How To Create The Right Environment For Motivation

Knowledge Based Article

Motivation is an inner energy…no manager can motivate anyone to do anything; only create the conditions so that people are motivated to help themselves!

Creating the conditions where others motivate themselves is arguably one of the most valuable skills – why? For any manager the results they are judged on reflect the performance of their team and the motivation of the team has a greater influence on the results than their ability; anyone who follows a team sport will know this to be true.

Having managed our own teams, trained teams and worked with many top managers in our industry the list below summarises some of the key factors generally accepted as being key to creating the conditions where people are motivated to help themselves.

The three key factors

Autonomy

The more independence someone has in setting both their goals and how they achieve these goals the greater their personal buy-in to achieving them. Nobody is more motivated than when they have set their own goals and had a major input into how they are going to deliver them as not to do so is a personal failure as opposed to not delivering on someone else’s goals and plans. The last person most people will let down is themselves and hence the more autonomy they have the greater their personal commitment to success.

For example; established companies in mature markets that use well managed bottom up target setting are not surprisingly far more likely to achieve their targets than ones that use top down target setting. There are many examples of where researchers given personal resource and responsibility to develop their own ideas create higher value ideas than those whose activities are more tightly controlled. It’s the same with training; if we help people learn the required lessons for themselves they remember and above all implement the new ideas to a far greater extent than if they are simply told what to do. This is why training is such a huge global industry. If you could just tell people what to do you could just show them once or have them read a book. Effective training helps people discover the right answers for themselves, they learn autonomously.

Mastery

Almost universally people like to continually develop, especially in the industries we work in where many employees have high levels of education. Learning and mastering new skills and knowledge provides a positive feedback loop increasing motivation. It’s the opposite of the saying “stuck in a rut” i.e. motivation is low as the individual is not developing but just doing the same old thing. Even if a person’s job is not fundamentally changing, providing the opportunity for them to develop additional skills even if not directly related to their position can help improve and maintain motivation. In our recruitment work we find the one thing above all others that makes someone loyal to their employer is the level of personal development the company provides.

Purpose

Few if any jobs are done just for the sake of being busy, think about the jobs we chose to do in our own time at home. Whilst the job itself may not be enjoyable the end result, purpose, can be. Cutting the grass can be hard work and time consuming, there is a sense of satisfaction for most though when looking at the end result. It is no different at work; it is often the end result or purpose that sustains motivation. Therefore making sure everyone understands what their purpose in the overall company is, how their input helps create success is key to creating and maintaining motivation. If people do not know their purpose they are unlikely, no matter how strong their work ethic, to deliver to their full potential.

Practical steps you can take

Autonomy

• Stop being the boss. Empower your staff to work together in teams on projects rather than everyone reporting to one individual who is seen as “responsible” for the outcome of the assignment; make everyone responsible. Consider what is worse, letting your boss down or letting your colleagues in the team down? Enabling people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects (results) faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.

• Start with their ideas not yours. When something needs to be done start by asking “what is the best way we can achieve this?” Of course as a manager we will have our own opinion, however listen to other people’s thoughts first and guide them to alternative options with questioning if you disagree. It can take longer to start a new project taking this approach but generally less time to finish it and achieve a better outcome.

Mastery

• Be generous with praise. Everyone enjoys it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Praise every improvement you see a team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others. Make it genuine and be consistent.

• Avoid criticism. No one wants to hear they did something wrong, it is generally a huge de- motivator. Nobody sets out to fail so ask how did this happen? Try an indirect approach to get people to improve and learn from their mistakes. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach to the problem? Why not? What other approaches could have achieved a better outcome?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions and helping them to develop.

Purpose

• Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others…to be a role model. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.

• Give frequent recognition and small rewards. This is more than congratulating someone in a company meeting or in a company newsletter, which is still valuable, it is also “catching people doing things well”. Whenever you notice someone displaying great behaviours that you want everyone to adopt, praise them on the spot, just a quick well done for … is enough. Small rewards that don’t break the bank can be very powerful especially when not expected. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services etc. There are many studies showing that a few small rewards during the course of a year motivate people far more than a larger one off end of year bonus.

Additional advice

• Socialise as a team. Occasionally doing things as a group helps bond the individual into a team. Have a company picnic, recognise birthdays with a cake, hold a happy hour, run team training sessions off site – be creative, having fun rarely lowers motivation!

• Share the rewards—and the pain. When the company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that what they contribute to is valued by the customers. Equally when there are disappointments, share these too, people like to be involved and trusted. If we expect high performance, our team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.

Please check out RSAnimate YouTube clip is adapted from Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA, illustrating the hidden truths of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace.

Youtube Link

Knowledge Based Article