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Motivate What Matters | The GrowthPro Edge · The GrowthPro Edge

• 0:00
  Denise: Welcome to the GrowthPro Edge.
• 0:02
  We're here to help scale your business, build stronger teams,
• 0:06
  and sharpen your leadership skills.
• 0:11
  Hello and welcome to the GrowthPro Edge.
• 0:13
  I'm your host, Denise Killian with the GrowthPro
• 0:16
  Amber: Group.
• 0:17
  Denise: This week we're gonna be talking about employee motivation,
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  how to motivate your folks.
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  To make sure that they stay with you on how to do it in a genuine way.
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  And we're gonna be speaking with Amber Lambert with Betson.
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  So let's get started and learn how we can grow today.
• 0:37
  Amber Lambert, welcome to the GrowthPro Edge.
• 0:40
  It's great to have you here.
• 0:41
  Oh,
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  Amber: thanks for having me.
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  Denise: Uh, listen, I'm very excited to talk about employee
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  motivation because I think it's something that so many companies.
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  Struggle with, but before we delve into that, why don't you introduce yourself
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  to our GrowthPro Edge audience and tell us a little bit about who you are.
• 1:01
  Amber: Okay.
• 1:02
  Yeah.
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  So, um, my name is Amber Lambert and I work for Tson.
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  Um, right now I help, um, locations make more money with their arcades,
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  but I used to own my own family entertainment center and I, um, managed.
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  Some corporate owned ones as well.
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  So I've kind of done all of the different aspects, and I am an employee, so I
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  also can tell you what motivates me.
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  So, um, you know, I mean, it's something that, that everybody
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  either has employees, they are an employee, you know, so it really,
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  you know, kind of touches everybody,
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  Denise: right?
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  It, it relates to us all.
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  And I think to begin the conversation, you're starting
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  it at such a perfect place.
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  A lot of times when you move up the chain and you, you become a manager,
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  whether it's a supervisor or a department head or a a, a VP or a president
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  or whatever that trajectory is, we forget about how do we feel, right?
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  When, when the talking about employee motivation.
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  What motivates you and beginning your thought process when you're
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  thinking about your employees?
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  Uh, that's a great place to start.
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  So Amber, what motivates you as an employee?
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  Amber: I mean, what, what motivates me and what motivates
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  you might not be the same thing.
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  So I think a lot of times we try to paint with such a broad brush where,
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  you know, we try to say, Hey, this, this should motivate all of my employees
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  and it's not gonna be the same.
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  And um, I think, you know, you'll end up looking at even generationally, you.
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  The things that motivate younger generations don't
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  motivate older generations.
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  So, um, for me, I'm personally, I love a lot of attaboys, but you know, I also
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  like to put food on my table so that, that is important, you know, so, uh,
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  you can't overlook, you know, a, a good paycheck, but, you know, it depends
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  on where they are in their career.
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  But a lot of times it's just hearing that you did a good job, you know, or.
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  Having somebody remember your birthday, you know, it doesn't have to be something
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  big to motivate somebody or to make them feel special or important or like
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  they're part of the overall picture and not just a number in your scheme.
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  Denise: Yeah, absolutely.
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  And you know, it's funny, I was having this conversation, uh, with a group
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  that I work with, uh, just recently this week in fact, and March 6th is
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  National Employee Recognition Day.
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  So they're talking about trying to do something, you know, on that day for
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  their team members and figuring it out, which I love the idea behind it,
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  but the conversation quickly became.
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  Well, are people gonna care about that?
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  Are they gonna think that's silly?
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  Or, um, you know, we, we gave out gift cards at Christmas and they complained.
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  People complained about that.
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  You know, there's that, that sense.
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  Sometimes that managers feel that, well, no matter what I do, people are
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  gonna complain about it, so why bother?
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  Amber: I mean, I think every day should be employee recognition day.
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  Right?
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  Like, it shouldn't be one day.
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  It's, you know, it's like Mother's Day, right?
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  Celebrating me every day, not just one day of the year.
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  Right.
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  So, um, yeah, I, I kind of agree with you in that aspect is that having a
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  specific day might feel a little forced.
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  Um.
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  But you know, I also think that, you know, you, you do
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  have to walk a fine line, right?
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  Because there is that, that point, you know, it's like
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  giving somebody too cheap a tip.
