A Simple Way to Motivate Your Team

What you see in this picture is a small but important ceremony that takes place each week in The Winter Lab in Laguna. That is a samurai figurine there in the middle being passed from one team member to another.

In Japan, the samurai exemplified the traditions of honor and self-discipline. The samurai were warriors who believed in respectful, ethical behaviors. The samurai held themselves to exceptionally high standards as examples to others.

And in The Winter Lab, the samurai figurine represents the best of what we can be. It is given each week to a team member who has done something to honor the traditions and ethics and standards of the lab in an exceptional way.

What I love about this is how inspirational this award has become among the team, how meaningful it is for them to have that samurai sitting in their workspace for the week. And that's a lesson for anyone who leads a team.

Incentives can take many forms. Some, like the passing of the samurai, are simple recognition awards with no financial component. Others are purely economic incentives. Whether to implement a rewards system and what form it should take are contentious issues among dentists.

What is your feeling on reward strategies in general? Are they a great way to keep the team motivated, or are they more trouble than they're worth? Do they get “tired” and lose their incentive value over time, or do you find you're able to keep it fresh and energized so that it retains it incentive power? Share your thoughts below.