Download - THOUGHTS ON . . . motivation
MOTIVATION
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Beliefs based on personal values, experience and readings. This reading is continually under review & will never be finished Comments/feedback always welcome. Twitter: https://twitter.com/2010Robh
Blog: http://2010robh.blogspot.com.au/
Linked-In: http://au.linkedin.com/pub/robert-huggan/24/9b9/793
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A RECIPE FOR MOTIVATION
As a leader you may not be able to motivate anyone, but you can create an atmosphere
conducive to inspiration and motivation. The ingredients are
• Purpose
• Autonomy (in preference to empowerment)
• Personal growth
• Recognition
• Removal of barriers
• Fun
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PURPOSE
• Leaders are possibility thinkers. Turning possibility thinking into an inspiring Vision is the
leader's challenge
• Having the team agree upon purpose and goals, they forge their accountability to one
another — not just to the leader
• The team must “own” this purpose by developing its own spin on it
• Values and principles serve as the basis for goals
• People want to live meaningful lives - There is a deep desire within people to make a
difference
• People commit to causes, not to plans
• Nothing satisfies human spirit more than purpose
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AUTONOMY
• Engagement and satisfaction are largely based on autonomy and independence.
• Innovative workers (also the “happiest,” according to Google) are those who have a
strong sense of mission about their work and who also feel that they have much personal
autonomy
• Freedom breeds innovation: Even heavily process-oriented positions have room for
different approaches.
• Whenever possible, give your employees the autonomy and independence to work the
way they work best.
• Don't worry about the mistakes, give permission to experiment and take risks.
• Employees who are not trusted to solve problems, determine the best course of action, or
utilize their creativity become dull and disengaged.
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PERSONAL GROWTH
• Training is crucial to building self-efficacy and to encouraging initiative.
• Train everyone to be a businessperson. When everyone has the same information about
what's happening in the business, then everyone starts thinking and acting like a CEO
• Employees who are not trusted to solve problems, determine the best course of action, or
utilize their creativity – become dull and disengaged.
• Employees who are simultaneously given direction and freedom can take ownership and
innovate. They “work with purpose” and pride, and light fires of their own.
• Learning happens when people feel comfortable in talking about both successes and
failure.
• Develop tomorrow’s leaders and develop the skills of local leaders (rather than relocate
expatriates who have different styles and cultural norms
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RECOGNITION
• When people strive to show genuine appreciation to others for their hard work, it provides
a valuable motivator and behavioural reinforcement.
• Positive Reinforcement is the key to changing behaviour
• Never let good work go unnoticed with individualised recognition / personalised rewards
• Recognition may be the nudge an average performer needs to start becoming a great
performer.
• Celebrations should always serve a dual purpose - one is to honor a principle or an
achievement, and the other is to create community
• “Celebrations are the punctuation marks that make sense of the passage of time”.
• Organizational ceremonies are part of the rhythms of history and our collective
conditioning.
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REMOVE BARRIERS
• Remove as many factors as possible that are likely to de-motivate or get in the way of
motivation – Eliminate the excuses.
• It is unrealistic to expect to have a motivated workforce if the leader is not well motivated.
• Correct any general working conditions that can act as de-motivators.
• Pay/bonuses will be an important de-motivator if people believe that they are being
underpaid
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FUN
• People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.
• When people are having fun, the energy of the entire organisation shifts into higher &
higher levels.
• To keep the momentum going it’s important to have fun while working on goals
• Be proactive in looking for ways to have some fun even with the most routine work
• Make activities enlightening productive and fun.
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