Remember why you came to work today? Was it because you wanted to get started on making your company the best and most highly respected in the nation or the world? Probably not. You came to work today in order to make money to pay the bills and hope that there is a little left over to spend on yourself. You don't really care if the company makes a profit, you really only care if YOU make a profit. Will I have more income than expenses this week? Will I be able to take a vacation? Can I afford to go out to diner tonight rather than having to eat at home in front of the television?

Don't be ashamed. Selfishness and greed are two very powerful emotions that if harnessed properly can be both self-serving and profitable for any business. The secret is to find a way to create an environment where these emotions can and will serve two masters. How can that be done?

Aligning personal goals with professional objectives is the win-win of management today. Every employee in the company must clearly understand that the way they make more money is for the company to make more money. They must understand how going the extra mile will result in their personal gain. How will they be able to improve their lives by improving the service or products the company has to offer?

Compensation and incentive plans that are too complicated or take too long from the time of service to reward are not the answer. False hope and empty promises will do more to ruin morale than any other aspect of management. Reward programs must be easy to understand, directly tied to measurable outcomes, and frequent in nature. When you start to see small increases in your pay over a short period of time it will motivate you and others to keep up the good work.