Human Relations Model and Motivation

Being a leader in the fire service is a difficult job.  A person who can read another person and recognize their needs and wants is an amazing trait to have in this position.  “People want to feel useful and important and they have the desire to belong and to be recognized as individuals.”  This is the generalized platform for the Human Relations model.  The manager's basic task is to make each worker feel useful and important.  This is sometimes a hard accomplishment but to have a successful organization this is one of the most important things. 

A long time ago, early in my career, I asked a well-respected chief what major I should take if I want to advance in my career.  His advice was, “Go and get your psychology degree, more importantly child psychology.”  He was joking about the child part, (at least I thought) but he had an amazing point.  To excel in our field you have to understand people and more importantly what motivates them. 

“People want to have a sense of belonging and significance while being treated with value and respect. Treat an employee with respect and value, and their individual productivity and quality increases to support the organizational team.”  This is true in almost anything we do.  A happy employee, with knowledge of the overall goal of the organization, is the best asset any organization can ask for.  To end, something I say every day to the people that work for and with me is “Did you smile today”.  I say this for a couple of different reasons, I want them to know I am approachable about anything and I am always there for them.  Second, I just want to remind them that we work in the best career field in the world and they should never have any reason to think otherwise. 

Written by: Robin Nicoson II

Douglas, Ashtyn. "Human Relations Management Theory Basics." Business.com. Gail L. Perry, 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://www.business.com/management-theory/human-relations-management-theory-basics/>.