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  At some point it, it becomes offensive.
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  So, um, you know.
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  In, in my location, I used to take a, a poll or a, you know, it's like
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  a survey when they'd get hired and it would, um, ask 'em what their favorite
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  food was, what their favorite candy bar was, what their favorite drink
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  was, you know, things like that.
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  And so then, you know, when I'd come up with, you know, they were doing a good
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  job, I could bring 'em a candy bar, and it was more personalized, so it wasn't cheap.
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  It felt more, more like.
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  I cared about them and you know, so it doesn't have to cost a lot.
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  And sometimes just throwing money at something is too cheap.
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  You know, where putting the thought behind it actually costs you less
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  money, but you know, means more.
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  Denise: And that's one of the favorite things.
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  You know, and talked about this before you shared that with me, and
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  I just thought it was brilliant.
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  Of having that quick little, little cheat sheet as it were.
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  Because listen, if you've got 50 employees, if you've got a hundred
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  employees, if you've got more than that, there's no way you're gonna remember.
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  Oh gosh.
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  Amber likes Reese's Pieces.
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  Let me make sure I have those, for her to tell her, Hey, you did
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  a really good job on that thing yesterday, or whatever it may be,
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  but you're never gonna remember it.
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  But having that as a taal thing, uh, is a great resource.
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  Uh, and it's the, the genuine spontaneity of that, I think.
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  That makes it feel different than, oh, it's national Employee Appreciation Day.
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  I guess we should do this thing.
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  It becomes genuine.
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  Amber: It's the difference between, you know, your spouse getting you flowers
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  on Valentine's Day or just bringing you flowers on a Tuesday, right?
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  Like the, the Tuesday feels better.
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  It feels more special than, you know, oh, everybody got flowers this day.
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  Like, I, now he can still get me flowers.
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  But you know, like, uh, you know, like you said, it's, it is
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  the spontaneity and that's the, they're not expecting it, you know?
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  Denise: Mm-hmm.
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  Absolutely.
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  Why do you think the notion of motivation has shifted of what used
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  to work maybe doesn't work anymore?
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  What do you think that shift is about?
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  Amber: I think our, I think our culture is going a little more
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  towards, you know, work life balance.
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  And I think that's probably a good thing.
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  You know, in our, in our parents and grandparents age, you would,
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  you know, stay in the same job for, you know, your entire career.
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  You'd retire, they would pay your pension and it's just not like that anymore.
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  There's not the same kind of loyalty to the one company.
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  There's not, um.
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  I mean, I just think, I think our younger generation of employees are
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  kind of pulling us in the direction that a lot of other countries have gone,
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  where, you know, you're, you're not necessarily, you know, living to work.
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  You're working to live.
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  And I think that there's some, some good in that balance and that
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  sometimes us workaholics get kind of tied up in, um, work being,
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  Denise: how do you get that?
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  Figure that out.
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  What priorities should you place as a manager on figuring out what
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  motivates each of your employees?
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  Amber: It depends on what level you are in in management, but I mean,
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  your employees are everything, right?
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  They're, they're the ones that are driving your sales.
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  You know, they're not, you know, you're in business because of them.
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  You can't do all of those jobs.
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  So, um, I think it's very important and it's, you know, turnover costs you money.
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  So, um, the, the happier your employees are, the less turnover,
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  the more money you save.
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  So it's still going to your bottom line.
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  Um, but you know, just getting back to caring about people.
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  Um, but you know, I mean, I think you hit on a really good
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  point about gamifying things.
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  I think that's very important.
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  I you see that in a ton of brands, right?
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  Like, look at Starbucks, then their app, you know, their coffee
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  is pretty standard and average.
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  You know, it's not the the best, but.
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  You're, I'm a loyal Starbucks 'cause I gotta get my stars, right?
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  I gotta collect the stars to get my free cup of coffee, you know?
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  And so, uh, gamifying stuff is definitely a motivation for, for employees
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  and retaining employees motivate me
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  Denise: if the culture's not there.
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  I feel like nothing you do is going to make a difference if
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  there's a problem with the culture.
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  Amber: Well, and I think sometimes when we, we put that
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  toxic label on an employee.
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  You know, you, you kind of wonder are they, did you hire a toxic employee
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  or did you create a toxic employee?
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  Did what, what did you do as the boss or not do to create that
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  environment for that person?
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  Right.
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  You know, I don't think you chose to hire somebody that was toxic.
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  I think, um, they, they tend to get that way for a reason, and, and usually there's
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  something internally that you can look at.
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  If you're really honest with yourself and your culture and, and figure
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  out why they got to that point.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  Denise: There, there's a great book.
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  Uh, it's a little bit dated, uh, but it's still a wonderful book from Good to Great.
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  I don't know if you've read that or not, but one of the best lessons that
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  I took from that book was when there's something that's not quite right as the
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  leader, you'll look to yourself first.
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  So whether that's a bad situation, an employee issue, or a productivity
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  issue, or not hitting your numbers, you start with yourself, what am I doing?
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  You look in the mirror and when things are going really well, it's
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  the outward look at what this person has done to contribute to the success.
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  Look at what that person has done, but starting when it's not quite hitting
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  the mark, starting with yourself.
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  Analyzing, am I doing this right or am I doing it wrong?
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  What am I not doing that I should be doing?
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  Right.
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  Amber: Well, I think turning, you know, turning your pyramid upside down is
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  another way to, to talk about it is, you know, your, the servant league, your,
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  your job is to serve your employees and their job is to serve your guests, right?
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  So it's not the other way around.
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  And I think when we start being the boss instead of being the leader, that's,
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  that's where things start falling apart.
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  Um, so yeah, I think, um, you know, just giving, giving people a purpose
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  is important in your culture to let them know why, you know, it's not
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  just, Hey, 'cause I'm paying you.
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  Well, they can get paid anywhere, right?
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  So they wanna know why, and I, you know, I mean, I've asked that
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  question, why do we do things this way?
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  Oh, we've always done it that way.
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  That's, that's not good enough for me.
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  I need to know why.
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  So I think a lot of people are like that.
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  They wanna know the why, you know, why are they.
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  Um, you know, helping guests or whatever their job is.
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  Denise: And I think when people can connect the why their motivation changes.
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  Amber: Mm-hmm.
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  Denise: Right?
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  When people have an understanding of this is the end goal, this is why
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  it's the end goal that allows them to be more connected to what they're
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  doing, that contributes to that.
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  If they feel a part of something.
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  Amber: Well, I think at, at some point when you stop micromanaging somebody and
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  start, if you just say he, here's where we wanna get to, how would you get there?
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  Well, then they start taking ownership in that instead of giving them all the steps.
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  You know, I, I like to use the analogy about, you know, the dishes.
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  You know, when my husband does the dishes, I'm always like, oh, well
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  you should put 'em in this way.
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  No, just tell 'em that you want 'em clean.
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  And if they're clean, then who cares how they get done?
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  So.
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  Denise: How much do you think that autonomy and that ownership plays
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  into the longevity of an employee?
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  Amber: Oh, a, a ton.
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  A ton.
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  The, you know, the, the more you feel connected to a company, the
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  more, the longer you're gonna stay.
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  So, I mean.
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  Nobody wants to be micromanaged.
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  Nobody.
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  There's nobody that says, Hey, I, you know, want you to
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  give me every step of the way.
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  They wanna feel like they're a part of something and you know,
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  and what's their next step?
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  Like, do you have a path for them?
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  You know, I know in the Family Entertainment Center.
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  Industry, sometimes the path is pretty short, right?
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  You're like, okay, well you're either supervisor or your manager, but you know,
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  you can do little things to get certified on bumper cars or get certified on, you
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  know, let them learn how to pick up a skill like fixing games or something.
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  You know, there's so much they can learn about the industry and the more that
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  you, you know, put into your employees, the more they're gonna give back to you.
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  You
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  Denise: absolutely.
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  I wanna talk about burnout.
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  'cause I think that's the death of motivation.
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  That there, there is a, everything good to an extreme can be bad.
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  Everyone's strength can also be their weakness and, you know Right.
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  If it's an extreme burnout to me.
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  Is that motivation gone too far?
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  That they haven't hit that balance?
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  Um, what, what impact do you think.
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  Is that more of a motivation issue or is that a leadership issue when
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  you've got people who are just coming to you saying, I'm just burned out?
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  Amber: Um, I would say that that's probably more of a leadership issue,
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  but I would, I would say that, you know, I. Um, sometimes you just
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  gotta switch things up, right?
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  People get bored doing the same thing.
