Running in the rain – a few thoughts on motivation

Over the last 24 hours, the subject of what motivates people has touched my conversations and thoughts in loads of different ways...how can I help my son Fin choose revision over Xbox? How to help a client align their team behind a new strategy? How to get out for a run in the rain?  The impacts of unlocking motivation are huge.  Get it right and we improve performance in ourselves and the people we lead, yet how much time to do we really invest in thinking about it? 

So, grab yourself a cuppa, grant yourself 5 minutes, read through the following thoughts, and think about whether there’s anything you could be doing differently to improve motivation in you and your team...

1. It’s all about the money, right...?

Well, not necessarily. Traditional economic wisdom asserted that to improve performance, financial rewards are the way to go.  Yet in recent years, research has demonstrated that for anything more than basic, routine work, rewards can actually impede performance and restrict creativity (see Dan Pink’s excellent book ‘Drive’ for more on this).  Sure, people need to feel as if the basics are fair - to feel as if their salaries, benefits, and company processes are sufficient, but once these ‘external motivators’ have been satisfied, we’re into the realms of people choosingto feel motivated, which is where the real benefits lie in terms of effort and performance.

2. You set the scene

The thing about motivation...real motivation... is that it relies on someone choosing to do something.   You can’t force someone to be motivated.    But as a leader, you influence these choices through the things you do.  American psychologist Frederick Herzberg identified the influence of factors like recognition, achievement, advancement and job interest in developing ‘intrinsic motivation’. A few questions to ask yourself in relation to your leadership approach and use of these motivational factors:

• How regularly do you recognise and appreciate each team member’s contribution?
• To what extent is your team member’s work aligned with their wider career plan and ambitions? If not, is there anything that could change?
• Are there any areas where you could give more ownership and autonomy to your team? What would that offer you and them?

3. We’re all unique

When it comes to motivating others, it can be easy to fall into the trap of assuming that others are motivated by the same things as us.  And yet we’re all different.  When it comes to recognition, for example, some people enjoy public accolade, whilst others will appreciate a quiet word from you in your 121.  Understanding how the motivating factors apply to your team members individually is key to unlocking the choices your team make.  A few more questions to consider:

• How well do you know what’s important to each team member? What gets them out of bed in the morning?
• What could you do to improve your knowledge?
• What does great appreciative feedback look, and sound like for each team member?
• What assumptions are you holding about each team member, and is there anything you need to change?

David Hughes, The Living Leader Associate