We can do so many different things to succeed, but above all, there is one essential point: Your Motivation.
Even the most reliable person needs to have a WHY. The one thing that drives each of us to wake up every morning and give our best even if we encounter challenges along the way.
Without that WHY, even simple things become hard to achieve.
On top of that, not only is it crucial to find that WHY, but also to make sure that it’s the right one.
My drivers weren’t always the correct ones, and even though I achieved outstanding results, they didn’t fulfil my needs, and in the end, they didn’t make me happy.
FINDING YOUR WHY
For me, it took a long time and some external help to finally understand what was driving me and why I wasn’t feeling fulfilled.
Understanding your past. Being in the present is essential, but there are occasions where we need to look back to where we have come from in order to find answers.
In my case, when I looked back at my past, I realised that I was driven by the desire of proving someone else wrong. This was my motivation, but it was clearly the wrong one. This is why even if I achieved the desired results; these didn’t bring me fulfilment or happiness.
Understanding your drivers and realising what does and doesn’t bring you fulfilment is the first step, then you need to work on them.
Be selfish. By this, I mean that in order to achieve fulfilment and happiness, you need to find a motivation that works for you, even if other people don’t understand it or necessarily agree with it.
Keep it constantly in mind. Once you have found your motivation, you need to keep it front and centre of your mind. Don’t just leave it as you need to continually reference it in order to reinforce it so that it becomes ingrained.
I think about my WHY every day because it gives me the energy and focus I need to keep working hard even through the tough times.
HELPING OTHERS TO FIND THEIR MOTIVATION
Once you have great motivation and you feel how powerful it is. It’s time to bring that same power into your teams.
Imagine how amazing it would be to work with people who are as highly driven and as motivated as you are.
In teams and organisations, motivation is a fundamental driver of performance, but most of the time, leaders and managers don’t pay enough attention to it.
THE BENEFITS OF MOTIVATION
People who have the right motivation perform better; they are more creative, productive and happier.
This affects their performance, their satisfaction and their engagement with their peers, colleagues and teams, decreasing turnover and improving trust and loyalty.
Motivation also drives positive behaviours, which will create unique working environments in which change is embraced and sought after, rather than being feared and avoided.
UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION
It’s pretty standard for companies to motivate their employees with monetary incentives. And while these work well on some occasions, it’s essential to know that more money is not always the right motivation.
Studies show that when the tasks rely on cognitive and creative skills, monetary motivation doesn’t work. In fact, they negatively impact results.
Just as we talked about finding the right motivation for yourself, you need to find the right motivation for the people in your teams.
There are two different types of motivation:
Extrinsic motivation. Refers to behaviour that is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise.
Intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is behaviour stimulated by what comes from within an individual.
Even though intrinsic motivation comes from within, you can do things to inspire this type of motivation.
Daniel Pink suggests there are three critical drivers for intrinsic motivation: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.
HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM
Focus on Autonomy. Creating safe environments where people can work remotely, autonomously and at their own discretion is a great way to motivate and empower people. Giving them the independence to work and focus their energy on projects they are passionate about is an amazing way to inspire them.
Focus on Mastery. Channel your effort into creating an environment that promotes learning, development and growth that works for your employees. Or allow them to participate in projects that are not necessarily related to their positions but can help them learn.
Focus on Purpose. Finding the right people from the beginning is a great start. Introduce the motivation factor into the recruitment process. The most qualified people to do the job are not always the ones who are the most motivated or have the right motivation that aligns with your company.
As always, communication and feedback are essential elements if you want to motivate your employees and make sure that you carry out suitable measures to do it.
MY CONCLUSION…
Can you imagine working among a group of people who feel motivated, inspired, and are working towards a great goal? It doesn’t need to be a utopia; you have the possibility to create that environment and work with that group of people.
You need to pay attention to your motivation and the people’s motivation in your team, and even the new talent you plan to recruit.
It takes time and hard work, but it’s possible. And you don’t need to do it alone. Our mission is to inspire and motivate leaders and teams across organisations to optimise their performance.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation and find out how we can help you.
Before you go, leave a comment and share your motivation with us. We would love to hear from you.