My Approach to Motivating Others

Describe how often you act or think in the way indicated by the statements below when you are
attempting to motivate another. Use the following scale: very infrequently (VI); infrequently (I);
sometimes (S); frequently (F); very frequently (VF).

Number Content VI I S F VF
1. I ask the other person what he or she is hoping to achieve in 5 4 3 2 1
the situation
2. I attempt to figure out if the person has the ability to do what 5 4 3 2 1
I need done
3. When another person is heel-dragging, it usually means he 5 4 3 2 1
or she is lazy
4. I tell the person I’m trying to motivate exactly what I want. 5 4 3 2 1
5. I like to give the other person a reward up front so he or she 5 4 3 2 1
will be motivated.
6. I give lots of feedback when another person is performing a 5 4 3 2 1
task for me
7. I like to belittle another person enough so that he or she will 5 4 3 2 1
be intimidated into doing what I need done
8. I make sure that the other person feels treated fairly. 5 4 3 2 1
9. I figure that if I smile nicely enough I can get the other 5 4 3 2 1
person to work as hard as I need.
10. I attempt to get what I need done by instilling fear in the 5 4 3 2 1
other person
11. I specify exactly what needs to be accomplished 5 4 3 2 1
12. I generously praise people who help me get my work 5 4 3 2 1
accomplished
13. A job well done is its own reward. I therefore keep praise 5 4 3 2 1
to a minimum.
14. I make sure to let people know how well they have done in 5 4 3 2 1
meeting my expectations on a task.
15. To be fair, I attempt to reward people about the same no 5 4 3 2 1
matter how well they have performed.
16. When somebody doing work for me performs well, I 5 4 3 2 1
recognize his or her accomplishments promptly.
17. Before giving somebody a reward, I attempt to find out 5 4 3 2 1
what would appeal to that person
18. I make it a policy not to thank somebody for doing a job he 5 4 3 2 1
or she is paid to do.
19. If people do not know how to perform a task, their 5 4 3 2 1
motivation will suffer.
20. If properly designed, many jobs can be self-rewarding. 5 4 3 2 1
Total Score 74
How Stressed Are You?
Respond to the following on a 1-to-5 scale, with 1 meaning Never and 5 meaning Very Often.
The higher the score, the higher your stress level. If you have a high score, what will you do to
cope with stress at school or work?

No. Content 1 2 3 4 5
1. Conditions at work are unpleasant and sometimes unsafe
2. I feel that my job is making me physically and emotionally
sick
3. I have too much work or too many unreasonable deadlines.
4. I can’t express my opinions or feelings about my job to my
boss.
5. My work interferes with my family or personal life
6. I have no control over my life at work
7. My good performance goes unrecognized and unrewarded.
8. My talents are underutilized at work.
9. Total score 29