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  If you're pushing the button a hundred times a day, you know, let somebody
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  go make some food or do, do something different for a little bit, you know?
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  So, um, make sure all your employees are cross trained and can, can
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  switch up to different positions.
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  Don't, don't pigeonhole them into one thing.
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  Denise: Um,
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  Amber: one of the places I managed when I got there, they had, um,
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  all of the guys were out working out on the go-kart track and all
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  the girls were doing party hosting.
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  And I was like, oh, we're gonna swap this, you know, and some of my, you know,
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  some of the guys were, some of the best party hosts that I had, and some of the
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  girls, you know, man, they learned how to fix cars and they were, they felt so
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  motivated that they learned a new skill.
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  So.
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  You know, just don't, don't pigeonhole people into what you
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  think that they're gonna be good at.
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  'cause you're, you'll be surprised.
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  People surprise you every day.
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  Denise: So if you could give one little nugget of advice of something
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  that people could change or start doing right now to help motivate
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  their team, what would it be?
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  Amber: I'd say, listen.
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  Talk to them and listen without defending, you know, I think a lot
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  of times we get very defensive, especially if we're the business owner.
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  You know, it's like calling my baby ugly.
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  Um, yeah.
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  So just listen to them and be open to try new things.
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  Denise: You'll
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  Amber: be
• 15:58
  Denise: a
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  Amber: surprise.
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  Denise: Fantastic.
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  All right, Amber, uh, we are coming up to the end of our
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  time here on the GrowthPro Edge.
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  So I need to ask you, since we are all about growth, what do you
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  do to keep yourself motivated?
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  Amber: Oh, uh, I, you know, I kind of gamify things for myself
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  as well, so you don't necessarily need somebody else to do that.
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  Um, so, you know, I, I create little goals for myself to, to meet little goals.
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  So I'd say that's probably the most motivating thing for me.
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  Denise: That's fantastic.
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  Love it.
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  Uh, I love making a game.
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  I, I work with someone who is a genius at making anything into a
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  game, and I am telling you it's always so much fun to talk to her.
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  'cause I'm like, listen, I'm trying to do this with this team that I'm
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  working on and I wanna make it fun.
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  Go.
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  And she will come back to me with like, here's seven options of
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  different fun things that you can do.
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  And I'm like, I love you.
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  Uh, but it does it, you know, you gotta make it fun.
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  You gotta make it.
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  Make it exciting.
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  So gamifying, big fan, big fan of, of the game.
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  Uh, Amber, if people wanna get in touch with you, how can they do that?
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  How can they reach you?
• 17:20
  Amber: Oh my gosh, I'm everywhere.
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  Um, I'm, I'm on all the social media of platforms.
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  Um, you can reach out to the company, betson.com.
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  Um, I'll be on there.
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  So, um, aLambert@betson.com if you wanna email me directly.
• 17:37
  So there's just a ton of ways.
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  Um, or you can just call, um, entertainment and
• 17:42
  they'll get you in touch.
• 17:44
  Denise: There we go.
• 17:44
  Excellent.
• 17:45
  Well, Amber, thank you so much for your time.
• 17:48
  I appreciate it and I know there's some, some really good ideas here that
• 17:52
  I think people can start implementing right away and some opportunities
• 17:58
  to make some shifts and just listen.
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  Amber: Oh, there you go.
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  Thanks for being here, Ms. Amber,
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  Denise: Thank you so much, Amber, for your time today and for your insights,
• 18:13
  and I certainly hope that today's conversation help give you some tools
• 18:17
  for a mindset shift and to sharpen your edge and accelerate your growth.
• 18:23
  If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate us on
• 18:26
  Spotify or Apple Podcast.
• 18:28
  That way it helps us reach more leaders like you.
• 18:32
  And visit thegrowthpro.com for show notes, the full transcript and
• 18:36
  a video version of this episode.
• 18:38
  If you're ready.
• 18:39
  To grow your team, your business, or yourself.
• 18:43
  Schedule a free growth call with one of our coaches.
• 18:46
  I'd like to take the opportunity to thank our sponsors, Betson, Embed,
• 18:50
  Party Center Software, and A&A Global Semnox, Schafer, and Roller.
• 18:56
  Until next time, I'm Denise Killian with a GrowthPro Group.
• 19:01
  Keep learning, keep growing, and keep striving for the extraordinary.