When Do People Produce Greatness?

Motivational Manager Charlie: "We must get them to believe in themselves! Yay! Because, when they believe in themselves, they will do anything they set their minds to! Oh Yeah! High-five!!!!!!!!!!!111one" Believing in yourself sounds great; but:

What if Charlie's employees hate him?
What if they lack the resources to do their jobs?
What if they feel they're underpaid?
What if the company ignores their strengths and passions?
What if the company creates an atmosphere of fear?

The company can motivate all it wants; but employees -- worried about external thing-a-majiggaz -- will still produce crap until their basic needs are fulfilled.

What People Need

Psychologist Abraham Maslow's legendary Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid:

At the bottom, people's fundamental needs: breathing, food, water.
At the top, transcendental needs: self-actualization (i.e. doing what 'I'm born to do')

Multi-million dollar athletes, Silicon Valley billionaires, and world-renown directors still do what they do because they 'must' perfect their crafts (i.e. they must self-actualize).

Pianists cannot be themselves unless they play their Moonlight Sonatas.
Designers must design their Mona Lisas.
Quarterbacks must write their Super Bowls.

Yet, to self-actualize and rock the jigga out their work: Peeps must first have their basic needs fulfilled.

Your People's Needs

Remember at one of your sucky-S.U.C.K. jobs:

Beginning: You came into it excited you could help the company.
Middle: Extrinsic things soon bothered you: the manager's distrust, politics, lack of supplies, the yaddas
The Result: You produced crap work: "My basic needs weren't fulfilled! OH-NO-NO!"

What do your people need?

Everything that finally makes them say: "Now, I can fully focus on my work."

Fulfill 'Em Needz

Fulfill Johnny's basic needs; ask him:

"List 5 things that sucks about the company."
"What must we do so you can fully focus on your craft?"

The answers might prompt you to:

Position him where he feels he can produce greatness.
Pay him sufficiently, with sweet benefits.
Mandate free speech without repercussions.
Resolve the issues he has with company/management/etc.

Fulfill whatever people need so they're strictly concentrating on rocking the mutha-chicken out of their work. Result: Krrrazydiculous work. Booyah!