Connect with us

Success Advice

What It Really Means to Be a High Achiever in a Culture of Lazy

Published

on

employee motivation
Image Credit: Twenty20.com

Keeping employees interested in their work has been an increasingly difficult challenge for today’s employers. Whether it’s due to a generational shift of Millennials fully entering the workforce or an increasingly distracted society across the board, the vast majority of American workers are not passionate about their work.

This dispassionate workforce is causing large-scale problems, for both workers and the companies that employ them. When young people become immersed in cultural laziness, it can be hard to become a high achiever, but there is a path for those willing to do what it takes to be a top performer, and it’s simpler than you might think.

Laziness by the Numbers

According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly two-thirds of American workers are either unengaged or actively disengaged in their job. This leaves only a third of Americans who are actively engaged and passionate about their work. This lack of interest has enormous financial ramifications for companies due to all of this lost productivity.

Research from McLean & Company, estimates that a disengaged employee costs a company $3,400 out of every $10,000 in annual salary, or 34% of their wages. That means a disengaged employee who earns $75,000 costs their organization $25,500 per year due to a lack of productivity. If roughly two-thirds of workers are disengaged, this adds up to billions of dollars lost across the economy.

“To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.” – Khalil Gibran

Motivation: Whose Job is it Anyway?

There are two schools of thought when it comes to employee motivation: Either managers need to actively motivate their employees, or employees need to step their game up and figure out what they actually like doing. Stefan Aarnio, a highly successful real estate investor, author, coach, and speaker, falls squarely into the second camp. He attributes his company’s success to the culture of high accountability and high performance he cultivated over the years.

It all began with Aarnio honing his own intrinsic motivation over the years by discovering, and then doing, exactly what he loves to do. In Aarnio’s own words, “you don’t need the resistance of waking up every day and doing things that you hate doing, life is too short for that”, and he expects those he hires to follow the same logic. When you love what you do, you don’t need a manager to constantly poke and prod you to gin up some motivation, however fleeting it might be.

It may seem like common advice that only works for the wealthy, but doing what you love really is the simple solution to the scores of dispassionate workers plaguing the workforce of today. People are trained to believe that they should get the highest paying job they can get regardless of how it makes them feel.

“You don’t build a business, you build people, and then people build the business.” – Zig Ziglar

Aarnio believes this is shortsighted and will ultimately lead to a sad and dispassionate life. By being attuned to what makes him passionate, and expecting the same from his employees, Aarnio has been able to flip the script and develop a culture of passion and high achievement.

How do you motivate your team to want to show up every single day? Comment below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Success Advice

How to Build Trust, Kill Micromanagement, and Lead a Team That Thrives

It is a strategic and structured process involving planning, organizing, influencing, and motivating a group of individuals to achieve common goals.

Published

on

How to build an effective team
Image Credit: Midjourney

In an era of rapid technological change and evolving workplace dynamics, teamwork has become more essential than ever. The ability to collaborate, adapt, and build meaningful connections within teams is no longer a “nice to have”; it’s a requirement. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

How Playing by the Rules Became the Smartest Business Strategy

Success without shortcuts isn’t slower, it’s smarter

Published

on

Playing by the rules in business
Image Credit: Midjourney

Cutting corners can feel like a fast track to success. In startup culture especially, there’s constant pressure to move faster, launch sooner, and disrupt harder. Entrepreneurs are told to “move fast and break things,” and life hacks are everywhere, promising to shave hours off your workload. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

The One Mindset Shift That Made Me Irreplaceable At Work

You don’t need to be in finance to be financially savvy

Published

on

Think like a Chief Finance Officer
Image Credit: Midjourney

In every organization, there are two types of people: those who do their job and those who think like owners. The second group, regardless of their title or role, tends to stand out, move up, and make a bigger impact. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

Stephen Covey’s 8 Leadership Habits That Will Change How You Lead Forever

If you want to lead well, connect deeply, and live fully, you must begin with principles that anchor your character and inspire those around you

Published

on

Stephen Covey’s 8 Leadership Habits
Image Credit: Midjourney

In his influential book Principle-Centered Leadership, Stephen R. Covey explores the values and philosophies that shape impactful, ethical, and lasting leadership. Instead of offering quick fixes or superficial techniques, Covey provides a timeless framework for personal and professional development, one grounded in integrity, fairness, and service. (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending