Welcome back….so this will be the first blog post on motivation……I’ve split the blog into two parts as there’s SO much to explore….First you’ll get a chance to reflect on those things that demotivate you at work. But don’t worry you’ll also consider the motivating factors tool. I’ll also introduce some theories around motivation and you can decide which works best for you should you need to further motivate your team….then in part 2 you’ll get a chance to formulate ways to motivate others – what I’ll also do is keep it real by sharing some work place situations that you’ll 100% be able to relate to….So let me start by asking - what even is motivation?  Its probably fair to say you know when you’ve got it and when you don’t….but if you were to dig out a dictionary you’d find it's defined as “stirring to action” or providing another person with a motive / impulse / a reason to do something….And guess what…as their manager you’re going to be best placed to create the conditions in which people can get motivated and reach their full potential…So lets start and let me begin by asking you a question – what demotivates you at work?  

Take time out now and go make a list.  This is completely personal so don’t worry about thinking you’re getting anything right or wrong….Just dig deep come up with as much as you can and I’ll see you again in a sec.  Welcome back.  Hope that didn’t put you too much on a downer! I’ll reveal the purpose of why you did that in moment, but before doing so, lets lighten the mood….so take a moment now and think about what “motivates” you In the workplace….

The image above is a distilled list of the motivators many thousands of people over the years have shared with me as to what fires them up them at work …how similar is this to yours?  Now what if I was to wave a magic wand and your entire team or dept joined us and I asked them to do the exact same exercise, how radically different do you think their responses would be?  I’m going to assume you said “not very” and you’d be absolutely right…and the reason I asked you to complete that exercise was to highlight…a quick win…do what you can to create and establish the conditions listed above and mitigate those that demotivate, and you’re already setting the scene for an environment conducive to getting people really fired up….Yeah sure some of these things will be easier than others….but leadership is about rising to the challenge getting creative, doing things differently…your commitment, dedication and perseverance into doing what matters, will be the difference as to how others see you as both role model and inspirational leader.

Now don’t take my word for it…go Google the work of psychologist Frederick Herzberg on motivation, his research, which dates back to the 60’s but is still relevant today…. identified six key areas within the workspace that he argues creates motivation for others….Achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, the opportunity for advancement, And personal growth.  But he also highlights areas that create dissatisfaction, burdensome bureaucracy - so that’s policies and procedures that hinder rather than help, workplace relationships - be that with your boss or others, work conditions - so that’s the environment within which you work, your status, your salary and your job security. All these things could be classed as demotivates, but they’re described as areas of dissatisfaction - why is that? Because as leader you may be able to change some of those just mentioned all that will happen is that someone at best will be “satisfied” or at worst become simply become a little less dissatisfied - they’re not the things that actually “create motivation.” For that… it’s about setting those early conditions I mentioned… achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, opportunity for advancement and sense of personal growth (the learning of new things).

There’s also the work done by Douglas McGregor into motivation which he called X Y theory …In brief…the X in the theory assumes that employees are inherently lazy and unmotivated, needing strict supervision and control to perform well. On the other hand, the Y suggests employees are self-motivated and enjoy taking on responsibilities. McGregor's research highlights that the way managers perceive their employees influences their approach to motivation and management - So where do you lean? X or Y? In today's world, where employee empowerment and autonomy are increasingly valued, Theory Y is more applicable. By trusting and empowering employees, leaders can tap into their people’s intrinsic motivations and foster a positive work environment. The benefits….it encourages creativity, engagement, and a sense of ownership…which unsurprisingly leads to higher job satisfaction and productivity - Plus this approach aligns with contemporary management practices, those being collaboration, flexible working arrangements, and a supportive organisational culture.

Now as we’re on a roll with the theory around motivation… Let’s not stop there…Recent research from New York author Daniel Pink, and I’d highly recommend you read his book “drive” and / or take time out to watch his TED talk on YouTube…His relatively research from 2009, identified three intrinsic elements to motivation autonomy, mastery and purpose.  

So let’s explore these 3 areas in more depth and then you can look at how you might introduce them into your world…so let me start by asking you a question…at times how much do you like being able to do, what you like, when you like, however you like?….I already know the answer to this because Daniel Pink has already done his extensive research…I’m willing to bet the chances are high that you said yes to that…So here again is a pretty quick win for you….Thinking about the work place, Knowing now that the desire for autonomy is a universal human trait, what is it you can do to offer autonomy to others, while of course balancing the risk….Take a moment to pause now…think about it?  What opportunities present themselves when you think of your team?

