You are going to have these stumbling blocks often. Most often, the obstacles don’t come from things or situations; they arise from the people you are handling. When I was hiring people for my new business a few years ago, a friend told me that the best thing I could do to ensure my business ran smoothly was not to employ people at all!
That might be possible a few years down the line, with the Internet taking over completely, but right now, we do need people to work with. Even though we are working online, we are dealing with people.
So, it is not really possible right now to eliminate the human factor from our dealings completely.
The fact is that we need people, and that these people would be a great asset for us only if we are able to motivate them. These people should be supercharged so that they can work for themselves and for the group itself.
But, how do you handle the very negative trait of obstinacy? You are going to come across it a lot. Obstinacy happens when people have a radically different opinion and are staunchly stuck on it. For all that it takes; obstinacy needs to be stemmed out. It needs to be removed so that the way to progress is etched out more profoundly.
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In this chapter, we shall deal with the various ways in which you can not only snuff out obstinacy within your team, but you can also motivate these people to do a great job for the team.
You can turn obstinacy around, whether it is in your friend or son or your business team. It is possible to motivate and encourage these people so that they work in a more positive manner and become an asset for the team or group that they are working with.
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Motivating the Most Obstinate People in Your Group—Is It Possible?
Obstinacy is generally a sign of inflexibility and ignorance. But when you come against it, particularly as part of a team that you are heading, you could well end up wanting to bang your head against a brick wall.
There is a story that goes something like this. Ralph Waldo Emerson and his son Edward were trying to persuade a calf into the barn. However, pushing and shoving was not yielding the desired results. The son clung to the neck and Ralph pushed from behind but with no results. The calf stuck to her ground.
An Irish peasant who was passing offered to help. Going to the front of the calf, she stuck her finger into its mouth and the calf quietly and without a demur followed her into the barn.
What is the moral of the story? Most people are like the calf. If you get after them against their will and prod and push them to act according to your agenda, you will only succeed in getting them to dig their heels in and they will not budge an inch. However, if you provide them with some form of motivation (perhaps by helping they understand why you want them to act in a particular fashion and what is in it for them), then chances are you will get them moving.
Good executives or leaders get their work done and their ends achieved by motivating their employees to give their best both individually as well as a team. They are willing to ignore individual weaknesses and to concentrate on using their people’s best strengths.
They are concerned more with what they can do rather than what
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they cannot. They understand that to get the most out of them, they will need to motivate them.
President Lincoln understood the importance of motivation.
When he was told that General Ulysses S. Grant had a drinking problem, he responded, “If I knew his brand, I’d send a barrel to all the other generals also.”
Motivation has to come from inside. So as a leader you need to know what all is going on inside the obstinate individual, what are his likes and dislikes, more important his fears and his phobias. Once you know which buttons to push the rest becomes much easier. Some people respond to money, others to recognition. Ask any crooked businessperson how to motivate a powerful politician and he will give you the right answers!
You need to attack on several fronts, economic, emotional, recognition, self-expression, self-respect and self-fulfillment. Check where your recalcitrant team member stands on all these issues.
Identify the things that will mean the most to them and then make a plan that will provide them a solution that best meets these needs.
Like Mary’s little lamb, they will be ready to follow you for the rest of your life.
The best way to motivate even the most obstinate person is to see how best you can help them to succeed and achieve their own personal goals.
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Motivating Secret 1—
Precise Communication
