Is Fear or Inspired Action a Greater Motivator?

By Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

Understand these two motivational styles and how they can affect company culture, especially in sales.

“I’ve been hearing quite a bit lately about how some trainers’ systems create a culture of fear as the primary motivator for behavioral change versus inspired action,” shares Ryan Groth, the founder of the Sales Transformation Group.  In his video blog, Ryan explores the consequences of both motivational styles and how they can affect company culture, especially in sales.  He also shares which method will yield the best results, and which method has the best short-term versus long-term impact.

Ryan urges people to think about their company culture, asking if the culture that is being instilled is, “If you don’t do it this way, then here are the consequences.”  This is a culture that is motivated by fear. While some fear is healthy, Ryan suggests approximately 10%, there are multiple consequences to solely relying on fear to motivate.  Team members can become anxious, creativity is stifled, and clients can sense the anxiousness instead of the care they should be experiencing. Using fear as a motivator may yield some results, but they won’t be “long-term, sustainable, ever-growing results,” as Ryan states.

On the other hand, “...understanding someone’s goals and desires and then using the company role they play as a vehicle to help them achieve,” is motivating by using inspired action Ryan explains.  This method allows you to “hold them [team members] accountable, you can push them hard...because they know you care about their future,” Ryan reveals. When inspired action is practiced, people say, “this owner, leader, coach, changed by life, they helped me achieve my dreams,” according to Ryan.

When determining the best way to motivate, Ryan wants you to ask, “Are you challenging someone to foster growth or is it imposing fear and anxiety?”  He encourages contractors to avoid using fear as a motivator, which will put their employees into survival mode. Instead, allow your employees to thrive by using inspired action.

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