Motivate Your Team Using the Chase

Remember, it seriously is all about the chase

When it comes down to happiness and energy, don’t think you have to provide a constant slew of rewards for a job well done. Sometimes, the real reward really is in the journey.

We get a bigger thrill from the chase than from the capture. The very act of chasing, seeking, or pursuing the wild boar motivates us much more powerfully than cooking and eating it.

You get a thrill out of pursuing or seeking a goal, but once you achieve it, it doesn’t seem so attractive. What does this mean for the team leader? First, you should bear in mind the extreme pleasure people derive from activating their seeking emotional system

when a stimulus arouses our seeking system, it activates our frontal neocortex, prompting us to work out innovative strategies and solutions.

What does this mean for you as a team leader? It’s an easier solution than you might think. It means use novelty to motivate.

It also means it’s about new chases!

Now this is the cool part: when a stimulus arouses our seeking system, it activates our frontal neocortex, prompting us to work out innovative strategies and solutions. Logic doesn’t make us do that; emotions do. The brain’s neocortex, the source of our human analytical intellect, serves our emotions, not vice versa. A team that embarks on an exciting new journey not only feels strongly motivated to succeed but also works smarter. When our seeking system comes to the party, we feel as though we can accomplish anything. Negativity evaporates; fear takes a vacation. We feel confident we can conquer the world.

A fairly easy way to create novelty within your team is to switch up their responsibilities.

If I took charge of a team working at a warehouse, I’d try to keep people fresh by periodically shifting their responsibilities. I’d transfer Jeff from driving a forklift to running the shipping/receiving desk and move shipment expediter Martin into that slot. The change of scenery and routine will spark a little more energy. Yes, each much learn a new role, but learning itself fulfills the appetite for seeking novelty, and the extra enthusiasm sparked by doing something new should more than make up for any loss of productivity caused by traveling the learning curve and getting up to speed in a new job.

Another thing you can do is give people opportunities to get involved in improving company processes. This is a good idea if you don’t feel like there’s a huge amount of variation in roles and it still gives them an opportunity to do new and different work.

5 Ways Custom Software Development Benefits Your Business

What happens when a generic, one-size-fits all program is used for a business? Well, with every business having different needs, it doesn’t work nearly as well as it would if custom software development were used instead. Every business has it’s own unique needs and problems, and making a solution to your specific problems is the best way to overcome them and better the efficiency and productivity of your business.

There are five key benefits that come with utilizing custom software development:

1. Custom design

Having the software created for your sole use is the equivalent to getting a suit made to fit your body perfectly. It can cover every necessity that it needs, and if there is an issue with it, it can be solved and improved right away.

1. Low-cost

Having a custom software could seem like it is more costly than your average product, but the long term investment is invaluable. Plus, the fees for licensing and use of a product anyone can use may very well pass the price of a custom software. Why not have your very own software that does exactly what you need it to do?

1. Upkeep

You can ensure that your software be maintained for however long you need. With a generic software, you don’t have the control to decide whether or not something needs fixing or updating. That is completely up to the software developer that is supplying the application to you.

1. Integration

Businesses can have a software that integrates with other applications to create the most useful and efficient program possible. This is a giant benefit to having custom software.

1. Support

A business can rest easy knowing that they have access to the team that made their software, and that any problems can be fixed quickly and efficiently because of this direct communication.

These are just five general benefits that come with custom software development, but the specific benefits it possibly has for your business could be countless.

The Secret to Hiring the Best People

How would you hire a new employee? Well, most of us create a job ad, wait for applications and then interview the candidates who have the best technical skills and experience.

That’s the traditional recruiting process, and it’s pretty popular. However, it’s hardly ideal.

After all, this process only targets job-seekers, narrowing your search to candidates who are unemployed or unhappy with their current jobs.

Another problem with the traditional recruiting process is that it’s hard to get an accurate sense of candidates’ actual technical expertise from the interview alone. Because believe it or not, studies show that close to 80 percent of interviewees lie.

Furthermore, it’s difficult to accurately gauge expertise because you, the interviewer, are probably biased. Even when you focus on evaluating technical skills, subconsciously you’re making your decision according to other factors. For instance, people who are tall and have deep voices are more likely to get hired, because interviewers connect these qualities with good health.

Since there are many problems with the traditional recruiting process, you need to change your approach. It's recommended you get creative with interviews and also giving your employees a larger role in the process. 

So when you need to make a new hire, rally your employees. Let them ask around and tap their own networks. This way, you stand a better chance of finding great employees outside the basic applicant pool.

And then, once you have your candidates, introduce creativity into the interview process. To avoid the lies, avoid too many questions relating to technical expertise. Instead, ask questions to determine whether candidates would fit in with your team and determine how inspired the candidate is to fill the role and goals to be accomplished in the position being offered.

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