Motivating

Motivation is huge in the workplace. Having a motivated team and employees is needed to be a successful business but finding ways to motivate your team can be incredibly difficult.  People are motivated in many different ways.  Some people are motivated through emotional speeches given by their coaches or bosses, some are motivated by being told they can’t do something or succeed at doing something they enjoy, and some are motivated by a personal drive to be successful in whatever they are doing.  There are many places that say they have the formula for motivating employees.  Most of these are general statements that don’t seem to hold any weight in the real world.  However, this article about four tips for motivating brought some simple and effective ways to help keep your employee’s motivated.

As a manager, it is important to know how your team works and how they are motivated.  Getting to know your team on a personal level allows you to understand how they work and what other kinds of people they click with.  Being personable with your employees can go a long way.  People working for you would feel like they are valued more because they are being sought after for a personal relationship.  This can lead to motivation in the workplace.  When my boss has made it a point to get to know me better, I have found it more enjoyable to work with them.  This is because they know who I work well with and what strengths I have when it comes to working.  It also helps that one of my top strengths is adaptability, but that’s beside the point.

Not everyone is motivated by rah-rah speeches that you might here before a football game.

Former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis was known for his motivational speeches he would give before games.  As much as I disliked him as a player (mostly because I’m a Steelers fan), he was a very emotionally driven individual who lead by example and, what people in sports would say, heart.  But even he knows that different people are motivated in different ways.  Being aware of your team dynamics is another big area to look at when trying to motivate.  Knowing who works well with others can provide less friction in the workplace and therefore can provide a more enjoyable and more motivated work area.  Nobody likes being put in groups, especially large groups, with people they know don’t work in a motivated fashion.  Being able to assemble a successful team is a challenge in itself.

A lot of people have trouble with self motivation as well.  Being able to tell yourself to do it and actually doing it are two huge differences.  I can tell myself that I’m going to go to the gym and exercise, but actually getting myself to go is a whole different task (which is why I haven’t been in a couple of weeks).  But being able to motivate yourself is one of the first steps we should look at when trying to be successful.  Sometimes, after repeated failure or subpar performance, we need some sort of pick-me-up, but it is important to understand the value of self-motivatoin.

(“You’re not going to cry”…not “your not gonna cry” people’s grammar…)

As a whole, motivation is important in any environment, especially for someone who is in a management position.  If you can’t motivate your team, you won’t be in that management position for very long.  Finding ways to motivate is a trial and error process.  Hopefully with getting to know your team and putting in a little effort, we can build a successful team and become managers who are also great motivators.

Also, I found this and am not really sure how is applies to any points I made, but I couldn’t keep this video to myself.  I had to let someone see it. (Hint: It’s terrible…so terrible that you feel embarrassed for the guy.)