Motivation

Motivation and Engagement

"What I need is some instant motivation."
"I'll just get someone in to motivate my team."
"If only I was more motivated, I'd get a lot more done."
"I wish my manager would motivate me better."
"I get completely demotivated when I'm not praised."

Getting Motivated

Motivation is one of those vague catchall words that mean completely different things to different people.

Here are some we've encountered over the years

Admiration
Money
Job satisfaction
Competitiveness
Completing a task
Children
Friday afternoon treats
Jealousy
Pleasure
Waking up to a sunny day
Having your football team win

Feeling Motivated

But it's pretty safe to say that most people will feel motivated when they know they are making a contribution, being heard, doing something useful, receiving praise and acknowledgement, having their skills developed.

We sometimes approach motivation as one of those things where people sometimes feel they have to 'rally the troops'.

Motivation Magic

It's as though something has to come along that will affect people in such a way that they will now be motivated, where before they weren't.

And sometimes it's really important to do that; to stimulate and encourage people so you can get the best from them.

Challenge And Excitement

For ultimately, that's what the motivation business is all about: challenging people, getting them excited about a project, a product, a new way of doing things; and making them feel they can do what's being asked of them.

Where managers and other big 'cheeses' often go wrong is that they'll overlook some of the small extras in favour of the splashy, or they'll decide on their own what will motivate the people around them without ever asking those very same people.

True Motivation

Getting people truly motivated (as opposed to firing people up and then expecting them to simply get on with it) isn't just for special occasions either; it's an important, if not vital, part of every-day life.

People need that something extra, - however small - to feed their esteem and self-worth, so they can get up tomorrow and do the job in hand with enthusiasm and confidence.