Motivational Leadership

Motivation plays a major role in developing your people. Whether it’s the promise of a larger role within the team, or the satisfaction of meeting a new challenge, motivating your employees and keeping them motivated encourages professional growth and performance improvement. An engaged employee is a productive employee. Engaged people find meaning and purpose in their work and feel connected to the team and the broader organization. This requires team leaders to share information with their people, to let them know what’s going on in the company, what’s expected of them, and how they can help.

A nice salary is not enough! You could argue that it is harder to motivate employees today than it was in the past, given the economic, global, and technological challenges of the modern business world. However, leaders of the past had their own challenges as well, and despite superficial differences, the need for motivation at work is an age-old issue. When workplaces had more hierarchy and command-and-control practices, team leaders may have believed they could make people perform using simple punishment and reward models, but chances are that the results were the same as they would be today – poor morale and diminished motivation.

As a team leader, you have to make things happen and get things done. Business demands sometimes loom so large that you forget that others will help you when they are motivated to do so. Your job is to unleash that motivation. But you can’t impose motivation. People are in charge of their own motivation, and all a leader can do is facilitate, encourage, and enable it. To keep your people motivated, you have to help them fulfill their needs.

COMMON MOTIVATORS - Personal needs like safety, esteem, power, and belonging express themselves in the workplace in ways that we think of as common motivators:

Achievement: People motivated by achievement need to get results. They like a challenge and to be directed toward a goal. To motivate these people, give them opportunities to demonstrate their talents, to grow and develop new skills, and give them feedback.

Affiliation: Individuals motivated by affiliation take pride in public opportunities to represent their organization, department, or team. They may seek opportunities to belong and engage with others in ways that bring them together. It’s important for these individuals to be actively involved with the team, rather than just being observers, because they want to be associated and accepted by the group. To motivate affiliation types, it’s important to provide recognition at the team level and consider team awards and recognition.

Autonomy: These people enjoy creating and fulfilling their own goals. They’re independent and self-reliant and may enjoy working alone and without external controls. To motivate the autonomous, stress their individuality and give them assignments that benefit from independent thinking and actions. Allow them to come up with their own way of doing things.

Creativity: People motivated by creativity look for new ways to approach situations and solve problems. They enjoy expressing themselves and their ideas, tend to seek out new experiences, and aren’t afraid of change. Ask them for their ideas about doing things differently or customizing work. Whenever possible, give them room to explore and exercise creative freedom. They may make a mistake or two, but they’re agile and quick to self-correct. They thrive in a bold, innovative atmosphere.

Responsibility: People who are motivated by responsibility need to feel accountable and have their work be purposeful. They respond well when they’re trusted with key roles and feel vital and necessary, often taking on tasks that others shy away from.

Status: These people need to have their work acknowledged. They want appreciation, and respond to praise, especially when it’s public. They look for respect from colleagues and often seek feedback. They’re often focused on their position in the company hierarchy. They like titles or other symbols of authority and recognition. They want to impress others. You can motivate them by showing your appreciation and acknowledging them publicly. Provide feedback, especially positive feedback, regularly. To keep them motivated, point out how they can advance through their good work and productivity.

Security: Motivation may be rooted in what seems like the most basic terms: the desire for security. People need to know that their jobs are safe. They respond well to things that reflect the prospect of a long-term career and employment stability. Let them know they’re valued and important.

No matter what your people’s motivations may be, they are valuable, and they are important. You can’t achieve everything you need to without them. There’s no harm in letting them know that ;-)

MOTIVATIONAL CHALLENGES

Motivating employees while maximizing results is a delicate balance. It comes with a number of challenges. It’s easy for your focus to shift too far in one direction or the other. And while you must know and understand what motivates your people, you must also understand what undermines and discourages motivation, too.

These are some of the sources of demotivation and dissatisfaction:

Time-wasters: Time-wasters are a major source of dissatisfaction and lack of motivation. When people feel that they’re spending their time in pursuit of meaningless activity, or following pointless rules, they tend to lose their energy and enthusiasm. Office politics are a similar demotivator. They tend to disrupt, and people feel obligated, even if not inclined, to take sides, and that, too, derails motivation.

Lack of clarity: Outside of extreme situations, the greatest demotivator is a lack of clarity around the work people are doing or their specific roles and responsibilities. This can take a number of different forms. Lack of clarity regarding expectations is one form, when employees don’t know exactly what’s expected of them. If they’re confused about their job responsibilities, it’s difficult to gain their commitment. And withholding important information or not following up have similar results. Important business matters need to be shared so people feel involved, included, and a part of the company’s success. When they don’t know or understand where they and their work fit into the bigger picture, it’s demotivating.

