Do workplace motivational speakers really inspire?

By JOHN KARIUKI

Around this time of the year, many corporations are hosting some ‘wise’ geeks to motivate their staff.

We are likely to hear these experts repeat last year’s tired lines again.

Often triumphant people from Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela to Barack Obama are copiously quoted as growing up modestly but followed their passion to the top!

But the workplace reality is that for every Manu Chandaria or Chris Kirubi, there are thousands who never made it in following their dreams and took the next ship at port.

So, they are now working as lowly paid salespersons, distraught teachers, and angry nurses and among a host of disillusioned souls.

Whereas ambition, personal drive and intelligence are important, it usually takes some luck to make a living doing what one loves and not the stubbornness that some motivational speakers often preach.

Many motivational speakers make a career in talking a lot of idealism and repeating the same old clichÈs: follow your passion; make a difference in your life today and education pays.

Often, their theories are so distant from their audiences’ personal aspirations and world view.

While their romanticism could be inspiring to college freshmen, it is often plainly misleading in the real Kenyan world of work!

According to Lawrence Mganga, a human resources practitioner, a frequent clichÈ by many motivational speakers is that employees have to wait to rise to the top!

"This lie is spoken by chief executives oft-turned motivational speakers, who started at the bottom in a different era and century," he says.

But many higher echelon employees view people who are too slow in climbing the corporate path as stupid and even losers.

"If you want to be successful, demonstrate your potential from your first day," says Mganga.

He says he subscribes to the school of thought that first impression often tends to be a lasting one.

"As a result, unlike what some inspirational speakers say, employees should hit the ground running.

"Instead of waiting, do something innovative, even at your own initiative and time if you want to be noticed," advises Mganga.

Mganga takes issue too with some inspirational speakers’ oft-quoted plea that employees should make a difference, even if it means volunteering during their spare time.

"Some of these sectors in which employees are asked to volunteer (especially the non-profit) could be notoriously inefficient and poorly managed that it may take decades for anybody to credit you with anything at all," says Mganga.

He says the modern human resource thinking is that employees who work for ethical businesses or start their own often make a bigger difference to society than ‘career volunteers".

Betty Kombo, a teacher pursing a master’s degree, says many motivational speakers invariably gloat over the joys of learning, regardless of what you are learning.

"Apparently, the more degrees you have, the more money you will make," she says.

But the employer often considers one for promotion after completion of a course that enhances his or her skills at the workplace.

Ms Kombo says her employer, the TSC, for example, never promotes teachers who pursue courses that take them off the classroom like MBA, disaster mitigation and management and so on.

Cynthia Oloo, a manager and who sits on recruitment panels in her workplace says that some motivational speakers are often biased towards the prevailing policies of the corporation hiring their services.

"Many motivational speakers subtly reinforce the corporate values which the management may not be gifted in articulating. And this is often the main reason for staff inspirational forums if you analyse the message critically", says Oloo.

She further notes that if the motivational speaker is an academician, he or she is likely to be a cheerleader for getting more people to pursue diplomas and degrees; this is what universities sell!