Now the second motivating factor identified by Daniel pink was mastery…what we’re talking about here is the human desire to feel as if we’re moving forward, growing expanding becoming bigger and better…Let me see if I can bring this to life…have you got a hobby?…Something you go back to over and over, perhaps on a weekly basis maybe even more regularly?  Don’t worry if you can’t think of anything, the principle of what I’m about to share you’ll still be able to relate to….Let's say for example you play the guitar…Will your guitar playing ever pay the mortgage and put food on your plate…for many people it's probably a no (amazing by the way if it’s a yes!)…Now I’m going to assume you answered a no…but the thing is…you keep going back to your hobby over and over?…why is that?  Well Daniel Pinks research identified that we all have this intrinsic desire to feel as if we’re growing, becoming bigger and better at stuff…even when there’s no reward other than that of the satisfaction that were improving in some way….So how does knowing this help us as leaders….well this is a great example of why getting to know your people is so crucial. 

Remember the model I talked about when we began this leadership programme - Avolio and Bass’s transformational leadership? I introduced the 4I’s the first two of which were individual consideration and intellectual stimulation….I think the example I shared was through getting to know your team members you discovered someone loves to edit videos outside of work.  I made up a scenario whereby a project or initiative came your way,  elements required delegating, a part of which was video creating and editing and through knowing you’ve an individual in your team who gets pleasure out of this as a hobby….you've now got an awesome opportunity to really motivate them…chances are too…if you can get this right…to them its an opportunity to simply do something they love…and there’s a chance it won’t feel like WORK. So take a moment to think, what opportunity have you got right now to inspire someone motivationally through stimulating them with a task that’s close to their heart?

The final element then is “purpose”…assisting your team members to find purpose in the work they do, inspiring them to believe that they are a part of a cause that’s bigger than themselves….Have you ever in your working career ever felt like what you’ve been tasked to do has kept you busy - but that was it. You just felt busy, you’d not really been able to see why you were doing what you were doing? A sense of being just a number or another employee doing stuff for the sake of it, and while you could perhaps see the importance of what you did…you were unable to see the difference it made in the grand scheme of things? That’s what we’re talking about here…..Now depending upon where you work and the role your team members play, I’ll admit this isn’t always an easy one as leader to do – that said. This again links into the transformational leadership fourth “I” idealised influence…you being the role model, ensuring others can see the bigger picture, the grand vision, where they fit in and the difference that what they’re being tasked to do is making…be that to the customer, clients, stakeholders wider business, environment, the world,….Its about providing them with meaningful work, setting direction and inspiring them… Does your team know the grand vision and their role in achieving it?…What’s the evidence for that?…Where’s the room for improvement in what you’re doing?

Hold on though!!! We’ve missed something! One area we haven’t covered and may be playing on your mind….what about - money!  I totally appreciate that money too can be a key motivator, and while there’s plenty of research that suggests its not necessarily a primary motivator for everyone, the bottom line is…we all need it…….and lets not shy away from the fact that it’s not also nice to have wonderful holidays, go to great restaurants, do fun things with family and friends and buy nice stuff, as shallow and materialistic as that might sound….But let me quickly have some fun with this….Firstly I’ll provide some context…then I’m going to give you two options

Here’s the scenario. This is the only job you’ll ever have for the rest of your life….There are no other jobs available to you….There's no side hustle….no secret trust fund….This is it….till the day you retire….So you've got two options. Option A. And option B. Option A. I’ll pay you 100,000 pounds a year and you’ll be a toll booth operator….That means you'll go to work nine to five every single day…You’ll sit in a small compartment…And you’ll give a ticket to each car that goes across a bridge… you’ll do the same thing with the next car and every single other car that goes across that bridge….That’s it….That's all you’ll ever do for the rest of your life….Option B you'll be an architect and I'll pay you 80,000 pounds a year….If you HAD to choose one, if you HAD to, which option would you go with?

Typically most people go with option B….Why is that?…Because creativity and freedom are primary motivators even when there’s more money on offer – Food for thought.

OK, so lets wrap up this first half of my blogs on motivation with some additional approaches you as manager and leader can tap into to reignite a team members passion:

1. Go out of your way to seek input and gain others insights and opinions…that way they’ll feel more involved and valued….

2. Another would be to tap into the resources available to offer self-development opportunities, be it through training, coaching, mentoring a qualification or perhaps even a  secondment….

3. Here’s one that often gets forgotten - celebrate success…big or small, individual or team based and look for ways to keep things fun….

4. Finally encourage others to look after themselves, provide space for team members to take time-out and recharge….Remember your success comes through your team – If they feel good about themselves and are in optimum condition, mentally, emotionally and physically then chances are you’ll be getting better results from them too….Think about it from your own perspective, when you're tired and exhausted how much fun are you to be around? Probably not much!….

In part two of this motivation section, we're going to be taking what we’ve covered here and use it to motivate different people…all will be revealed…see you in part 2…