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 When you think about the word Motivation what comes to mind?
Do you prefer the ‘Carrot' or ‘Stick' approach? (Offering incentives that will run out or cracking the whip and terrifying your employees?)
Do you ever wonder what makes some people really motivated with a ' get up and go attitude ' while others prefer to continue living that old complacent ‘it will get done tomorrow frame of mind.'
With the first two types of motivation (carrot or stick) you always have to be there to ensure results (either encouraging or disciplining.) There is a third type of motivation, which I call Intrinsic It is the kind that comes from within. The kind that drives us to do those things that are important to us. We are driven by our own personal values to achieve these.
Think about the days when you jump out of bed in the morning because you just can't wait to get started. The things that you love doing and would do, even if you didn't get paid to do them! These are probably the things which are important to you. The things that drive our ‘real' motivation and give us an enormous amount of pleasure and feeling of achievement.
In order for human beings to be highly motivated, they need to have their attention focused on achieving something which is important to them. A ‘goal' an ‘outcome', call it what you will that makes them feel good. Without that end goal, their attention wavers. They get distracted and may continue to follow ‘old' unhelpful patterns of behaviour.
And in order that we recognise our success, we have to know what it is we are going for and be able to measure it in some way. We have to set S.M.A.R.T . goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely/Tangible) It's the knowledge of moving towards our goals that continue to motivate us and make us feel good.
Do you know what your values are and that of your employees?
How motivated are you and your employees?
What can you do today to engage people fully?
Take a look at the list of things that could be de-motivating your employees and then check out the things that people say make them feel more motivate. (you will still need to know their personal values in order to motivate them as individuals)
De-motivators for Individuals and Teams:
Ignoring an individuals personal skills/needs
Not listening to the views/ideas of the team
Aggressive or unfair critique - in front of others
An absence of praise or feedback
A failure to give direction to the team/individual
Using ridicule to highlight a weakness
Failure to communicate effectively
Showing favouritism towards individuals
No opportunities to learn or develop skills
Provide no learning challenges in their role
Throwing people in the deep end -providing opportunities to fail
Motivators for Individuals and Teams:
Contributing to a worthwhile enterprise
Having the freedom to decide how they work
Being respected within the organisation
Agreeable working conditions
Having clear and measurable targets and objectives
The feeling of belonging to a great team
Social relationships with workmates
The chance to learn new skills
The challenge of solving problems
The satisfaction of achieving high quality results
The excitement of change
The prospect of advancement or promotion
Reasonable wages or salary
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