CRAVE

About the Author

Gregg Lederman is a highly acclaimed speaker, New York Times best-selling author, and the President of Employee Engagement for Reward Gateway, a global employee engagement company. He is also the founder of Brand Integrity, a leadership development and employee engagement company. For the past 16 years, Lederman has worked with leading organizations to implement sustainable engagement solutions that significantly impact employee engagement and improve workplace culture.

Main Idea

CRAVE: You Can Enhance Employee Motivation in 10 Minutes by Friday by Gregg Lederman focuses on fulfilling the three primary cravings of employees: respect, purpose, and relationship. By strategically recognizing employees and addressing these cravings, leaders can drive rapid growth in employee engagement and business results.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to What We All CRAVE
2. Part I: The Overwhelming Evidence About What Motivates Us
3. Part II: Accelerating Business Results in 10 Minutes by Friday
4. Part III: Mastering the Ultimate Habit – Recognizing and Sharing Success

Introduction to What We All CRAVE

Over the past 80 years, numerous studies have shown that humans have three primary cravings at work that, when fulfilled, make them happier and more productive: respect, purpose, and relationship. Despite significant investments to improve employee motivation, many businesses still struggle with engagement issues. The Gallup “State of the American Workforce” study reveals that about two-thirds of the American workforce is not engaged, a figure that has remained unchanged for 18 years.

Part I: The Overwhelming Evidence About What Motivates Us

Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, renowned for their work on personal motivation, developed the Self-Determination Theory, which highlights three psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. These needs align with the cravings for respect, purpose, and relationship. Deci and Ryan’s research shows that intrinsic motivation leads to better problem-solving, creativity, and overall performance, whereas extrinsic rewards can undermine long-term motivation.

"When people are autonomously motivated, their behavior will be more creative, they will be better problem solvers, and they will perform better." - Edward Deci and Richard Ryan

The key to effective motivation is creating conditions where individuals can motivate themselves. By fostering an environment that fulfills these psychological needs, leaders can enhance motivation and commitment among their workforce.

Deci and Ryan emphasized that people do not perform as well at problem-solving when motivated by external rewards compared to when they are intrinsically motivated. They pointed out that behavior can be controlled to an extent by rewards and punishments, but relying on these methods can lead to short-term gains rather than sustained performance. They argue that once people are oriented toward rewards, they tend to take the shortest path to achieve them, which may not align with long-term goals.

Part II: Accelerating Business Results in 10 Minutes by Friday

Millennials, who make up a significant portion of the workforce, seek growth opportunities, meaningful work, and good managers who care about them. They crave respect, purpose, and relationships, just like their older counterparts, but often expect more of it. Leaders can leverage the Ultimate Habit of strategically recognizing employees to meet these needs and drive engagement.

Three notable differences with millennials include: