Is this website going racy? No, not in that sense.

On the phone with a former colleague of mine he was lamenting how he has to fly to a tropical destination to attend President’s Club. For those who are not familiar with the term, ‘President’s Club’ is an annual reward bestowed to salespersons who have achieved a milestone and typically met or exceeded their goals. Their employer treats them typically to a trip – could be other incentives – to a coveted location.

Sounds good.

Then again… motivation is personal. My friend was hating it and sounded particularly unhappy about it. This person had obviously achieved his sales targets and been placed in an elite category to be offered this incentive (membership?), but the company had managed to ruin his proverbial day by offering him a free aeroplane ticket and stay somewhere far away. Perhaps it was the pandemic, perhaps it was the long flight or the discomfort of being away from home or family, it really does not matter, but he was irritated to be going to “club” where he sarcastically complained would have to spend time with his boss “the VP of sales in a speedo.”

What is wrong with this picture? The presumption that everyone is motivated in the same way coupled with no one being willing to stick their necks out to do things differently means that – COVID-19 aside – companies organize ‘club’ events not really acknowledging that motivation may mean different things to different people. Not being an accountant this writer cannot vouch for the accuracy of this statement, but conventional knowledge has it that companies can deduct part of the costs of the Club by incorporating educational sessions into the schedule.

So, companies need to understand what motivates their people and personalise their approaches. My own assumption is that most people would be motivated by the opportunity to attend President’s Club, be recognized, network and receive some education as well. Then again, perhaps that is not true or a proportion of people simply play along because they believe it is expected of them to react a certain way. What a shame.

Things That Need To Go Away: Companies Motivating Their Employees Without Finding Out What Actually Motivates Their Employees