Management Strategies and
Practices
Hire the Right People, Engage Their Energy,
and Keep Them Inspired
Paper # 3 Assignment
11/26/2012
Foundations of Business BUS 1050
Natalie Stroud Parisi
Professor Killinger
BUS 1050
Natalie Parisi
Professor Killinger
Hire the Right People, Engage Their
Energy, and Keep Them Inspired
It isn’t cheap to hire the right people. So how do companies get the right people for the
right jobs? Once management has hired the right people then how do they get them engaged
and keep them inspired? We will consider these things as we look at strategies and compare
them with management theories from those that have studies the workforce.
Hire the Right People
How do we get the right people? Michelman (2004) suggests that “managers select
people for their talent.” He goes on to define talent as a recurring “pattern of though, feeling,
or behavior” which accounts for the different results produced by others who have the same
skills and training (p. 3). He explains that great managers should look for those whose talent will
redefine how the job is done, instead of hiring people just because they are a good match to
how the job is current configured (p.3).
In my current job as a customer service crewmember for jetBlue, I have received the
same training as everyone else. But I feel that something sets me apart. I provide an alternative
experience for our customers because I apply my own personality and really take the time to
listen to them. I make sure that I smile and respond to personal things that might be
mentioned, such as a loved one passing away or a grandchild coming for a visit. I then turn that
into an opportunity to make the experience unique for the customer by sharing my empathy or
excitement with them. It changes the experience and makes them feel a connection. It builds a
customer relationship for jetBlue.
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BUS 1050
Natalie Parisi
Professor Killinger
Another concept for hiring the right people is
suggested by Greengard and Byman (2003). They
suggest that you hire based on attitude. They explain
“While degrees, experience and
skills count, they’re only part of the
overall picture.”
Greengard and Byham, (2003, p.56)
that attitude isn’t a skill that you can teach someone.
It also isn’t something that can be identified on a resume (p. 56).
Southwest Airlines feels that finding someone with the right attitude means looking for
“the right blend of energy, humor, team spirit and self-confidence (p. 56).” They find these
characteristics through “behavior-based interviews and in-depth analysis of candidates (p.56).”
It seems finding the right people involves both individual talent and the right attitude.
Engaging Their Energy
Once we have the right person hired, how do we keep them engaged and energized?
What will keep them motivated? There are many obvious motivational factors for employees
such as money, hours, location, benefits, etc. The factors differ from person to person.
Abraham Maslow (1954) viewed man as goal seeking and stated that human motivation
is based on people seeking fulfillment and change
"What a man can be, he must be.”
Maslow, (1943)
through personal growth. He developed a systematic
theory of human motivation, known as Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs
before moving on to other, more advanced needs (Gallas, p. 2).
“This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid
are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of
the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the
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BUS 1050
Natalie Parisi
Professor Killinger
need for food, water, sleep, and
warmth. Once these lower-level
needs have been met, people can
move on to the next level of needs,
which are for safety and security
(Cherry, 2012, par. 2).”
I have identified how this
Hierarchy has been applied to my current job. Initially when I was looking for a job, I was
looking for stability. That was my motivator. I was recently divorced and needed to provide for
myself and my children. Once I began working and we were able to meet our basic needs
(physiological and safety) then my motivation changed. I started to develop work related
relationships and a social environment (love/belonging). I was enjoying my job and getting lots
of feedback from my manager, supervisor and team mates that was building me up (esteem). I
was gaining back confidence in the workforce. I began looking for opportunities to learn and
grown and to set myself apart (self-actualization). This is where I am now with my job and I am
happy and encouraged. I have placed myself in a position to progress even more within my
company when I am ready to do so and that motivates me to stay engaged.
Keep Them Inspired
All managers want to keep the “right” employees. So how do they keep these people
from going elsewhere? How do they keep them inspired?
It is said that “everything about leadership can be summed up to good conduct, inside
and outside of the company. But good conduct is not an act or a design just to get a result. It
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Natalie Parisi
Professor Killinger
comes from really wanting what is good for oneself and others. A leader who governs from
these desires cannot help but to create good designs, and this is what gets good results
(“Management,” 2011, p. 434). Good management can keep employees inspired and involved
through efficient organizational structure and effective employee motivation (Carnegie, 1889,
p. 435).
Carnegie outlines some major motivational factors in retaining employees. These
include fair compensation on a sliding-scale, the ability to progress within the company, the
process of fair arbitration to resolve conflict, job security, trade-unions, and profit-sharing
(Carnegie, 1889, p. 463). I feel that today most of these still apply as major motivational factor
for an employee to stay with a company. We all want to be treated fairly and to have the ability
to make more and advance.
In conclusion, companies need to hire the right people by incorporating affective
techniques that will not only identify education and qualifications, but also talents and positive,
productive attitudes. Providing employees with opportunities of personal growth will get them
energized and excited. It will give them that human motivational factor of fulfillment and selfsatisfaction that drives them to their best. Happy employees that are motivated are not likely to
leave the company they work for and have invested in. If they are being provided with selfsatisfaction and an overall sense of security in both their career and future, that will keep them
inspired to stay.
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Natalie Parisi
Professor Killinger
Works Cited
Cherry, K. (n.d.). Hierarchy of Needs. About.com Psychology. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm
Gallas, G. S. (n.d.). A brief review of management theorists: McGregor, Maslow, and Herzberg.
Behavioral science concepts of management application. Institute for Court Management. The
Conference Board, Inc.: NY. [Adapted and reformatted by R. Roberson, September 2005.]
Greengard, S., & Byham, B. (2003). Gimme Attitute!. Workforce, 82(7), 56-59. Retrieved November 20,
2012, from Academic Search Premier database. (Permlink):
http://search.ebscohost.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=10210533&site=eho
st-live
Michelman, P. (2004). How Great Managers Manage People. Harvard Management Update, 9(8), 3.
Retrieved November 20, 2012, from Business Source Premier database. (Permlink):
http://search.ebscohost.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=14016990&site=eho
st-live
Carnegie, A. (1889) An Employer’s View of the Labor Question fromThe Gospel of Wealth. In Boardman,
C.M., Sandomir, A.N., & H Sondak (Eds.), Foundations of Business Thought (2011, pp. 458-463). Boston,
MA: Pearson Custom Printing.
Management. In Boardman, C.M., Sandomir, A.N., & H Sondak (Eds.), Foundations of Business Thought
(2011, pp. 433-437). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Printing.
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