Motivation

The word motivate is defined, per the American Heritage Dictionary online, as: To provide with an incentive; move to action.  At VITEC we agree with this, but in an effort to take it one step further and really understand as well as apply this, we believe a different perspective may be warranted.

At the simplest level, motivation is getting someone to want to do something.  This can be done with positive or negative stimulation – we’ve all experienced both.  Many might argue that negatives do not work, but they would be wrong. Negatives can be (and are) some of the most powerful motivators.   What say your boss calls you in and tells you point blank, “You must complete this work by the end of the week or you are fired.”  99% of the time a manager uses this crappy yet effective tactic, the work is completed in the expected time line.  Please note, this is NOT the best method for job satisfaction.  We’d encourage you to stay far, far away from this tactic yet it is and continues to be effective for many.

Job satisfaction can be viewed as a major motivator because who the heck wants to work in a place where everyone is dissatisfied, productivity is low and everyone hates their day-to-day? Where the company motto becomes – Get me outta here!   This leads us to pose an interesting but rather obvious question…is the opposite of job satisfaction job dissatisfaction?  No, we don’t think so. It’s sort of like saying the opposite of love is hate, which is not true – at least practically.  On the emotional spectrum we’ve all seen people flip back and forth between love and hate in an instant.  So, if the opposite of love is not hate what is it?  It’s disinterest, where you plain just don’t care anymore.  Therefore, the opposite of job satisfaction is no job satisfaction.  Furthermore, the opposite of job dissatisfaction is no job dissatisfaction.  So if we have an individual who is not satisfied with his job we need to first determine is this individual not satisfied or dissatisfied.  Head spinning yet?  Hang with me.

So how does this help us with the subject of motivation? Getting there, promise.

If we are going to get someone to do what we want because that is what they want, then they must be getting what they want by doing what we want. Scouts honor, I’m not talking in riddles here.  Their wants/needs/desires are being met, they are getting what they want!   So the next challenge then becomes finding out what it is they want.  What’s the driver? This calls for a conversation, probably a series of conversations where trust and relationship are developed. During your conversation you’ll most likely find that compensation is important, however chatting about what they are going to do with the compensation is better.  Outside of that insight, what do they want from a career, growth opportunities, recognition (which can be short lived unless they feel their role was critical to the success gained)?

How does leadership style within your organization impact motivation? Simply stated, command-and-control kills ambition while responsibility increases it tenfold.  Do you know your people?  Do they trust you to help them achieve their goals?

Ambition, which is a necessary component to successful motivation, often changes throughout a lifetime, however it can be influenced.

The desire to be free is at the foundation for all motivation – the desire to be free from a dependency on income, to live the way we want. Although most will never achieve this in total, the struggle to attain this freedom is the basis for motivation. It is a life and lifetime defining goal.

A job that provides the pathway for an individual to achieve this will not only be highly satisfying but also motivational.   On this path, he or she will be strongly inspired to keep their “good job.”   And people who like their jobs are not only your best employee’s, they’re also your best customers!