Ghostwriter Bruce Kasanoff recently wrote an article in which he explored the idea that adults were rather much like seven-year-olds - with limited attention spans and a tendency to push and shove when waiting in long lines - and so they should be motivated in similar ways to seven-year-olds.
Now I know what you're thinking… "Pffft, a seven-year-old? Riiiiiight. I ain't no seven-year-old." But Kasanoff's reasoning is sound, even if it does bruise the ego a little to hear….
He says most people believe that adults possess endless attention spans - that we can go to meeting upon meeting, send a hundred emails, take phone calls, type memos and pitch ideas all without skipping a beat - but the truth is we simply can't.
And if it's true that we're as bombarded as Kasanoff suggests then it would make sense for us to apply a more immediate and less complicated approach to motivation; namely the Theory of Seven (capitalised and named as such, according to Kasanoff, because kids just love goofy names).
The Theory of Seven, derived from lesson learnt teaching his seven-year-old ski group, involves four key points.
Being clear about the next step.
"The second - and I mean the very second - we finish a ski run, my kids want to know what we are doing next. They have no interest in the run after that; it's too much information.
Assume the same is true for your colleagues. Be simple, and focus on what's next."
Not being intellectual.
Kasanoff suggests the best way of getting a message across or changing a behaviour is to use uncomplicated, memorable examples.
"One kid is a great skier, aggressive and talented. But he has a quirk: every time he does a hard ‘skating' stop, he stares at his toes, which shifts his weight in the wrong direction. I tried explaining this, but it just didn't sink in. Finally I said, ‘You must have beautiful toes. You must love your toes so much, you can't help but look at them.'
He thought this was hilarious, and so did the other kids. But then he stopped staring at his toes."
Not assuming that others are idiots.
While seven-year-olds may not possess the knowledge we as adults have they are by no means idiots, and neither are the rest of us.
"If you're not getting through to others, the reason may not be because they "are idiots." The problem may be that you haven't figured out a simple and interesting way to communicate your messages."
Keeping things moving.
Kasanoff likens his group of seven-year-olds waiting in the ski line to adults who get bored and begin to gossip and complain. Adults are no different in this regard, he says.
"If you aspire to lead or motivate others, keep things fresh."
As you can see the ideas put forward are worth pursuing in the workplace, but I must caution against a one-size-fits-all approach. It may be true that adults can benefit from a less complicated and more visual/memorable style of motivation, but it bears remembering that each individual is unique.
Managers and team leaders who explore this approach should have a high level of emotional intelligence and be able to adjust the level of simplicity or complexity of any explanation to each individual.
To be simple, succinct and memorable without coming off as patronising will be your challenge. If your employees or team feel like they are being treated like seven-year-olds they may not be quite as receptive to your new ideas as you had hoped.
Staff Training is a soft skills training provider. Email your comments to comments@StaffTraining.co.za