As a coach, consultant, and teacher, I often hear leaders ask, "How do I motivate my people?" My response is almost always; well, how do you motivate yourself? Unfortunately, many leaders think that motivation is some generic condition, sort of a one-size-fits-all condition, that can be created using a specialized technique.
The fact is motivation is not a generic condition, nor motivating others a simple task. Therefore, let me define motivation before going further. Motivation is an umbrella concept representing the processes that give behavior its energy and direction. Thus, motivated behavior is powered by relatively intense and persistent energy. And direction implies motivated behavior has a purpose—that it aims to achieve some particular goal or outcome.
The processes themselves arise from motives within an individual and forces within the environment. Motives are internal experiences, e.g., needs, cognitions, and emotions that energize an individual's approach and avoidance tendencies. External events are environmental incentives that attract or repel an individual to engage or to not engage in a particular course of action.
You can see, even from my crude definition, motivating others is a big fish to fry. So, how does a leader motivate others? At best, from a practical perspective, I believe leaders can only create an enabling environment for motivation. So, the question then is, "How do I create a motivating environment for my people?"
Creating a Motivating Environment
Intrinsic Motivation
Researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan have studied internal motivators since the 1980s. Their research resulted in Self-determination theory (SDT). SDT is an umbrella theory of human motivation. At the heart of the theory are three assumptions:
Humans are inherently proactive with their potential and mastery of their inner forces (such as drives and emotions).
Humans have an inherent tendency toward growth development and integrated functioning.
Optimal development and actions are inherent in humans, but they do not happen automatically.
The theory relates to the motivation behind choices people make with no external influence. Intrinsic motivation refers to pursuing an activity because it's internally satisfying in itself to do so, as opposed to acting to obtain an external incentive (extrinsic motivation). The theory implies that people are motivated to the extent that three physiological needs are met. The needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Attempting to satisfy these innate and universal needs then is critical for creating a motivating environment. Take a moment to reflect on the occasions when you're at your best. You feel you have some control over your actions, feel confident in your success, and feel connected to others and organizational goals. Here are a few things a leader can do:
The degree to which these needs are met or not met is the degree people will likely feel motivated.
Extrinsic Motivation
External motivators are the second part of creating a motivating environment. This is usually in the form of incentives. For example, getting paid to do a job is an example of extrinsic motivation. People may enjoy spending their day doing something other than work, but they're motivated to go to work because they need a paycheck to pay bills. But extrinsic motivation isn't always a tangible reward. It can also be abstract rewards, e.g., recognition and status.
Extrinsic motivators may be more effective in certain situations and for some people than it is for others. Therefore, they are best used sparingly as their value tends to decrease if overused. Extrinsic motivation can help persuade someone to complete a task in the short term. Before assigning a reward-based task, it's essential to know if the person doing the job is motivated by the reward.
Unfortunately, organizations tend to favor extrinsic motivators through institutionalized incentive programs because they're easy to implement and measure. Often these programs are seen as entitlements by employees, or they promote the wrong behavior, e.g., Wells Fargo's experience.
I don't want to sound as if I'm down on extrinsic motivation or incentive programs. On the contrary, there's plenty of research promoting the use of extrinsic motivators, at least for short-term performance gains. However, in light of the possible downsides, my advice to organizational leaders is to use caution in implementing incentive programs. Carefully consider both the intended and unintended consequences and determine whether an external incentive is an ideal fit organizational goal. And don't leave programs on autopilot; it should be monitored closely to ensure that it's achieving the desired goals.
Wrap-up
The fact is, there are no quick answers when it comes to motivation, so leaders should not see it as a problem to solve. That said, I believe there are conditions leaders can foster that enable employee motivation. The first is to clarify why any job is vital to the organization's purpose and success. Employees want to know that what they do is of value. Second, don't micromanage; focus on results. Third, promote your team's work; be their biggest fan. Forth, loosen up the rules and bureaucracy where appropriate. Fifth, get personal. Get to know your employees as people. Finally, pay people for what they are worth. An employee is not a commodity and should not be treated as such. If anything, the pandemic has proven this last point.
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