Isn’t every management student and every manager is perpetually studying and worrying respectively about motivating teams? Who hasn’t gone through a series of motivational theories, each attempting to capture motivation in a scientific and precise manner. Unfortunately management sciences is yet to fully comprehend the difference between social sciences and physical ones, otherwise they would long have given up!
Truth be told, most activities can be successfully completed with minimal motivation (read complete disinterest). After all, organizations today are convinced that most of their employees are completely brainless and thus attempt to dissect work in a minimalistic fashion, step by step almost as if we were all kindergarten going toddlers. Is it an attempt to make work motivation proof, where the maximum can be accomplished with the least of discretionary effort, I wonder.
I have been working for around 2 years now, and I do realize that there are some things I am capable of doing and certain things that I am motivated to. Both might not be present with the same intensity in each activity I have to perform at the workplace. Sometimes I feel completely motivated and interested in my work, while on other days, I run through the usual motion of tasks to be performed, making quite a few mistakes in turn. When I feel interested, there is faster processing of information, faster responses and more activities done!
While there are so many motivators around, I think that I work best with context and novelty. I doubt whether it is very different for many others. Who would not want to work in an environment where one really finds meaning in their work, understand how it impacts at a broader level and has the experience of learning continuously by exploring newer stuff. What does vary across people is the level to which these things bring an enthralled smile to their faces. For some, it might be a very distant reality, and one is content to settle for the occasional hiccup rather than the everyday mountain. For others monotony is another word for death.
What I really feel convinced about is the fact that motivating anyone is not really possible. People are self- motivated, or not motivated at all. There is a bit of philosophy that I really won’t bore my readers with, but not everyone believes in the infallibility of cause and effect. There is also an equally strong belief, unpleasant to some that we are actually capable of manipulating (read effecting) very little. This is not to give up hope by proclaiming kay sera sera (what will be, will be). We are actually strongly capable of influencing and nurturing, but not really directly. The best part is that one never really knows what effect one will have. One can work towards an ideal, or a belief and structure tasks towards it bit by bit, conversation by conversation. It can so happen that people get motivated (read influenced) to converge to a similar idea. But the distinct difference is that it is never the focus of your efforts, just a by-product. When this happens, you inspire.
Think of all those people who you listen to. Did they ever coax with higher pocket money or gifts or treats, for you to be moved by what they said. It was simply this – something was shared which you intuitively knew to be true, not construed for any end, and it resonated. That is what managers need to aim for. Does it sound difficult? It can only be so, if the underlying belief is missing and then everything else is mere hocus focus. Of course this is not to say that if the belief is there, then everything else miraculously falls into place. Technique is still important, and that’s why we are constantly training our managers! Some fun and games, dinner and drinks always yield wonders.
So here are the simple steps to motivate: never motivate, introspect, check for your own beliefs, start living them, and lo – people are inspired. If there is no congruence, change your job / company!
Truth be told, most activities can be successfully completed with minimal motivation (read complete disinterest). After all, organizations today are convinced that most of their employees are completely brainless and thus attempt to dissect work in a minimalistic fashion, step by step almost as if we were all kindergarten going toddlers. Is it an attempt to make work motivation proof, where the maximum can be accomplished with the least of discretionary effort, I wonder.
I have been working for around 2 years now, and I do realize that there are some things I am capable of doing and certain things that I am motivated to. Both might not be present with the same intensity in each activity I have to perform at the workplace. Sometimes I feel completely motivated and interested in my work, while on other days, I run through the usual motion of tasks to be performed, making quite a few mistakes in turn. When I feel interested, there is faster processing of information, faster responses and more activities done!
While there are so many motivators around, I think that I work best with context and novelty. I doubt whether it is very different for many others. Who would not want to work in an environment where one really finds meaning in their work, understand how it impacts at a broader level and has the experience of learning continuously by exploring newer stuff. What does vary across people is the level to which these things bring an enthralled smile to their faces. For some, it might be a very distant reality, and one is content to settle for the occasional hiccup rather than the everyday mountain. For others monotony is another word for death.
What I really feel convinced about is the fact that motivating anyone is not really possible. People are self- motivated, or not motivated at all. There is a bit of philosophy that I really won’t bore my readers with, but not everyone believes in the infallibility of cause and effect. There is also an equally strong belief, unpleasant to some that we are actually capable of manipulating (read effecting) very little. This is not to give up hope by proclaiming kay sera sera (what will be, will be). We are actually strongly capable of influencing and nurturing, but not really directly. The best part is that one never really knows what effect one will have. One can work towards an ideal, or a belief and structure tasks towards it bit by bit, conversation by conversation. It can so happen that people get motivated (read influenced) to converge to a similar idea. But the distinct difference is that it is never the focus of your efforts, just a by-product. When this happens, you inspire.
Think of all those people who you listen to. Did they ever coax with higher pocket money or gifts or treats, for you to be moved by what they said. It was simply this – something was shared which you intuitively knew to be true, not construed for any end, and it resonated. That is what managers need to aim for. Does it sound difficult? It can only be so, if the underlying belief is missing and then everything else is mere hocus focus. Of course this is not to say that if the belief is there, then everything else miraculously falls into place. Technique is still important, and that’s why we are constantly training our managers! Some fun and games, dinner and drinks always yield wonders.
So here are the simple steps to motivate: never motivate, introspect, check for your own beliefs, start living them, and lo – people are inspired. If there is no congruence, change your job / company!
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