or companies. This will foster a competitive spirit and improve team bonding.
8. 🕋 Design Interdependence - Encourage collaboration by assigning tasks that require teamwork. This can be done through pair programming, code reviews, or shared projects.
9. 🤴 Limit Group Size - Maintain a small team size for better individual attention and motivation. If you have a large team, consider breaking them into smaller sub-teams or squads.
10. 🛠️ Control Resource Availability - Regularly check on your team's workload and provide necessary resources. This can be done through regular check-ins, surveys, or feedback sessions.
11. 🍕 Offer Free Food...Intermittently - Surprise your team with free food occasionally. It could be ordering pizza for the team, organizing a potluck lunch, or providing snacks in the office pantry.
Remember, the key is to keep communication open and regular with your team. Regular feedback and recognition will also go a long way in keeping your tech team motivated. Good luck!
From India, Gurugram
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Leadership & Motivation.pdf
Motivation & Leadership.pps