My husband says that it can never be said of me that I am a victim of hype. For some reason every cell in my body tries to counteract hype. My aversion to hype is nothing new. One of my friends has repeatedly recalled how indignant I was when other kids in my school started listening to Sublime. I liked Sublime “before they were big.” I am learning that hype has a cousin – motivational speaking – and it is one of the pillars of Corporate America.
Earlier this week I experienced one of Corporate America’s tricks of the trade. There are a lot of changes going on in my department. Motivational speeches are one of the strongest ways to combat fear of change. The director of my department began our weekly meeting in our windowless break room by “opening up the floor” to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the changes occurring in the department. I was not extremely attached to the former policies and procedures, so I had to rack my brain to think of any possible questions I could have. I was void of any feelings about the changes. I considered my lack of sentiments about the changes to be a testament to my adaptability, rather than apathy.
Before I could fully form any thoughts about the recent changes the director unofficially closed the “open floor” and began discussing how our department is at the cusp of moving “to the next level.” As the director spoke about not only maintaining our position as the number one team, but also raising the bar for what it means to be a number one team, I watched a number of my coworkers move to the edge of their seats in anticipation for greatness. The director asked, “What is our team based on?” I had no idea what the basis of our team could be, but many of my coworkers did not pause before they enthusiastically cheered, “Performance!”
As the excitement in the room rose to a level that makes CEOs smile I looked around at the HIPPA posters lining the wall, and I wondered why I was having a hard time getting on the performance bandwagon. I believe in doing a job well, but I am not concerned much with performance level. My motivation does not come from rankings. I realized that I am not sure how my performance in my current position is being measured. I may be at the bottom rank in performance for all I know. My thoughts spun around the idea of doing a job for performance measures while the director discussed “reaching new heights” and “building our resumes” so that one day we call could essentially run the show while others below us perform.
The more the director motivated the group, the more I wondered why I was not sitting in a booth at a strawberry festival in a small town somewhere far away. I started feeling guilty for not rolling with the enthusiasm. In my guilt I was tempted to shout an “Amen!” or “Talk about it!” to add to the group dynamic, but I resisted for fear that my involvement would not seem authentic.
Before closing the meeting the director reviewed her motivational speech by highlighting the techniques and buzz words she used to motivate the group. I felt like it was like a magician giving away his secrets after doing a trick. Essentially the director said, “Ah ha! Gottcha! See, I motivated you, and here’s how I did it.” Okay, maybe she was not rubbing her motivational techniques in our faces as much as she was training and “raising up” the next generation of managers.
The team left the break room like a football team running back on the field after half-time. All that could be heard for a while was the clicking of computer keys. Folks were ready to embrace the change and move up in the world. I went back to my desk and began working, too. I was embracing change. Maybe my adaptability will add points to my performance. I am on the quest to figure out how my performance is measured and what it should look like.
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