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Motivating the Personnel at a New Zone or Station
When you take over a new station or zone there is
a heightened level of concern and anxiety. Members of
the staff tend to put their best foot forward as they
evaluate you and your methods. Within reasonable
limits, this increased concern can motivate them to
better performance. So don’t restabilize too quickly. It’s
not necessary to reassure them that you’re a good guy
right off the bat. You have their attention — and that’s
good. As one NRD CO said, “Don’t smile till
Christmas.”
Learn to Make People Want to Do Better
Recognize individual wants and needs and show
your people how doing better is a real benefit to them.
Sound familiar? Motivation and sales are a lot alike.
Encourage Risk Taking and Initiative
Part of motivating your people is to encourage them
to take initiatives even at the risk of failing. To set up
a conducive environment, you must be tolerant of
mistakes and intolerant of inertia. The only wrong action
is no action. Recruiting is not a cut-and-dried business.
New ideas are crucial to keep us competitive in today’s
markets.
Different Motivational Tactics for Different People
We need to be constantly aware of the differences
between people.
You should change or modify
motivational techniques for different personalities. Not
all your folks are going to respond to the same catalyst.
KNOWING YOUR PEOPLE
We are in the people business. You blueprint
prospects during the conversation step of the sale to
determine how the Navy can help them. You also need
to blueprint your recruiters to determine how you can
best help them be successful. Now, we’re not advocating
sending out questionnaires or filling in a prospect card.
Just talk to your recruiters, ask questions, and most
importantly, listen.
Strengths and Weaknesses
You must know the strengths and weaknesses of
your assigned recruiters. You will need this information
when planning training and making task assignments.
Recognize your recruiters’ strengths as assets and use
them to help others. Most recruiters’ weaknesses can be
overcome by training and motivation. You must
acknowledge some, however, as limitations that are
inevitable. Weigh these limitations when recommending
assignments.
Goals and Aspirations
All recruiting supervisors should be aware of their
recruiters’ goals and aspirations. You cannot set goals
for them, but you have the responsibility to encourage
and educate them. You should know what goals they
have set for themselves as far as awards, qualifications,
billet assignments, and advancement. It is up to you to
show them how to best achieve their goals.
Ideals and Convictions
Knowing your people includes understanding what
is important to them. What are their ideals? What
convictions do they have? This information is important
if you are to afford them the proper respect and
consideration they are due. Open and sincere discussions
with your people with some keen observations will
answer these questions.
TEAM BUILDING
We cannot overemphasize the need to build a team
instead of just running a station or zone. The saying,
“United we stand, divided we fall,” is a proven fact in
recruiting. Results are always better when you have
many working toward a common goal than they would
be if everyone is working independently. In recruiting,
teamwork can make the job a lot more enjoyable as well
as fruitful. To build a team, it’s useful to take a look at
the normal stages of team growth.
Stages of Team Growth
Every group goes through the following stages as
they form and develop:
l Forming. In this stage the group is checking out
the situation, the leader, and each other. Everyone is
getting to know one another. Questions abound. Small
groups within the whole group often form. Camaraderie
begins.
l Storming. Human nature dictates that we will
see how far we can go. During the storming stage,
members of the group will often test the leader to
determine limits of accepted behavior. There may be
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