I have spent many years coaching individuals and teams in athletics. (Different than executive coaching or business coaching) At one point during my time I had the opportunity to visit with the strength and conditioning coaches of the NFL Indianapolis Colts. Their job is to get these athletes to do the hardest and often least fun part of their workday. . . build and/or improve their strength, speed, and overall conditioning so they can continue to perform at peak levels.
When I was talking to them I asked them what they did to motivate the athletes. Their responded with a statement they use: “pay now and play later or play now and pay later.” These are adults they work with and they assumed their work ethic was pretty much developed therefore they left the decision up to them. The coaches provided the structure and all they needed, but ultimately the choice was up to the individual. It may help that in an elite sport culture there is always some new, young, better conditioned talent coming in to challenge their spot, but that is not the point.
These coaches were implementing one of the three principles author Daniel Pink describes in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Pink found that one of three keys to motivation is autonomy. Autonomy is simply independence or freedom to do something in a manner that seems appropriate to the individual.
Notice, these coaches did not simply open the doors and say the athletes could do whatever they wanted. They provided a structure and also provided a choice. Do it, or don’t, but there will be consequences for the choice: positive or negative.
What does this tell us about leading at work or at home?
- Provide a structure – people need boundaries and some form of guidance, but they do not need to be micromanaged. If a child or adult needs micromanaging then they need to be challenged to take risks and know they are allowed to fail . . . and learn. As the leader we must be there to help them learn. We put the fence up in the playground and they can play wherever within that boundary.
- Give them freedom – for a child, freedom to choose between two options. For example, clean up your room or don’t, that is your choice but there will be consequences. For the adult at work, assuming you have provided clear expectations and a clear purpose let them create the plan and as the leader check in to see what resources they need or if they need help processing.
There are more principles that can be drawn, but these two come to the front for me. When you look at your leadership at work or as a parent what do you need to improve on? Are you like me and you tend to over-control (aka micromanage) or do you not give clear enough structure and/or expectations? Do the people you lead have enough freedom to use their gifts, talents, and strengths or are you stifling them? Pause, reflect and take the next step to grow as a motivational leader.
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