If you are in a leadership position, something that may cross your mind from time to time is the question of what motivates you. There is an unseen force that reflects from within you into the organization you are leading. How you are feeling motivated will be expressed within the experiences you have daily.
Why is this important to know?
To be an exceptional leader, motivation can be a key factor in taking a company from a base level to extraordinary heights. Knowing what motivates you, will give you the tools to motivate others. In turn, there will be a well-oiled machine operating with high energy and forward motion.
Imagine an athlete training for the Olympics. He is motivated to improve his strength, endurance and time. What will motivate him to practice, push himself beyond his limits, set his goals and attain them? The same can be asked of a leader. You are always training for the success of your company.
Motivation: the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
Individuals are motivated when they are working towards personally meaningful goals that will give them the satisfaction of fulfilling a need.
Questions to Consider:
Are you making a difference?
Do your employees feel they are making a difference?
Are there opportunities to learn something new for both you and your employees?
How well developed are your interpersonal skills?
Are your motivators related to control?
Do you know your core values?
Do you know your employees core values?
Are you open with expressing feelings and/or enabling employees to express their feelings?
Seeing yourself as a role model and an example for those you lead will set the standards for success. High standards for accountability for yourself and your behaviors; what you think and how you respond to experiences, causes others to want to follow in your footsteps.
Motivation = Achieving Excellence
Desire to be the best
Genuinely wanting to help others succeed
Recognition – for what?
Having passion – a driving force that guides you to achieve your goals
Once you know what motivates you, then you can create an intention to take action steps using the motivating factors for reaching your highest potential. Keep in mind the athlete. What does it take for you to use the strength in your motivation to gain the momentum you would like to be the best leader for yourself and your company?
Excellent article. I’ve found people motivated through unusually methods. Giving a candy bar to someone can and often does make you friends for life. Also, sometimes the motivation can be seen as abusive to some; like taking a stack of hundred dollar bills and giving it to people who perform well and tell those that didn’t they’re losers. Or giving someone a punch in the shoulder as a reward. Some motivations, though rooted in our biology can be considered “sexist”. For instance I am motivated to work out much harder in the gym when there are young women there who are in excellent shape.
The thing I see with motivation and motivation practices over the years is that they always have an orientation to a specific personality type. So if you hire the right personality, people perform. But in an age of inclusiveness and diversity, such traditional practices will no longer work.
Chris, Thank you! Interesting take on motivation. Motivation can be used in the opposite ways we would normally associate with the word. What motivates others can be completely different than what motivates us. Which is why it’s good to find out each individual’s person mode of motivation….from a positive perspective. Regards to your gym reference for motivation; although it is tied to being considered “sexist,” for myself, it is much more motivating to be surrounded by healthy and committed people at the gym, than those who are not. This has to do with my psychology of pushing myself because I wish to be in the best health possible and they are a great example for me to follow.
Exactly! Hiring (surrounding yourself) with personality types who perform at the level or greater than what you expect of yourself, increases the chances of success for the organization as a whole. Morale and empowerment will be stronger. It is possible in today’s day and age the traditional practices may not work; however, with the right tools in place, leadership and thinking, anything is possible!
Great read and reminder
Thank you Larry. I am glad you were reminded to look at motivation. We sometimes get caught up in the busy mind and forget to look at why we are doing what we are and what is behind our thinking and actions. Motivation can be a great boost to take us from here to there with new perspectives and more energy coupled with excitement of possibilities.