As I pulled up to the drive-through for my wet skinny cappucino with a shot of pumpkin spice ... I was handed a piece of white paper with a bold title at the top: "The Starbucks Coffee New World Record for the fastest, friendliest drive-through is about to be set at Wadsworth & Bowles." It went onto describe the specific ways customers could help that Starbucks store win their challenge ("What you can do to help us succeed)". Seconds later, the guy at the window handed me my drink and asked "Does that feel like the right weight to you?"
Fast-forward to a week after the deadline. This time I enter the store seeking research with my caffeine. Here's how it went:
I ask the guy behind the counter "Did you win?"
"Oh yeah, we totally set the new world record."
"How did that feel?"
"AWESOME. We were so energized, it really pulled our team together, got everyone involved, you know? We had a great time."
"Did you get any financial incentive for it?"
"Uh, no. It was just a lot of fun. We were looking to lower our drive-through speed anyway, and so we came up with this as a fun way to make it happen. There were a couple of guys who just OWNED it, really made it fun, made it happen and it caught on -- everyone was pulling for it."
Attention managers: Goals can be fun, energizing, catalyze teamwork, involve people, and improve the business. They just have to align with human psychology: There's something in it for me, I can do something about it, and I know how.
Stop making goals a snorefest that drive more excuses than performance!
