by Lynn Scott, Featured Contributor
A QUESTION I am often asked is: ‘How do I motivate my team?’ To which my answer is:
Ask them!
It’s rarely just about the money.Christine Comaford in her book, SmartTribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together, talks about the importance of giving employees a sense of the three things they deeply crave:
- Safety
- Belonging
- Mattering
She says that ‘Safety + Belonging + Mattering = Trust’
Many of you will be familiar with Daniel Pink’s work on this subject. He talks about motivating and engaging people at work through:
- Autonomy
- Mastery
- Purpose
If you haven’t seen the great Dan Pink RSA Animate on this, I really recommend you take a look (it’s just over 10 minutes’ long)
As a leader, there are some things you can do to inspire your people to do their best work. You can create the right environment.
But the rest has to come from them.
So don’t let whingers, ‘victims’ and other ‘energy vampires’ off the hook by blaming their lack of motivation on everybody or everything else but themselves. They are responsible for their own lives too!
Hello Lynn,
You are so right, ask them. However, what should we ask them? We have found that job applicants will tell you how to manage them if you ask them the right questions. Few hiring managers know the right questions to ask.