100 Ways to Motivate Others : How Great Leaders Can Produce Insane Results Without Driving People Crazy

know
that if you really do these
activities without ceasing, you 
will
get results. So they
manage the activities. They need to change that and
manage results. They need to hold people accountable
for the results they are getting, and 
not
how hard they
are trying. The minute a manager falls for how hard
Coach the Outcome

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people are trying, he has broken the cause-and-effect
link.
If you, as manager, ask them, “How much X do you
do?” they will ask, “How do I learn a better technique for
X?” And while better techniques are always good, it’s not
the point here. You are now discussing results. They will
subconsciously try to steer you away from results into tech-
nique. Just like a child does with a parent! “Dad, I tried,
but I can’t! I can’t do it!” Discuss technique after the com-
mitment to results is clarified.
Non-producers, at the deepest level, do not yet 
want
to get the result. You have to understand this so you won’t
go crazy trying to figure them out. They don’t want the
result. They want the job. They want your approval. They
want to be seen as “really trying.” But deep down, they
don’t want the result. It’s that simple.
The truly great managers spend most of their time
helping good producers go from 10 muffins to 15. They
have fun. They are creative. They feed off of their pro-
ducers’ skills and enthusiasm. Their teams constantly out-
perform other teams. Why? Because other teams’ managers
have been hypnotized by their non-producers. Their non-
producers actually become good salespeople selling the
wrong thing. Selling you the 
worst
thing: “there is 
no
cause
and effect...there is 
no
guarantee.”
Simplify. Focus on results. You will always get what
you focus on. If you merely focus on activities, that’s what
you’ll get: a whole lot of activities. But if you focus on
results, that’s what you’ll get: a whole lot of results.

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21. Create a Game
Although some people think that life is a battle,
it is actually a game of giving and receiving.
—Florence Scovel Shinn, Philosopher/Author
Complete this sentence with the first word that pops
into your head: “Life is a ____.”
What came to mind first? (Let’s hope the popular
bumper sticker, “Life is a Bitch and Then You Die” did
not come to mind.)
Whatever comes to mind first, here’s something that you
(and we) can be sure of: that is exactly how life now is for you.
What was your answer? In a poll of mid-level manag-
ers, the most common answer was “Life is a battle.” But
in a poll of senior executives, the most common answer
was “Life is a game.”
Which version of life would you choose if you had a
choice?
To be as motivational a leader as you can possibly be,
you might want to show your people that life with you is a
game.
What makes any activity a game? There needs to be
some way to keep score, to tell whether people are win-
ning or losing. Then it becomes pure fun.
So be clear that although all kinds of prizes may be
attached to the game, the game itself is being played for
the sheer fun of it.
How can you incorporate this into your life?
Create a Game

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Chuck Coonradt, a longtime friend and mentor, is a
management consultant and the best-selling author of