MOTIVATION

May

2023

Motivating Your Team

For many years I have been around leaders whose primary question outside of the technical aspects of their work was how to motivate their team. Motivation is part of effectively leading change.

Two primary types of motivation exist.

Intrinsic

This is motivation, where the individual has an internal drive to do the work. This motivation rarely requires prodding from the leader because individuals derive satisfaction from work. To effectively motivate people intrinsically, find out why they do the work.

Extrinsic

This motivation comes from a reward the individual receives. It could be money, recognition, a promotion, or something else. At times it comes from the desire to avoid punishment. Often leaders who use this type of motivation resort to fear.

Of these two types of motivation, intrinsic is preferred. The challenge is this takes time. This requires understanding a few things about the people you lead.

Personality

Every individual is different, yet we are predictably different. In my program, The Four Pillars of Leadership, I briefly discuss the four personality styles; therefore, I won’t cover them here. What I will mention is we need to understand what an individual’s genetic personality is as well as their background.

I have worked with individuals who, by a behavioral assessment, would be predicted to communicate in one way. However, in reality, they behave very differently either because of their upbringing or the environment they are functioning in. The more we understand these nuances, the more effectively we can lead team members.

Passion

Every person has a button to push. That button gets them fired up. Each person is different, though. Some people are competitive. Some are excited about relationships. Some want to be part of a team working toward a greater purpose. Some want to have fun. As leaders, our job is to understand what excites our people. Why do they come to work? When we have clarity on that, we can align the organization’s why with their why and will improve performance.

Preferences

The Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator results I use with clients provide insight into an individual’s preferred work environment and how they like others to communicate with them. We can modify accordingly when we understand what individuals prefer in their work environment, their communication approach, and even a leader’s style. If the team members’ preferences do not align with the organization’s or team’s culture, then the leader needs to adjust accordingly.

The greatest performance comes from intrinsically motivated individuals. Influential leaders will take the time to understand their people and adjust their communication style, leadership approach, and even goal setting. These adjustments will help leaders connect interpersonally and align the whys to enhance motivation.

If you want to understand the communication style of those on your team, you can GO HERE to invest in a Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator for individuals on your team. Keep taking time to understand your teammates so you can connect and motivate them well. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Motion to Get Motivated

I live in the Northern part of the United States and the winter can be a little rough at times. Usually I get up early and go do my morning workout. On this particular day it was different.

I had done my morning routine and was ready to go. My bag was packed and I had opened the door to the garage, then I looked at the driveway.

I knew an ice/snow storm had started overnight, but when I looked at my driveway it was a sheet of ice. If you have seen the effects of an ice storm you know what I am talking about. I threw salt on the driveway and changed my plan.

We have a steep driveway and I didn’t want to crash into the neighbor’s car parked on the street and I wasn’t sure I would make it back up my driveway once I left. Now I didn’t know what to do because my morning workout is my coffee.

My motivation had dipped and I was tempted to go back to bed for a little bit, but instead I went into the basement. I hung up my TRX Band straps and turned on some Rocky music and started working out.

I will spare you the details of my workout, but I accomplished the goal of 30 minutes of elevating my heartrate and felt pretty good afterwards. As I thought about this there are a few leadership lessons to be learned from simply getting in motion whether that is to exercise or to move toward accomplishing your personal and/or professional vision as you start this new year.

Motion first and emotion later

Whether exercising, going out to make a sales call, preparing or whatever tempts us to procrastinate we all have crafty ways to stall our motion. Look at the word “emotion.” I am not an expert in words, but I do see most of the word is motion and the “e” has to catch up. Emotion is simply energy in motion. Maybe we would benefit from reminding ourselves to “Do it NOW” so we get in motion quickly.

Give yourself success steps

As I started my workout I wanted to get my heart rate up quick and warm up achy joints so I ran in place. I accomplished that small goal and moved on to the next small goal. After accomplishing multiple small goals I ended up completing the entire workout. Whatever the goal is, take small steps in the direction of the vision, celebrate the victories, then move on.

Persevere

When you are at minute one of a 30 minute workout it looks overwhelming. As you have set goals for the new year maybe they are overwhelming you. Keep taking one step at a time and follow your plan, adjusting when necessary and you will reach the destination.

Enjoy the process

This is a challenge for me because I just want to get there. I have to remind myself to slow down, connect with others who are on the journey with me and enjoy the benefits of the process.

As you set goals for this new year, get in motion and keep moving one step at a time. Which of these four steps do you need to grow in? Do you need someone to help you in that process? Contact me for a no cost thirty-minute thinking partner session to help you think into these goals and more. Lead well.

Oct

2020

Motivating Others As A Leader

I recently read a faith-based book by Kris Vallotton called Poverty, Riches & Wealth. Unexpectedly I came across some practical leadership advice as he discussed his experience leading his own company.

One of the greatest challenges when working with people, which is leadership, is figuring out how to get the best effort and results from them. Whether as a leader in an organization, as a coach of a team, or at home we all face this. When reading this book Vallotton reminded me of three basic needs we all have that can serve as motivational triggers.

Survival

At the end of the day we all must put food on our table, clothe ourselves, and have a roof over our head. These are universal needs we all have regardless of culture or socio-economic status. Some would suggest that if you provide a great enough purpose for someone this will work itself out.

Purpose is important and this keeps us going, but at the end of the day if I can’t meet my basic needs then my greatest purpose feels like staying alive. I may wholeheartedly believe in the cause, vision, company, etc., but I need to eat!

If those you lead are hungry for money then this survival idea may be their greatest trigger. Bonuses can be an effective motivator for this individual. . . . for now.

Connection

“The need for approval makes a person want to fit in, and it is driven by the desire to feel connected.”

Maybe you sense a person’s motivation for money has waned. Author Daniel Pink in his book Drive suggests this occurs because as we get fair compensation there comes a point money no longer functions as a primary motivator.

This person’s trigger may become the desire to feel a part of the team/organization/family. How can we meet that need? Recognition. For some people receiving visible recognition for top performance is a tremendous boost of confidence and motivator.

For the people in this stage you may need to find creative ways to recognize them. Maybe you create a culture where people feel more connected with others through growth opportunities or regular social experiences. People need to experience they are not alone and are liked and appreciated. There is a third stage that can overlap this stage . . .

Significance

All teams or groups have experienced, well connected, and liked people. Their basic needs are well met, and they want something more.

Maybe they are not in a significant formal position of leadership, but they want to make an impact. These are the people whose trigger is their legacy. They are inspired when they get the opportunity to do something of significance for the group.

This could be the experienced veteran employee who may not want the responsibility of a higher leadership position, but welcomes the opportunity to provide ideas and contribute to a new project. A leader formally and authentically recognizing this individual’s contribution to the cause can meet their desire for significance. Some people may not desire recognition because their values align with the vision and values of what you lead and that motivates them.

Can I suggest you take some time this week to think about those you lead and assess which stage they are in. Look at how you motivate and evaluate how are you triggering each of these areas? Need help thinking into this? Contact me for a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. Lead Well.

Jun

2019

Three Keys to Motivating

A number of years ago I read a book by author Daniel Pink which I found very beneficial in understanding how to motivate others. In this post I want to share with you his key principles. I liked Drive so much that after I borrowed it from the library I later bought it as a reference for the future.

In his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us he provides three keys to our motivation. Before I share that, what about money? Surprisingly, money was not one of the top three motivators. Pink found as long as people were receiving fair pay this was not the big motivator. So what did he find?

AUTONOMY

This is freedom to do things the way we want or as he puts it: the “desire to direct our own lives.” You are a leader and you have led others. When do you give the most pushback? Is it when given freedom to do the project the way you want or when someone was over your shoulder all the time?

At the end of the day we all want to be trusted. When trusted that we are competent to do a job this subconsciously instills confidence. We all have doubts, but also want to figure it out on our own. When leaders provide autonomy and clear expectations, we show trust in those we lead and truly empower them.

MASTERY

Everyone of us is designed with unique talents, experiences, and skills that make us capable to excel at something. We all have room to grow as well. Pink says this idea of mastery is the “urge to make progress and get better at something that matters.” Something that matters . . . we’ll get to that in a moment.

This speaks to the reality that we all want to be challenged on some level to grow. We want to be put in a position where we can be an expert and excel at something meaningful. As leaders may I suggest we need to find our “sweet spot” and that of those we lead. As we understand unique personalities, strengths, skills and experiences we can position ourselves and others to become masters at something that will bring us alive and meet a need in the organization and world.

PURPOSE

The third key Pink found is the idea that we want to do what we do “in the service of something larger than ourselves.” I would suggest this is the desire to live a life of significance. Whether leading an organization, team, a family or something else we want our life to matter and leave a legacy.

As leaders our job is to connect the what with a bigger “why” that relates to what matters to those we lead. We need to help those we lead see the bigger picture of what we are doing and how it connects with the purpose of the organization or team. This should be bigger than just making money, but how it will make an impact in the world?

How are you doing at these three areas? What are you doing to help those who you lead to provide autonomy, give an opportunity to develop mastery and clarify the purpose? If you need help thinking into better motivating those around you through your leadership then contact me for a thinking partner/coaching session at no cost to you. In the meantime lead well.

Nov

2017

Motivating Others

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.