Group Self-Esteem
Just as individuals have
self-esteem--a sense of worth--so do groups. This is more than simply feeling good; it reflects competence, confidence and assertiveness. Individuals with low self-esteem, as described by the
National Association for Self-Esteem, lack these qualities and also "frequently blame others for their shortcomings rather than take responsibility for their actions." These are all individual and aggregate traits.
One of a manager's jobs is to motivate, which is generally providing some incentive that changes behavior. There are different models, but one approach is summed up as:
In a recent Workforce article, "The Ten Ironies of Motivation," reward and recognition guru Bob Nelso says, "More than anything else, employees want to be valued for a job well done by those they hold in high esteem." He added people want to be treated as if they are adult human beings.
There is a lot of advice about how to affect self-esteem, which can positively motivate people. Or, more precisely, to help people motivate themselves. A Gallup Youth Survey, for example, shows teens are twice as likely to be self-motivated. Adults work for money and sometimes only for money. We are each self-driven to a certain performance level, and what we feel about it defines our self-esteem.
But as a group, how does your laboratory feel about itself? Does it feel valuable and valued, or expendable and ignored? And are these feelings rooted in external or internal motivators? We need to hold ourselves as a group in high esteem to feel motivated to succeed.
If not, then you need a plan to fix it. This can mean getting the attention of administration, breaking through destructive relationships with other departments, or confronting the "slugs" in your midst who bring down the group. Hoping the problem will go away means not only losing your best people but being unable to attract replacements.