Negative interactions: Chief among these demotivators are negative interactions. People respond more meaningfully to a positive, rather than a negative touch. Negative interactions can take many forms. It can be as simple as a harsh comment when a softer criticism would do the trick. Other times, it can be as debilitating as unfairness and dishonesty. Nearly everyone is sensitive to being misled or repeatedly passed over for challenging assignments. Motivation requires fairness and honesty. Whenever possible, turn criticism into constructive feedback and end on a positive note. Remind the person that you’re offering constructive feedback because you care about their professional development. Everyone has unique needs and motivations. A personal letter of thanks for someone motivated by public recognition won’t have as much impact as acknowledging that person in front of a group. Asking someone to get excited about using a detailed process when they actually value creative input won’t have as much impact as empowering their imagination.

DEVELOPING MOTIVATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Everyone has unique needs and motivations. A personal letter of thanks for someone motivated by public recognition won’t have as much impact as acknowledging that person in front of a group. Asking someone to get excited about using a detailed process when they actually value creative input won’t have as much impact as empowering their imagination.

Observing employees - Observation is a good way to learn about people’s motivations, leading with curiosity! How do you know what motivates any given employee? It’s not useful to ask, “What motivates you?” because many people can’t verbalize it or will feel put on the spot. In most cases, you’ll have to use observation. Spend time with your people and watch them:

o  What makes them happy, and how do they show it?

o  Do they seem proud? Embarrassed?

o  How much do they value a tangible reward?

o  How do they interact with others?

o  Do they like to team up or do they tend to work alone? 

o  How do they explore ideas?

o  Are they comfortable brainstorming, or do they prefer following an agenda?

o  How do they deal with conflict or change?

o  Look at their workspaces. Are there plaques or certificates on their walls? Is their work environment tidy or cluttered?

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF A MOTIVATIONAL LEADER

Leaders, like their employees, are all a little different in their approach to motivation, but they do tend to have many of the same basic characteristics.

One characteristic is the ability to create a sense of common purpose and vision for their employees. All businesses require a focus on the common good. What’s good for the company is good for its people, and vice-versa.

Displaying resilience and working tirelessly for your people doesn’t go unnoticed. Motivational leaders know that being both an advocate and example for their teams encourages team members to embrace those same qualities. They embody the old saying, “I won’t ask my team to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

When you show passion for the job, and the work, it will inspire passion in your team. The energy, drive, and determination you show in supporting their work inspires them to do what’s necessary to achieve and meet the goals of the business.

Helping your team by setting goals and explaining how they fit into the company’s overall business strategy can provide strong motivation for your team. Providing positive feedback and follow-through when they request clarification or support reinforces their commitment to achieving those goals and striving for success.

Part of following through is acknowledging achievement and persistence your team members show in doing so. Whether they prefer to receive acknowledgement quietly, in-person, or as part of a group celebration, the acknowledgement can be a reward in itself. People like to be told they’re important, that they make a difference, and that they are needed.

Motivational leaders need to lead with a growth mindset and project a positive, encouraging attitude. While it’s best to have that attitude, everyone has slumps, periods of stress and struggles, and the challenge for leaders is not to let those show. Others depend upon them and look to them to set the mood and tone for their teams. Leaders who engage in negative behaviors or indifference to their people’s needs and achievements risk leading teams that are negative or indifferent. And nothing deadens motivation faster than negativity and indifference.

LEADING BY MOTIVATING

Motivational leadership isn’t easy. Even in the best of times, when your team seems to be clicking on all cylinders, motivation might still be an issue. How do you keep everyone engaged and productive? There is no magic formula, but there are some basic actions to take that allow you to increase motivation while still aligning with the business requirements and workplace realities you face every day.

Setting goals: Individual and team goals must be established with an eye toward organizational alignment, but they can also provide challenges that keep your people interested and engaged. Whenever possible, include your team in crafting their goals and making certain they understand how they fit within the bigger picture.

Providing continuous encouragement: Everyone is going to struggle now and again, just as everyone is going to make an occasional mistake. Negative reactions from their boss will sooner or later erode anyone’s confidence and motivation. Whether in groups or as individuals, positive feedback and encouragement remind people that they and their work matter. That they are important and that mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow and that feedback is a form of caring about them.

Promoting opportunities for continuous learning: Whether in the form of online training programs or stretch assignments, most people want to improve their skills and knowledge. Challenge is the motivator, but the key is aligning those challenges with core competencies and providing regular coaching, whether from you or a peer, to guide and focus their learning to address business needs.

Setting a good personal example by leading with purpose: Your team needs to see what motivates you, what gets you out of bed in the morning. They need to see that you understand that their motivations may differ and not necessarily align with yours. When we know our purpose and what gives us meaning, we can make the best decisions to take care of ourselves; we have more energy and balance, we are naturally more curious and infinitely more agile – we are driven by what could be: this then creates the positive ripple effect on our teams, our business, client and society. Motivational leaders are purpose driven and truly bring out the best and inspire others.