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I wish I could set up a National Go-Go-Go-Go-Go Fund. In my scheme, every time a member of the public views an action movie or TV sequence in which one of the characters barks the rapid-fire command "Go-go-go-go-go!" to someone else, the viewer is required to send me a dollar. It would be one of the quickest "get rich quick" schemes ever, since that line of dialogue crops up all the time.

But why is this line so popular? The answer can help us better understand human motivation and, in particular, motivation in the workplace.

Countdown to Action

One of the common characteristics in all highly-energized human activities is a shared awareness that there's a designated "time for action": Olympic athletes are told to get on their marks, theatrical cast and crew are advised when only five minutes remain before curtain time and restaurant chefs and serving staff receive notification when the big wedding party is on its way. Everyone knows when that specific "go point" in time will be. Everyone is involved in the preparation for it. Everyone tenses up as the key moment approaches.

Then suddenly the moment arrives, someone cries "Go-go-go-go-go" and everyone springs into action at once. But while the activity may look chaotic, it's actually super-organized. For example, how a busy hotel kitchen ensures every platter for every course of a given meal is ready precisely when needed. Or, how pit crew are all over a race car in a split-second like a swarm of insects, but they handle their respective tasks with extreme speed and efficiency. That's what collective motivation looks like in its purest form.

Culture Shift Opportunity: Do employees in your workplace have regular "times for action" that mobilize their energies toward a single shared objective? If not, how could some such motivational triggers be introduced?

Small Pieces of a Big Picture

Everyone involved in a Broadway production understands the importance of his or her particular contribution. The costume people, the lighting and the sound crew and even the stage hands who reset props between performances all know their work affects the success of the production as much as anyone else's. Without that vital understanding, motivation disappears.

Watch interviews with the cast of a new western movie. The actor playing the sheriff describes the movie as "... the story of a lawman pursuing a notorious outlaw." The actor portraying the villain says it's a movie "... about a train robber on the run." To the actress who plays the bad guy's girlfriend, this is "... a touching story about a woman's hard life in the early West." "It's the gripping story of how the railroads opened the Western frontier," says an actor who makes a brief appearance as owner of the railroad. Every member of the motivated cast considers his or her contribution absolutely central to the success of the overall effort.

Culture Shift Opportunity: Does everyone in your business have a clear picture of how their efforts fit into the big picture? If not, what can you do to correct the situation?

The Enjoyment Factor

As a kid, I could never understand why my mom would burst out laughing any time the TV cast of The Carol Burnett Show would "lose it" during a skit and break into laughter of their own. Didn't this mean they were actually pretty lousy actors, unable to keep a straight face? Shouldn't they have taken that scene over again, to eliminate the "mistake?"

Over the years I began to understand this was no mistake. Audiences love seeing entertainers having a good time. Dean Martin built an entire TV career around appearing slightly tipsy, laughing at his flubs and just having a great old time with his guests.

Today, movies and TV shows routinely share bloopers and outtakes with their audiences—though only those that show cast and crew having incredible fun together (No tantrums or unpleasant disagreements are included).

I came to realize that customers, too, can take delight in seeing workers enjoying the work they do. Managers at a phenomenally successful restaurant I profiled in one of my books attribute a lot of their success to the fact that their staff often breaks into singing while working, which often inspires spontaneous applause from customers. In many businesses, feedback cards commend employees for being "cheerful," "always smiling," and "fun to deal with."

Culture Shift Opportunity: Do workers in your business typically look—and behave—as if they enjoy what they’re doing? If not, what could be done to bring more elements of fun into their jobs?

The "time for action," in terms of applying lessons from showbiz to your own workplace, may be here, now. Right now.

Ready...
Get Set...
Go-go-go-go-go!

Editor's Note: Looking for some more show business lessons to shift your corporate culture, motivate staffers and keep productivity moving forward? Then click here to listen to Paul's podcast this week, "There's No Business Like GO Business" for some examples from Disney, a company that is known for successfully providing an engaging customer experience, which will demonstrate how you too can inspire your employees to win that standing ovation.

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