Progress Overview

Progress is a powerful concept that can greatly motivate individuals. In youth sports, the drive home with parents can be demotivating when they focus on areas for improvement instead of acknowledging progress. The Gallup Organization found that when people are recognized for their strengths, they engage eight times more. Rather than assuming trouble, calling employees into the office for positive reasons can be powerful. A study at Harvard showed that people are most motivated when they are progressing and improving in their job, not just by rewards or money. Progress is indeed a powerful force. Now, when we think about the term progress or progressing or improvement, I love the term progress because obviously when you think about progress coaching and you think about a book done at Harvard called The Progress Principle, progress is a very, very powerful attribute. Let me give you an example. You know when kids play youth sports and they are done with their youth sports career, there's a great study done at the Positive Coaching Alliance and they asked them a question, what's the one thing you loved and what was the one thing, the number one thing you disliked about youth sports? The number one thing they disliked was the drive home with the parents. Why? Because they would typically say things like, well, you played pretty good, but, and then they unload on the 17 things a kid needs to improve. It's demotivating. Progress is a powerful principle. The Gallup Organization reports when you lead with what people do well, lead with their strengths, do you know they engage eight times more? Progress is powerful. Think about it from this context. We call someone into the office and we ask an employee, I need to see my office right away. What's the employee's first response? I literally just did that at a presentation at a conference with over 200 attendees. When I came back to the question, I said, how many of you answered that question of when you are called into the office as an employee and your response was, uh-oh, I must have done something wrong or I'm in trouble. Stand up. Every person in that room stood up. Progress is powerful. Call people into the office for the good stuff. Specify the areas where they're progressing. Teresa Amable did a great study at Harvard, and she showed that 76% of the time, people were at their most motivated state when they were progressing and improving in their job. It was not reward, recognition, and money. Progress is powerful.