The inVOYAGE community may be amongst some of the most enthusiastic and engaged professionals on the planet, but there’s always room for a little extra motivation and learning – step forward David Meade, broadcaster and business guru whose speciality is what makes people tick.

We’ve all got to be a people person in this industry, obviously, but according to industry research referenced by David in his session at inVOYAGE in Lucerne, potentially 80% of the average organisation’s staff are unmotivated or disconnected. 

That’s a massive proportion which highlights an enormous potential for improvement and David, one of Europe’s most in-demand speakers and a leading authority in the business community, shared some of his wisdom around how both organisations and individuals can go about changing this, and unlocking future potential. 

Mindful business, he says, emerges from a whole range of actions including decision-making; teamwork, collaboration, goals and planning; persuasion and sales, and, importantly, motivation, ambition and engagement. Motivation is all about performance improvement and the standard is either carrot or stick, reward versus punishment.

Quoting Gallup statistics, he outlined how 62% of staff are not involved or participating meaningfully in their work or workplace and 19% feel no connection to the people or place that they work. That adds up to a shocking 80% and shows the carrot and sticks aren’t working.

However, a case study involving different levels of reward for a routine task – including financial, token or thanks only – showed the best results are achieved by lowering the financial value of reward but increasing the human value.

Human or personal reward is up to five times more meaningful than a financial reward, resulting in increased productivity, loyalty and engagement. So, if salary is the only incentive staff have to perform well, you are missing out on those crucial elements.

And though he says there is no definitive playbook or manual to unpack motivation and how it works, small changes can make big differences.

David’s enthusiasm and boundless energy certainly captivated his audience in Lucerne and set the scene for anyone motivated to motivate – now we’re all fired up with even greater incentive to inspire our staff.

David Meade has been inspiring and engaging live and virtual audiences in over 40 countries for more than fifteen years. World class brands like Apple, PwC, Harvard, and Mercedes Benz share rave reviews on his work, and continue to trust David’s electrifying style with their most important events.

On the back of his ground-breaking BBC TV projects he’s become a household name in his native Ireland. Today he’s developed a global reputation as a Keynote Speaker, Facilitator, Broadcaster, Virtual Event Speaker and Entertainer, presenting to groups ranging from 6 executives in London, to the 22,000 seat Altice arena in Portugal. For more information visit davidmeade.co.uk